The Promise of - SullivanPerkins
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Promise of
POWDERHORN
RANCH
F or decades, conservation groups hoped to
conserve Powderhorn Ranch, an expansive,
17,351-acre swath of coastal prairie and wetlands on
Matagorda Bay. In 2014, this goal was realized when
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation purchased
the property, making history as Texas’ largest-ever
conservation investment.
The acquisition also marked the first major success of TPWF’s
ambitious Keeping it Wild: The Campaign for Texas, which has since
raised more than $100 million to conserve the wild things and
wild places of Texas for future generations.
But the work to give Powderhorn Ranch to the people of Texas
had only just begun; TPWF worked to carefully steward and
restore the property’s natural resources while making plans for
it to someday become a state park and wildlife management area.
The project crossed the finish line on October 27, 2021, when
TPWF donated the final 1,360 acres of the property to Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department. This gift marked the completion
of a once-in-a-generation conservation effort made possible by
an extraordinary coalition of partners and donors determined
to keep Powderhorn wild.
Since 1991, Texas Parks and
Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) has
engaged philanthropy to advance
Texas’ proud outdoor traditions
and conserve our state’s wildlife,
Today, Powderhorn Ranch belongs to the people
habitat and natural resources. of Texas. And it always will.
Our vision is for all Texans to
have access to the wild things
and wild places in our state, both
now and for generations to come.
All photography taken at Powderhorn Ranch by Jonathan Vail, unless otherwise credited.
Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department © 2014, Josh Havens
The acquisition of Powderhorn Ranch is
C O N S E R V I N G T E X A S ’ VA N I S H I N G
a promise kept to the people of Texas.
C O A S TA L P R A I R I E
This historic investment was made
possible by an exceptional public-
Powderhorn Ranch is undeniably Powderhorn Ranch is a private partnership and exemplifies
stunning. Encompassing 17,351 significant conservation how landscape-scale conservation can
acres, visitors are awed by success in its own right be achieved in Texas and beyond. We
the vast expanse of grassland, and is also one component are immensely grateful to Texas Parks
dotted with live oak mottes of a long-term strategy to
and Wildlife Commission Chairman
and extending almost endlessly conserve coastal habitat
Emeritus T. Dan Friedkin and the
into a mosaic of freshwater throughout the Matagorda
TPWF team, led by Kelly Thompson
wetlands, salt marshes, and Bay system. At the time of the
seagrass beds. The undisturbed acquisition, Powderhorn Ranch and Anne Brown, who enabled this
landscape and surrounding complemented an existing incredible conservation success.
waters support a range of species, network of conserved lands
from shorebirds, songbirds, and along the Texas mid-coast,
raptors to finfish, ungulates, and TPWF has continued to
and invertebrates. These habitats engage philanthropy to achieve MIKE GREENE
and incredible biodiversity once landscape-scale conservation. Chairman,
typified the region, but today, All told, more than 6,500 TPWF Board of Trustees
Powderhorn Ranch represents additional acres of pristine
one of the largest remaining barrier habitat in the Matagorda
tracts of Texas’ rapidly vanishing Bay system have been conserved
coastal prairie. since 2016.
With the accelerating pace of Today, Powderhorn Ranch is
development and conversion the beating heart at the center
of grassland habitat across of Matagorda Bay’s sprawling
much of Texas, conservation coastal ecosystem, pulsing
groups identified the life through a network of
permanent conservation of interconnected habitat. These
Powderhorn Ranch as an urgent conserved lands cover nearly
priority. In 2014, significant 150,000 acres, from the Aransas
funding became available National Wildlife Refuge to Mad
from the National Fish and Island Wildlife Management
Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Area and the recently established
Environmental Benefit Fund, Matagorda Peninsula Coastal
and Texas Parks and Wildlife Management Area.
Foundation committed to
raise up to $15 million to
complete funding for the MATAGORDA
BAY
N
project. In addition to the $37.7 ARANSAS
million purchase price, costs NATIONAL
WILDLIFE
REFUGE
also included initial habitat POWDERHORN
LAKE
restoration and an endowment POWDERHORN
RANCH
to fund long-term maintenance, 17,351 ACRES PORT
O’CONNOR
bringing the total for the project
to nearly $50 million. Through
the efforts of numerous partners CALHOUN
COUNTY
and donors alongside TPWF,
the decades-long goal of
conserving Powderhorn Ranch
ESPIRITU GULF OF
SANTO BAY MEXICO
MATAGORDA
ISLAND
became a reality. WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT
AREA
S T E WA R D I N G P O W D E R H O R N
F O R F U T U R E G E N E R AT I O N S
Like much of North America’s Just as the grasslands benefitted
once-vast expanse of grassland from restoration, TPWF has also
habitat, Powderhorn Ranch worked to steward Powderhorn’s
and its menagerie of native wetland habitats by installing
species were shaped over eons three new solar wells. These wells
by natural processes, such as provide permanent water sources
lightning-sparked wildfires and for terrestrial wildlife, wading
roaming herds of ruminants. birds, and waterfowl and create
While Powderhorn escaped the the transitional wetlands
Gulf Coast’s development boom, necessary for a complete coastal
centuries of agriculture, cattle ecosystem.
grazing, and fire suppression
had altered the landscape, TPWF’s careful work to bring the
jeopardizing the wild things that habitats of Powderhorn Ranch
call Texas’ coastal prairie home. into equilibrium and restore
long-absent natural processes
Restoring Powderhorn’s habitats is paying dividends. Alongside
to meet the full life cycle needs the abundance of resident
of a diverse assemblage of wildlife thriving under improved
resident and migratory species management, as many as nine
has been an important priority whooping cranes have been
for TPWF and Texas Parks and sighted at Powderhorn Ranch in
Wildlife Department (TPWD). a single day. As one of the rarest
In collaboration with TPWD, birds in North America, the
TPWF secured funding and presence of whooping cranes is a
led restoration efforts until the living testament to the incredible
property was donated to TPWD. conservation success story of
TPWD will continue to carefully Powderhorn Ranch.
steward Powderhorn’s natural
resources, funded in part by a
long-term endowment at TPWF.
When TPWF took ownership of
Powderhorn Ranch conserves the property, nearly 6,000 acres
irreplaceable wildlife habitat in an were dominated by running live
area of Texas that is facing increasing oak, an extensive network of live
development pressure. The investment
oak roots that continually puts
in this property forever protects a
up shoots resistant to shredding
or burning. The resulting
remarkable diversity of species and
dense thicket, up to 10 feet high
habitat and connects a patchwork of
and essentially impenetrable,
protected lands that are vital
was choking out grassland-
to the resilience of a healthy dependent species. To combat
Gulf Coast ecosystem. the problem, TPWF conducted
selective herbicide control and
prescriptive fire management,
clearing the running live oak
CARTER SMITH and revitalizing Powderhorn’s
TPWD Executive Director, native prairie.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
A PROMISE KEPT TO
THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS
From gentle bay waters to In 2021, TPWF donated the
a year-round symphony of final 1,360 acres of Powderhorn
birdsong, Powderhorn Ranch Ranch to TPWD for an eventual
invites us to leave behind the state park, fulfilling the promise
towering structures and tiny made to the people of Texas
bright screens of our daily lives. when the acquisition began
While conservation was the in 2014. When the new park
lodestar guiding the acquisition opens, visitors will thrill to the
of Powderhorn Ranch, its sights and sounds of myriad bird
incredible recreational potential species, paddle or cast a line into
– as well as Texans’ growing Matagorda Bay, hike across the
demand for public green space – coastal prairie, and camp under
was an important element of the the stars.
acquisition.
In permanently conserving 17,351
With the acquisition complete, acres of pristine Gulf Coast
TPWF made plans to donate habitat and providing abundant
the property to Texas Parks and opportunities for outdoor
Wildlife Department for the experiences, the acquisition of
people of Texas. The majority Powderhorn Ranch is nothing
of the property, approximately short of a transformational
15,000 acres, was donated conservation success. From
in 2018 for the creation of wetlands teeming with life to a sea
a wildlife management area. of grasslands extending endlessly
Before the property was into the unbroken horizon,
transferred, TPWF worked Powderhorn Ranch and the
with numerous partners to wealth of resources it contains will
facilitate access for recreational forever be held in trust for the
opportunities, such as birding, people of Texas.
hunting, camping, and fishing, We are deeply grateful for all who
as well as research on topics supported this cornerstone of Keeping
ranging from coastal prairie it Wild: The Campaign for Texas. This
restoration practices to bobwhite transformational project conserves
quail populations and habitat irreplaceable wildlife habitat and
usage. Today, Powderhorn brings an exciting new recreational
Wildlife Management Area opportunity to the people of Texas. It
provides scheduled access demonstrates how Texas’ community
for conservation education, of conservationists can work hand-
research, birding, and public in-hand with the state to preserve
hunting. Staff are focused an extraordinary piece of our natural
on continuing the habitat heritage for generations to come.
management and restoration
activities that make the property
an attractive destination for
human visitors, wintering
whooping cranes, and T. DAN FRIEDKIN
everything in between. Chairman Emeritus,
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
Chairman,
Keeping it Wild: The Campaign for Texas
2014-2021:
A C O N S E R VAT I O N S T O R Y
2015-2017 2018-2021 • Conducting prescribed burns
on 6,000 acres of coastal prairie
TPWF stewarded the property, TPWF continued to lead habitat to reclaim, enhance,
led habitat restoration efforts, restoration and stewardship on and maintain whooping crane
and facilitated access for the future state park portion wintering grounds
research and recreation: of the property while TPWD •D
eveloping new adult hunters
managed the newly created through the Stewards of
• Conducting herbicide treatment wildlife management area:
on more than 3,000 acres of the Wild mentored hunting
running live oak and prescribed • Donating 14,998 acres to initiative, with hunts held at
burns on approximately 5,700 TPWD on October 19, 2018, to Powderhorn Ranch
acres, including 2,800 acres of establish Powderhorn Wildlife •D
onating the final 1,360 acres
the land treated with herbicide Management Area of Powderhorn Ranch to TPWD
• Constructing facilities and on October 27, 2021, for an
purchasing equipment to restore eventual state park
and manage natural resources
• Placing the entire property
and establish the future wildlife
under a permanent conservation
management area
easement, held by The Nature
• Installing 13 miles of interior Conservancy
fencing to facilitate rotational
• Restoring the historic camp
grazing and three solar wells to
house, the only original building
provide water for wildlife
on the property, which will
• Working with TPWD to complete eventually become a state park
baseline surveys of native species interpretive center
and rare plants, including deer
• Providing research
and bird species, as well as
opportunities, including
vegetation surveys to monitor the
studying coastal prairie
success of ongoing restoration
restoration practices;
practices
researching Rio Grande turkey,
2014 •R
aising up to $15 million
to complete funding; the bobwhite quail, and other native
$50 million total project species; examining vegetation
TPWF’s initial focus was structure in treated versus
securing necessary funding and cost includes acquisition,
restoration, and long-term untreated areas; and assessing
completing the purchase: the impact of non-native sambar
management of the property
• S ecuring $34.5 million deer on emergent wetlands
from the National Fish and •L
eading a coalition of partners
to acquire the property on • Installing a rainwater
Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf collection system to replace
Environmental Benefit Fund, August 8, 2014, ensuring the
permanent conservation of its an aging cistern and serve
established with settlement as a demonstration area for
dollars from the Deepwater 17,351 acres and 11 miles of
tidal bayfront sustainable water management
Horizon oil spill and conservation practices
•L
aunching Keeping it Wild: The • Coordinating with the Texas
Campaign for Texas with a lead Youth Hunting Program to host
gift from T. Dan Friedkin for 10 hunts serving nearly 60 youth
Powderhorn Ranch hunters, some of whom harvested
their very first deer
To our donors, trustees, and staff ~
to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and staff ~
and to numerous partners and conservation champions across Texas and beyond ~
because of you, Powderhorn Ranch will remain forever wild.
2914 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204 | 214.720.1478 | www.tpwf.org
You can also read
