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Energy and Conservation

 

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Go Deeper

To learn more about balancing conservation and natural gas extraction, download our brochure: Energy and Conservation in the Barnett Shale.

Download Texas Conservation Milestones print version (914kb).

 Stories

Laura Huffman Texas Conservation Milestones Home
The Frio Ranch Protecting the Edwards Aquifer
Oysters Restoring a Gulf Coast Treasure
APC thumb Saving the Attwater's Prairie Chicken from Extinction
Richard Garriott Richard Garriott: Conservationist, Space Traveler
Barnett Shale Balancing Energy and Conservation
Pronghorn Yoakum Dunes Preserve
Lennox Woods Preserve A New Trail Showcases an Old-Growth Forest
Caddo Lake Preserve Conservation from Caddo Lake to the Lower Brazos River
Pearl campus A New Home for Conservation in Texas
Richard Bartlett Dick Bartlett: An Unparalleled Legacy
Donor Our Supporters

North East Texas prairie

The search for and extraction of energy resources helps drive the economy of the United States, and Texas in particular. According to the Department of Energy, Texas is the largest petroleum refiner in the country and produces three times more natural gas than any other state.

In certain parts of Texas, energy development is inextricably linked to the livelihood of entire communities. West of Fort Worth, the Barnett Shale natural gas field spans nearly 5,000 square miles under the Fort Worth Prairie. Recent technological advances have led to a huge increase in natural gas extraction. As a result, large-scale conservation in the region cannot be undertaken without factoring in the very real and very necessary needs and concerns of landowners, energy developers and communities in the region.

In March, the Conservancy hosted “Ranching for the Future,” a gathering of conservation and energy development experts held at the Doss Heritage & Culture Center in Weatherford. 

Attended by more than 50 local landowners, the event addressed ways to reconcile conservation and energy extraction, particularly ways to minimize impacts on habitat. Speakers from the Conservancy, the Dixon Water Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and the Harris, Finley & Bogle law firm gave presentations on topics including landowner cooperatives, sustainable grazing practices, prescribed fire, conservation easements, and gas and pipeline lease negotiations. The event was moderated by Bill Fuller, a respected Parker County landowner and president of Fuller Capital Management.

Landowners with property on the Barnett Shale can learn more about the Conservancy’s efforts to balance energy and conservation needs by contacting David Bezanson, Northeast Texas Program manager, at (512) 494-9559 or dbezanson@tnc.org.

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Nature picture credits (left to right, top to bottom): Photo © David Bezanson/TNC (Northeast Texas prairie); Photo © David A. Williams (prairie grass); Photo © Austin Business Journal (Laura Huffman); Photo © Rebecca Flack/TNC (Frio River); Photo © Danny White/TNC (Oysters); Photo © Clay Carrington/TNC (Attwater's prairie chicken); Photo © Will van Overbeek (Richard Garriott); Photo © David A. Williams (prairie grass); Photo © Janet Haas (pronghorn); Photo © TNC (Lennox Woods Preserve); Photo © Lynn Mc Bride/TNC (Caddo Lake); Photo © Insite Architects (Pearl Brewery Design); Photo courtesy of Dick Bartlett (Dick Bartlett)