ALPINE—April 1, 2009—Jeff Francell has been named interim director of West Texas conservation efforts for The Nature Conservancy. In his new role, Francell will oversee conservation strategies in an area that features four Conservancy properties—including the 32,000-acre Davis Mountains Preserve—while leading the search for a permanent program manager for the region.

“We are thrilled to have Jeff stepping in to guide our efforts in the most expansive and iconic region of the state,” said the Conservancy’s Texas state director Laura Huffman. “Jeff is a proven conservation leader with a long history of building partnerships with landowners and he has a deep knowledge of our work in the region. Having a leader like Jeff at the helm will ensure this beautiful part of our state remains a priority conservation area for the organization.”

A graduate of the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs, Francell has spent his entire career working on behalf of conservation in Texas. Currently The Nature Conservancy’s director of land and water protection, he has previously worked for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the National Audubon Society. He also has strong, personal ties to the area and spends time on his family’s ranch near Valentine.

“West Texas is integral to our state’s identity,” Francell said. “Thanks to the continued stewardship by the region’s many private ranching families, West Texas has incredible conservation significance. I’m eager to continue the great work already being done with our partners in the region.”

Francell will step into the position previously held by John Karges, a 19-year veteran of the Conservancy, who in his new role will ensure the sound science for which the Conservancy is known continues to shape and guide on-the-ground conservation work across Texas. Karges, who has spent much of the past two decades conducting biological inventories and conservation assessments on strategic lands throughout West Texas, will assume leadership of The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Natural History Survey. That database of biological information—gathered largely through partnerships with private landowners—is used by the organization, its partners and academic institutions to steer conservation efforts across the state.

“It has been a great privilege to work with remarkable colleagues, volunteers and landowner partners in West Texas,” Karges said. “My new position gives me the opportunity to help link our science and conservation programs, ensuring science remains the backbone of our work statewide, including here in West Texas. Jeff Francell’s appointment means our work in the region won’t miss a beat and we will continue to conserve these beautiful landscapes and the wildlife they support for future generations of Texans.”         

Francell and Karges have been responsible for some of the Conservancy’s most notable successes in Texas. Over the past four years, Francell worked closely with the city of San Antonio—including Uvalde County landowners such as former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe—to conserve more than 50,000 acres of Edwards Aquifer recharge lands protecting the main source of drinking water for 1.8 million Texans.

Last year, Francell and Karges worked together to acquire a property that was conveyed to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to expand Big Bend Ranch State Park by more than 7,000 acres

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The Nature Conservancy of Texas maintains more than 30 ecologically significant preserves and conservation projects statewide. In addition to more than a dozen conservation initiatives benefiting Texas rivers and creeks, the Conservancy also works with private landowners and municipalities, such as the cities of San Antonio and San Marcos, to protect critical freshwater resources like the Edwards and Trinity aquifers. 

Over the past 45 years, the Conservancy has worked with state and federal agencies to created and expand beloved public areas, including Enchanted Rock State Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and has led significant marine habitat restoration efforts along the Gulf that benefit terrestrial and aquatic wildlife and help protect human communities from hurricanes and tropical storms.

To find out more about the Conservancy’s work in Texas and around the world, visit nature.org/texas.