On Earth Day, The Nature Conservancy of Texas celebrates 40 years of saving Texas' great places
Land conserved for wildlife in the Lone Star State approaches 1 million acres
SAN ANTONIO — April 20, 2004 - This Earth Day has special meaning for the staff and volunteers of The Nature Conservancy of Texas this year, as the non-profit wildlife conservation organization celebrates 40 years of saving the best of Texas.
Founded in 1964 by volunteers, with Edward C. "Ned" Fritz serving as the first board of trustees president, The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Program now employs 100 scientists, land managers, real estate experts and others in 18 offices throughout the state. The organization owns 38 nature preserves and other conservation properties, and manages 27 conservation projects in partnership with private landowners in Texas. Working with public and private partners, the group has conserved more than 920,000 acres in the Lone Star State.
The organization also celebrates its 40th year with the announcement of a new Texas state director, Carter Smith, formerly director of conservation programs for The Nature Conservancy of Texas. Smith joined the Conservancy in 1999 to work with landowners along the gulf coast and in South Texas, and came to San Antonio to direct Texas conservation programs in 2003.
"As a native Texan who loves the land, I am extremely proud of the conservation work done by Nature Conservancy staff, volunteers and partners in the past 40 years in the Lone Star State," Smith said. "One of the most biologically diverse states in the nation, Texas is rich in natural treasures. That’s certainly something to celebrate this Earth Day.
"At the same time, we recognize that Texas is losing its undeveloped land faster than any other state in the United States," Smith added. "While we have accomplished much, we still have our work cut out for us, and we look forward to helping Texans conserve their ecologically important lands for future generations."
The group’s first land acquisition was 2,626 acres near Eagle Lake west of Houston, which was conveyed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the establishment of the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, home to one of only two wild populations of the Attwater’s prairie chicken, the most endangered bird in North America. (The other population is at the Conservancy’s Texas City Prairie Preserve.)
The Conservancy’s most recent major land acquisition in Texas took place in 2003 with the purchase of 87,760 acres in West Texas to protect the Devils River, the state’s most pristine river. It is believed to be the largest private land purchase for conservation ever accomplished in Texas.
The Nature Conservancy of Texas also has acquired land for the establishment of a number of national and state parks and wildlife refuges, including Big Bend National Park, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area, San Jacinto State Historical Park, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.
Founder Ned Fritz, who helped create the Texas Committee on Natural Resources and was a leader in the establishment of the Natural Areas Preservation Association, one of Texas’ oldest land trusts, was the first of many distinguished conservationists to serve the organization. Andrew "Andy" Sansom, executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 1988 to 2001, was state director for The Nature Conservancy of Texas for five years prior to his stint at TPWD.
Other notable Texas board of trustee members through the years include former president of Texas Tech and mammalogist David Schmidly, University of Texas educator and biologist Lawrence Gilbert Jr., world-class birding guide Victor Emanuel, eminent ichthyologist Clark Hubbs, conservation author and businessman Richard Bartlett, environmental attorney and former Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioner Carol Dinkins, and former Parks and Wildlife commissioners Tim Hixon and Mickey Burleson.
Available Downloads:
Milestones of The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Protected Lands of The Nature Conservancy of Texas
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The Nature Conservancy is an international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In the Lone Star State, with 65 nature preserves and conservation projects on private lands, The Nature Conservancy of Texas protects 250,000 acres of wild lands and, with partners, has conserved more than 920,000 acres for wildlife habitat across the state. Visit The Nature Conservancy of Texas on the Web at nature.org/texas.
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