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Texas Agriculture Archive

July 4, 2003

Texas private landowners
receive conservation grants

Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs has announced that seven federal grants totaling more than $850,000 have been awarded to individuals or groups for conservation projects on private lands for endangered, threatened or at-risk species. The grants were first awarded in the state under the new Private Stewardship Grants Program.

"With more than 97 percent of the state privately owned, private landowners are important partners in resource and species conservation," Combs said.

The Private Stewardship Grants Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, provides federal grants to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that benefit endangered, threatened or at-risk species. Each grant must be matched by at least 10 percent of the total cost in either non-federal dollars or in-kind contributions. The grants include:

•Texas Prairie Rivers Region, Inc. ($91,875) in Gray, Lipscomb, Roberts and Wheeler counties.

•Cook's Branch Conservancy ($36,000) in Montgomery County.

•Pines and Prairie Land Trust ($4,345) in Bastrop County.

•Coastal Prairies Coalition of the Grazing Lands Conservation Institute ($300,000) in Bastrop County.

•Texas Wildlife Assoc. Foundation ($100,000) in Bell, Coryell, Hamilton and Kerr counties.

•The Peregrine Fund, Northern Aplamado Falcon ($100,000) in many West Texas counties.

•The Wild Turkey Center, Riparian Habitat Improvement ($220,841) in Briscoe, Donley, Hemphill and Lipscomb counties.