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Gaining Ground

Texas

1,902,116

Acres Protected

That’s about 1,440,997 football fields!

Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

Visitors to Land Trust Properties

19,865

More and more people are enjoying the benefits of nature.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

65%

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

Number of People Served

129,792

Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

Miles of Trails

46

Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

Miles With Universal Access

1

Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

50%

Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

  • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

  • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

  • People who identify as LGBTQ+

  • People living with disabilities

  • Veterans

Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

  • Youth education and development

  • Community and economic development

  • Food security and agriculture

  • Health and wellness

  • Social and environmental justice

Demographics

Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

Texas land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

Active Land Trusts

27

A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

Learn more about land trusts
Alliance Member Land Trusts

25

Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Learn about the land trust alliance
Accredited Land Trusts

14

Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

Learn about land trust accreditation

People

  • Members/financial supporters

    35,082

  • Volunteers

    2,983

  • Full-time staff

    98

  • Part-time staff

    21

  • Board members

    300

Land Trust Longevity

  • Oldest

    70 years old (1952)

  • Youngest

    16 years old (2006)

  • Median age

    30 years old

State Association
Texas Land Trust Council
View website
Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

63%

Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

25%

Land Protected

There has been a 46% increase in Texas land protected by land trusts since 2010.

Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Texas lands, waters and ways of life.

2010
2015
2020
Total acres protected
1,303,935
1,803,535
1,902,116
+46%
Under easement
601,758
887,257
990,749
+65%
Owned
254,773
335,468
335,971
+32%
Acquired and reconveyed
423,595
454,840
401,510
0%
Protected by other means
20,808
33,364
173,886
+736%

Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

91%

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

$859 million

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

541,600

Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

Making a Difference

Texas land trusts are gaining ground.

Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Texas' most pressing issues.

  • Providing access to land for all: The accredited Galveston Bay Foundation engages local teens in a wetland restoration project through Hip to Habitat. The students dig up marsh grasses to take back to their school, where they look after them in blue kiddie pools. Later in the school year, they return to Galveston Bay and plant them in a wetland restoration area.

    Read more

  • Tackling climate change: A Harris County Flood Control District study on property protected by the accredited Katy Prairie Conservancy in Houston found that prairie grasses absorb more than 8 inches of rainfall per hour compared to just half an inch for turf grass.

    Read more

  • Protecting land for future generations: Bayou Land Conservancy manages the “No Child Left Inside” program, which literally gets the students’ feet wet and their hands dirty as they become field scientists for a day.

    Read more

Land Trusts Working in Texas

Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Access Fund
Boulder, CO
10 acres protected in TX
American Farmland Trust
Northampton, MA
Bayou Land Conservancy
Houston, TX
14,196 acres protected in TX
Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust
Kountze, TX
877 acres protected in TX
Cibolo Conservancy
Boerne, TX
12,800 acres protected in TX
Coastal Prairie Conservancy
Houston, TX
30,678 acres protected in TX
Colorado River Land Trust
Dripping Springs, TX
6,387 acres protected in TX
Connemara Conservancy Foundation
Allen, TX
6,491 acres protected in TX
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Memphis, TN
10,860 acres protected in TX
Frontera Land Alliance
El Paso, TX
123 acres protected in TX
Galveston Bay Foundation
Kemah, TX
8,299 acres protected in TX
Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas
San Antonio, TX
59,816 acres protected in TX
Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust
Seguin, TX
14,162 acres protected in TX
Hill Country Conservancy
Austin, TX
12,789 acres protected in TX
Hill Country Land Trust
Fredericksburg, TX
8,012 acres protected in TX
Houston Audubon
Houston, TX
4,038 acres protected in TX
Mississippi River Trust
Stoneville, MS
373 acres protected in TX
Mitigation Futures Conservancy
McKinney, TX
150 acres protected in TX
Moore-Odom Wildlife Foundation, Inc.
Orange, TX
150 acres protected in TX
National Park Trust
Rockville, MD
3 acres protected in TX
Native Prairies Association of Texas
Manchaca, TX
5,082 acres protected in TX
Pines and Prairies Land Trust
Bastrop, TX
2,575 acres protected in TX
San Marcos River Foundation
San Marcos, TX
465 acres protected in TX
Save Barton Creek Association
Austin, TX
72 acres protected in TX
Southern Plains Land Trust
Lamar, CO
Texas Agricultural Land Trust
San Antonio, TX
235,872 acres protected in TX
Texas Land Conservancy
Austin, TX
115,094 acres protected in TX
Texas Ornithological Society
Houston, TX
160 acres protected in TX
The Conservation Fund
Arlington, VA
235,424 acres protected in TX
The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
Washington, DC
593 acres protected in TX
The Nature Conservancy
Arlington, VA
994,843 acres protected in TX
The Trust for Public Land, National Office
San Francisco, CA
36,706 acres protected in TX
Upper Trinity Conservation Trust
Lewisville, TX
Valley Land Fund
McAllen, TX
10,380 acres protected in TX
Wilbarger Creek Conservation Alliance
Austin, TX
1,646 acres protected in TX