Portfolio Archives: Partner Organizations & Agencies

Areas of work include:

· Protecting the ecological resilience of landscapes of Texas national park sites from the Big Thicket to Big Bend

· Preserving the heritage of our region and country within our national parks to ensure our parks tell a more complete story of America including creating new park sites like the Blackwell School National Historical Site

· Providing our national parks the resources to ensure a quality visitor experience while protecting park resources

· Engaging new and diverse park advocates and champions

Through innovative programs focusing on energy efficiency, community and corporate sustainability, and sustainable transportation, the Office of Sustainability is working to make San Antonio a great place to live, work, and play while enhancing the environment, quality-of-life, and our economic vitality.

MISSION STATEMENT
Enhancing the environment, quality of life, and economic vitality through innovative programs and policies for all residents, as well as future generations.

VISION
Rising energy costs and increasing concerns about the long term impact of current levels of energy consumption are important issues for the City of San Antonio. Efforts to improve environmental quality and reduce consumption make sense, both social and economically. The Office of Sustainability (OS) for the City of San Antonio provides staff support to City departments, the business community, and other public agencies to develop and implement sustainability initiatives.

The Caddo Lake Institute is a non-profit scientific and educational organization founded in 1992 with the mission of protecting the unique treasure that is Caddo Lake. We address issues such as the need to return healthy flows of water to the lake, restore water quality in the watershed, control invasive species, and conserve significant lands. We undertake a variety of programs including endangered species protection, education, land conservation, environmental flows initiative, invasive species management, and wetland restoration.

Caddo Lake Institute is proud to work with local communities, organizations and others to protect the unique treasure that is Caddo Lake. Together we are addressing issues such as the need to return healthy flows of water to Caddo Lake, restore water quality in the watershed, control invasive species, and conserve significant lands. That work has included the designation of wetlands at Caddo Lake as “Wetlands of International Importance” under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty created in 1971. A healthy watershed supports wildlife and animal habitats, recreation and the local economy.

At Shield Ranch, stewarding and protecting the Hill Country ecosystem is our solemn purpose. Located just 18 miles southwest of downtown Austin, we are a 6,800-acre family ranch established in 1938. Today, we are home to a mosaic of habitats, a diverse community of native plants and animals, and over six breathtaking miles of Barton Creek.

Through an evolving program of land management, unique nature immersion experiences, and conservation easements with the Nature Conservancy and the City of Austin, Shield Ranch offers something exceptionally rare in our rapidly urbanizing community—a truly wild place. Join us in making sure it stays that way.

Visit our website to learn more about our work in land stewardship, advocacy, scientific research, environmental education, conservation easements and historic preservation. The work we do at Shield Ranch and the Shield Ranch Foundation is timeless. We respect the historical and cultural significance of the place and steward and share the Ranch to ensure that the land will always be a resource for future generations.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s mission is to provide private support to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to ensure that all Texans, today and in the future, can enjoy the wild things and wild places of Texas.

Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has raised private funds to advance Texas’ proud outdoor traditions and conserve our state’s wildlife, habitat and natural resources. Our vision is for all Texans to have access to the wild things and wild places in our state, both now and for generations to come.

The Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation (the Gulf Partnership) is a coalition of 28 local, regional, and national conservation organizations that work in the Gulf Coast region within the five Gulf of Mexico states – Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Our mission is to increase the pace, quality, and permanence of voluntary land and water conservation within the coastal region.

Our member organizations work with private landowners, government agencies and local communities to protect the most important natural resources and beautiful landscapes in the region: ranchlands, mangrove forests, freshwater springs, longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood forests, sandy beaches, and barrier islands.

Professional Services
We serve land trusts that operation in the five Gulf of Mexico States coastal region and provide: Capacity building support through training, annual Gulf Coast Land Conservation Conference, webinars, matching grants for due diligence projects for partner members, communication on land conservation news and advocacy/policy issues specific to the Gulf coast region.

Areas of Expertise
Gulf Coast region conservation
Deepwater Horizon oil spill funding for conservation including RESTORE, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Coast Benefit Fund, and NRDA.
Convening land trusts and allies in the Gulf Coast region.
Communication, Advocacy, support for grant writing.

Primary Customers/Clients
Land trusts and non-profit organizations whose primary purpose is land conservation. The Gulf Partnership works in the Gulf Coast region of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We use the following definition to describe our service area:
1.the coastal management zones of the Gulf Coast States,
2.any adjacent land, water and watersheds within 25 miles of the coastal zones; and
3.all federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Our partner organizations work with individual landowners and local communities from the Texas/Mexico border to the southern tip of Florida. Some of our partners work in all 5 states and protect thousands of acres while others focus on a single county or watershed.

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Local , State and Regional Organizations
Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust (AL)
Alabama Forest Resources Center (AL)
Alachua Conservation Trust (GA/FL)
Artist Boat (TX)
Coastal Land Trust (AL)
Colorado River Land Trust (TX)
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast (FL)
Conservation Florida (FL)
Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries (AL)
Galveston Bay Foundation (TX)
Guadalupe Blanco River Land Trust (TX)
Land Trust for Louisiana (LA)
Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (MS)
Mississippi Land Trust (MS)
Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy (FL)
Tampa Bay Conservancy (FL)
Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TX)
Trust for Coastal Stewardship (LA)
Weeks Bay Foundation (AL)
Woodlands Conservancy (LA)
Wolf River Conservation Society (MS)

National organizations
American Farmland Trust
Land Trust Alliance
National Audubon Society
The Conservation Fund
The Nature Conservancy
The Trust for Public Land