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Galveston Bay Land Conservation Initiative

Clear Lake Basin Photo by: Benjamin Larkin

Galveston Bay Land Conservation Initiative

We all know that oil and water don't mix. But on Texas's gulf coast, it is the combination of Houston's oil industry and Galveston Bay's water that has drawn millions of people and hundreds of corporations to the area. Now the country's fourth largest city, Houston boasts its second largest port, and Galveston Bay is the state's most productive bay. As a result of this growth, many Houston/Galveston area residents find it increasingly difficult to access and enjoy the bay and its tributaries.

In 2002, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) launched a new program—the Galveston Bay Land Conservation Initiative—designed to assist local governments around Galveston Bay to provide public enjoyment and access to the Bay and its tributaries, while conserving wetlands and other special habitats for water quality protection and wildlife. 

Led by program director, Linda Shead in TPL's Houston/Galveston office, the initiative is funded by the Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP)—a program authorized under Clean Water Act amendments. GBEP has made use of extensive stakeholder involvement to study the bay and now is implementing a comprehensive bay conservation and management plan.

Another view from Clear Lake Basin Photo by: Benjamin Larkin

TPL has been working with individuals, agencies, and nonprofit organizations throughout the bay area to identify and evaluate properties that may be conserved for open space. TPL is providing technical, planning, programmatic, and grant-writing assistance that will help build the capacity of local governments to acquire, protect, or restore these valuable lands.

Among the tools being provided are a fact sheet and a workshop on the environmental and economic benefits of these lands, a compilation of funding sources, a workshop on funding and grant writing, template language to use in grant applications, and specific grant proposals for land acquisition.

Posted 10/2003

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FILE ATTACHMENTS:

Galveston Bay Information

Economic Benefits Brochure

Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Spaces Fact Sheet