Rene Barrera's brother said he was long-time activist who inspired others before his death earlier this year.

AUSTIN, Texas — A longtime Austin conservationist now has a wildlife preserve posthumously named after him.

The Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary was officially renamed "Rene Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary" on Sunday.

Barrera served as the Environmental Conservation Information Specialist for the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department for 24 years. He died earlier this year at age 60.

He was dedicated to conserving Austin's 2,200 acres of nature preserves, according to the Austin Parks Foundation.

The newly-renamed sanctuary is located off Bloor Road in northeast Austin, near Walter E. Long Park.

Barrera's brother, Rick, came to town for the renaming.

"This is basically trying to make sure they stayed as they were, pulling out and removing the invasive plants so that they were what they were before so they can thrive. In this case, the Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary," Rick said.

He is grateful for the City's recognition.

"For the City, people to recognize him this way is beyond words to me," Rick said.

He said his brother moved to Austin from the Beaumont area and become a volunteer in the 1980s. He started working with the City of Austin in the 1990s.

Park rangers, fire officials and volunteers also picked seeds from the sanctuary during the renaming. They plan to distribute those after a controlled burn.