Photos show Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's 'newest crown jewel'

Coastal marsh shallows on Matagorda Bay at Powderhorn Ranch. Coastal marsh shallows on Matagorda Bay at Powderhorn Ranch. Photo: Courtesy Of Texas Parks And Wildlife Department Photo: Courtesy Of Texas Parks And Wildlife Department Image 1 of / 69 Caption Close Photos show Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's 'newest crown jewel' 1 / 69 Back to Gallery

Texas has a new wildlife management area: 15,000 acres of Powderhorn Ranch, "prime unspoiled coastal prairie" near Port O'Connor.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials expect the area to be open to the public as early as spring 2019 for low impact activities such as guided group birding tours, and in future years for activities like hunting, fishing and paddling. Eventually, the department hopes to convert the remaining acres of the Ranch into a state park.

In a news release, the department described Powderhorn Ranch as "the newest crown jewel" in the system.

“The department is privileged to be the steward of this unique and ecologically significant piece of the Texas Coast that the conservation community has worked so hard to protect,” Wildlife Division Director Clayton Wolf said in the release. “We look forward to managing these valuable natural resources for current and future generations of Texans to enjoy.”

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The creation of a new wildlife management area was just announced Thursday, but the efforts date back more than 30 years, when conservation organizations and wildlife agencies began considering ways to safeguard Powderhorn Ranch.

The first major step was taken in 2014 when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation initiated the acquisition of the 17,351-acre ranch for $37.7 million. It was the largest conservation investment in Texas history, according to a news release.

A significant portion of the funding — $34.5 million — was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf of Environmental Benefit Fund, which was created using dollars paid by BP and Transocean after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began in 2010.

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The funding committed made this the largest land acquisition in the nation so far using those spill restoration dollars. Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi as well as four federal agencies are also trustees of the BP fund.

Wildlife management areas are used for conducting research and providing outdoor recreational opportunities (hunting, hiking, camping, bird watching, and more) to the public, according to the department website. The state now has nearly 50 areas, representing almost every ecological region of Texas. The areas account for roughly half of the Texas Park and Wildlife’s total 1.4 million acres. The other half are state parks.

Click through the slideshow to see pictures of the new wildlife management area.



