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Oyster Buyback Program Delivers for a Second Time
The S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program continues to drive down harvesting pressures on Texas’ fragile oyster reefs. The second round of oyster license buybacks closed on May 15, and 46 oyster licenses are slated to be purchased by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
The joint effort by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) and TPWD leverages the power of philanthropy with public funds to provide commercial oyster license holders with a compelling offer of $30,000 per license to retire their licenses. The initiative was made possible by key funders Laurie and S. Reed Morian Foundation and the Coastal Conservation Association, with support from The Brown Foundation, the Earl C. Sams Foundation, Jeffery and Mindy Hildebrand, Beaver and Joanie Aplin, John and Mary Eads, and Bobby and Sherri Patton.
“By leveraging both public and private funding through the S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program, we’ve demonstrated that the renewed oyster license buyback program delivers meaningful results, for license holders and for the health of our public oyster reefs,” said TPWD Coastal Fisheries Deputy Director Dakus Gesslin. “Building on the legacy of coastal conservation championed by former TPW Commission Chairman Morian, the success of this program has positioned us to manage the oyster fishery more effectively moving forward."
This latest round builds on the impactful first round of buybacks last year, when 112 commercial oyster licenses were purchased. All combined, nearly 30 percent of all oyster licenses have been removed from the fishery in Texas, a significant reduction in pressure on this fragile resource.
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Gear Up for the Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Auction
Here’s your chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime hunt through TPWF’s Gear Up for Game Wardens Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Auction on June 17-18, 2026.
Register today and get ready to bid big on this extremely rare chance to hunt a trophy desert bighorn ram on Texas soil! The hunt will take place on the historic Circle Ranch—in the heart of the Sierra Diablo Mountains—with tens of thousands of acres of prime bighorn habitat and breathtaking views. This priceless opportunity is generously donated by the Honorable Robert L. “Bobby” Patton, Jr., Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioner.
The online auction will go LIVE on Wednesday, June 17, at 8:00 a.m. CT, and will END on Thursday, June 18, at 9:00 p.m. CT.
Proceeds from the auction will provide vital support for two great causes—TPWF’s Desert Bighorn Sheep initiative to pursue long-term species restoration, and the S. Reed Morian Gear Up for Game Wardens program to help ensure game wardens’ safety while serving and protecting the wild things, wild places, and people of Texas.
Don’t miss this opportunity to win a truly bragworthy bucket-list hunt not available anywhere else!
Register here OR text-to-register: Bighorn2026 to 44834. Once registered, you can view complete auction package details.
REGISTER NOW
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TPWF and Goode Co. Introduce a Pecan Pie with a Purpose
Forty years ago, Goode Co. Seafood opened its doors in the heart of Houston with a simple promise—bring the best of the Texas Gulf Coast to the table, every single day. And now TPWF is partnering with Goode Co. Seafood to celebrate this milestone anniversary, a collaboration that honors both the legacy of Texas Gulf Coast cuisine and TPWF’s work of conserve the wild things and wild places of our Texas Coast.
In honor of their 40th anniversary, Goode Co. is offering a limited-edition, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation fire-branded Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie Box. This handcrafted keepsake wooden box houses Goode Co.’s legendary pecan pie and, more importantly, represents a shared commitment: with every purchase, a portion of proceeds goes directly to TPWF’s ongoing efforts to ensure Gulf ecosystems can thrive for generations to come.
The limited-edition pie box is available for purchase online today and at all Goode Co. Seafood locations starting June 15. Join us in celebrating forty years of Gulf Coast flavors while supporting the vital work that conserves the habitats that inspire every bite. Order yours today and help us keep Texas wild.
LEARN MORE
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A Look Back: 30 Years of Lone Star Land Stewards
TPWD held its 30th Lone Star Land Steward Awards in Austin on May 14, a cherished annual celebration honoring the very best of private land stewardship across Texas.
Since 1996, more than 270 private landowners and conservation organizations across Texas have been bestowed a Lone Star Land Steward Award for their unique contributions to land, water, and wildlife stewardship. The annual event, hosted by TPWF, also raises vital program support for TPWD’s Private Lands and Habitat Program, which has helped more than 7,000 landowners establish written management plans impacting 32 million acres.
We recently sat down with key stakeholders who helped get TPWD’s Lone Star Land Steward Awards off the ground in 1996: The Honorable Lee M. Bass, then-chairman and now Chairman Emeritus, Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission; Andy Sansom, then-executive director of TPWD; Joseph Fitzsimons, then-chairman of the Private Lands Advisory Committee; and Kirby Brown, former director of TPWD’s Private Lands program.
Check out our 30th anniversary video to hear more from these pioneering leaders who helped shape the program as they reflect on why private lands matter, how incentives and recognition can drive stewardship, and how the awards have grown from a modest event into an esteemed decades-long Texas tradition.
WATCH THE VIDEO
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Honoring the 2026 Texas Leopold Conservation Award Winner
Wexford Ranches, which consists of seven diverse properties across seven Texas counties, is the 2026 Texas Leopold Conservation Award winner. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, this prestigious award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation and natural resource management by American ranchers, farmers, and foresters in 28 states.
Thomas O’Connor came to South Texas from Wexford County, Ireland and established a ranch in 1836. Ever since, generations of O’Connors have acquired and stewarded river bottom forests, thorn shrublands, oak mottes, and one of the largest swaths of intact Coastal Bend prairie along the Gulf Coast, known as Duke Prairie.
Louise O’Connor is Wexford Ranches’ fifth-generation owner, who authored a historical memoir Cryin’ for Daylight: A Ranching Culture in the Texas Coastal Bend. The book chronicles more than 155 years of history of the Mexican American, Anglo, and African American families who ranched in Goliad, Refugio, Victoria, and surrounding counties. For more than four decades, Louise has relied on the leadership of ranch foreman Kai Buckert in bringing new technologies and innovative conservation practices to the Wexford Ranches in South and West Texas.
“Texas Parks and Wildlife is pleased to see this award go to such a deserving recipient. The O’Connor family has stewarded these lands since Texas came into existence. Their management allows a glimpse into what portions of our state looked like prior to settlement and allowed the species dependent on these systems to thrive,” said Tim Siegmund, Private Lands Program Leader for TPWD’s Wildlife Division.
Watch the video to learn more about Wexford Ranches and their multigenerational commitment to restore habitats that protect and increase wildlife populations.
WATCH THE VIDEO
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