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TPWF Partner Spotlight: Gulf Trust
Our enduring Gulf means so much to so many. This multinational treasure of the Atlantic, rich with cultural significance, sea life, and coastal resources, is a magnet for marine life, communities, global industry, and tourism.
The Texas Coast alone stretches nearly 370 miles, with important bays and estuaries where fresh and saltwater meet to support the life cycles and food webs of the Gulf’s fish and wildlife. With population and industry booming along our coast, and the impact of storms and extreme weather events, more attention must be directed to the region to ensure a sustainable future for people, fish, wildlife, and habitats.
This was the impetus behind the creation of the Gulf Trust in 2023, and TPWF is incubating the new organization. Through an innovative partnership with Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and relevant stakeholders, Gulf Trust is committed to promoting long-term, research-based solutions to the Gulf’s most pressing challenges.
Led by Executive Director Jay Kleberg and a deeply committed board of directors, Gulf Trust brings together scientists, businesspeople, public policymakers, philanthropic concerns, non-governmental organizations, and communities to develop and implement Gulf strategies and solutions that work for industry, the environment, and communities in Texas and the region.
“Texas is a coastal state, not just a state with a coast, and we have an outsized impact on the health of the Gulf,” says Kleberg. “At the Trust, we believe that, equipped with sound research, a measured approach, and the right partners, we can turn complex challenges into rewarding opportunities."
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H‑E‑B's Field & Future: Welcoming Back Black Bears
Thanks to our great Texas neighbors at H‑E‑B and their steadfast Our Texas, Our Future commitment, we are working together to make it possible for future generations to enjoy the wild things and wild places of our great state.
One way H‑E‑B supports TPWF is through its Field and Future by H‑E‑B™ line of clean and green products, which has provided vital support to multiple TPWF initiatives since the line was introduced in 2022, including coastal conservation along the Texas Gulf Coast and the creation of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park.
Field and Future by H‑E‑B™ is also supporting efforts to better understand the return of black bears in far West Texas through research conducted by the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) at Sul Ross State University. As more and more bears move into Texas, understanding how humans and bears will coexist is an important part of the project, and this research will help facilitate science-based management of black bears’ naturally occurring expansion.
Watch the video to see how BRI is studying the return of black bears in far West Texas.
WATCH THE VIDEO
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Stewards of the Wild Members Visit the Texas Capitol
TPWF’s conservation leadership program, Stewards of the Wild, recently launched its new Statewide Conservation Committee to further bolster Stewards’ conservation education focus. The volunteer-led committee is overseen by two statewide co-chairs and consists of five subcommittees that cover the full gamut of Texas conservation issues—legislative, game species, private lands, coastal, and native habitats.
The legislative subcommittee recently hosted a Stewards Capitol Day in February, where Stewards members were able to visit with legislators, including Senator Nathan Johnson and Representative Erin Zwiener, capitol staffers, and various stakeholders on conservation legislation relevant to the 89th Legislative Session now underway. They also learned about the life cycle of a bill, engaged in conversations on water and wildlife concerns, and were given tips on how to effectively advocate for issues they care about most.
The visit ended with a capitol tour led by David Yeates, policy director for the Texas Foundation for Conservation (TFC). TFC is the only organization active at the Texas Capitol with a mission that encompasses all facets of outdoor recreation and the open spaces and clean waters that support these activities.
“It’s exciting to see Stewards members take a real interest in understanding how public policy drives natural resource conservation,” said Yeates. “Texas legislators and their staff are always willing to listen to engaged Texans who care about an issue. Future land, water, and wildlife policy decisions will be well-served with Stewards of the Wild members as part of the conversation."
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Toyota ShareLunker—Building a Lunker of a legacy
As another Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Lunker season draws to a close, this longstanding program and tradition, now in its 39th season, continues to lure anglers from Texas and across the U.S. to Texas lakes in search of landing a Legacy Class largemouth bass of 13 pounds or more.
During the first three months of the Legacy Lunker season (Jan. 1 through March 31), anglers who reel in a Legacy Lunker can loan it to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program at the Edwin L. Cox, Jr. Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens. TFFC’s hatchery has been home to the Toyota ShareLunker program since it opened in 1996. Here giant bass loaned through the program are bred with the male offspring from previous seasons, taking full advantage of big bass genetics, and restocked in public Texas lakes.
Though TFFC is currently closed to the public as TPWF manages its multi-million-dollar renovation, its fish hatchery, Toyota ShareLunker program, and other vital statewide programs continue to operate. Set to reopen this summer, the renovation includes refurbishing the popular Dive Theater and its 25,000-gallon dive tank, renovating four large outdoor aquaria exhibits, installing four new outdoor fisheries tanks, and enhancing the indoor exhibits and overall visitor experience. TFFC is also adding an aquarium just for ShareLunkers to offer rising generations of aspiring anglers a glimpse of Texas’ biggest bass and a big dose of inspiration for their future fishing adventures.
In addition to the Toyota ShareLunker program, Toyota has also been a longtime sponsor of the Lone Star Land Steward Awards, Neighborhood Fishin’, Texas Outdoor Family, Texas Junior Ranger, Texas National Archery in Schools, Texas State Park Guide and Mobile App, Great Texas Birding Classic, and more, providing vital community support and championing time-honored traditions that celebrate and conserve the lands, waters, and wildlife we all enjoy.
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Join TPWF and Help Keep Texas wild!
Signs of spring are sprouting up all around us, beckoning Texans to leave our laptops and cares behind in search of a well-deserved “spring break.” Whether that break means a quick walk around the neighborhood in search of blooming wildflowers, taking a refreshing dip in Hill Country waters, or a weeklong coastal kayaking adventure, our Texas wild offers unlimited opportunities to find your perfect break in our great outdoors.
For more than 30 years, TPWF has played a vital role in conserving the lands, waters, and wildlife at the heart of so many spring traditions, old and new. When you join as a member of TPWF, you directly impact and influence transformational efforts to keep Texas in full bloom, year after year.
Will you join TPWF today and help us ensure all Texans have access to our wild things and wild places, now and forever?
When you join TPWF at the $100 level or more, and you will receive exclusive Keeping It Wild gear to show off your support of Texas wild things and wild places!
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