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Open Season for New Adventures at Palo Pinto
The gates have officially opened at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park — welcoming visitors to this new and long-awaited outdoor destination for North Texas. More than a decade of planning, partnership and philanthropy culminated on March 1 with the opening of the park, which is located just 75 miles west of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.
Set on nearly 5,000 acres in the Cross Timbers region, the park is the first new state park in North Texas in more than 25 years. Rolling hills and miles of trails anchored by the serene 90-acre Tucker Lake create a must-experience outdoor destination close to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.
The park’s opening marks a milestone not only for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), but also for the many donors and on-the-ground partners who helped bring the vision to life. In 2019, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) launched the campaign to support development of the park’s visitor facilities, campsites and trails. Through the generosity of private donors, TPWF raised $10 million to help bring the park to life.
Lead philanthropic support was provided by Kelcy Warren; Lee and Ramona Bass; The Eugene McDermott Foundation; Amon G. Carter Foundation; the Thomas M., Helen McKee & John P. Ryan Foundation; Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation; The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation and the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation. Their leading gifts helped inspire the grassroots support of countless donors who believed in the vision behind Texas’ newest state park.
In addition to raising private funds, TPWF managed the vertical construction of key visitor facilities and amenties. In addition to more than 20 miles of trails, the park includes a visitor center and outdoor pavilion overlooking Tucker Lake, a picnic area and playscape, fishing pier, boat ramp, and a range of camping options, including drive-in, walk-in and backcountry sites. An equestrian campground and trail system will also offer park goers with horses the option to experience the landscape from the saddle.
“We’re thrilled to see the gates at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park swing open to welcome visitors who have been patiently waiting for this day,” said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown. “We’re deeply grateful to the Texas Legislature for their initial support and the many donors who helped get the gates open to the public. Opening a new state park is an opportunity to improve the quality of life for our citizens, and the success of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will serve as a model for public-private funding partnerships that will benefit millions of Texans for generations to come.”
Ready to discover Texas’ newest state park? We encourage you to plan ahead as day passes are required and must be reserved in advance. You can purchase passes online through the TPWD reservation website, through the Customer Service Center or at any state park.
For more information about Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, including a schedule of events, park and trail maps, visit the park’s page on the TPWD website.
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A 542-Acre Win for the Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken
A new chapter in the recovery of one of North America’s most endangered birds is unfolding in Texas. As of late February, 542 additional acres of critical habitat have been added to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Colorado County in the Gulf Coastal Plains west of Houston. This acquisition—the biggest addition to the refuge in decades—brings the refuge’s protected footprint to more than 11,000 acres and strengthens a vital block of prairie habitat for the endangered Attwater’s prairie-chicken.
Private philanthropy played a key role in making this acquisition possible. Support from TPWF donors unlocked critical federal dollars from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, demonstrating how strategic private investment can catalyze comprehensive conservation outcomes.
The newly acquired tract sits adjacent to the refuge’s largest contiguous property, expanding the habitat range needed to sustain recovering prairie-chicken populations. Expanding connected habitat areas is essential to the species’ long-term survival.
And the added acreage is showing early signs of real promise for the species. Observations from landowners and NWR staff, along with telemetry data, confirm that Attwater’s prairie-chickens are already using the property. Once the tract is restored from former rice fields back to native prairie, the site could support more than a dozen birds and provide valuable nesting habitat and booming grounds for the species.
Beyond prairie-chicken recovery, this acquisition permanently conserves and protects a rare slice of a rapidly disappearing ecosystem that is not only home to the Attwater’s prairie-chicken, but a variety of songbirds and wading birds, migratory shorebirds and other native Texas wildlife. Of the original six million acres of Texas Coastal Prairie that once existed, only 1 percent remains intact today. The Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR is home to one of the largest remnants of native coastal prairie remaining in southeast Texas.
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H-E-B’s Texas Native Plant Celebration Continues to Grow
Excitement is blooming for H‑E‑B’s largest Texas Native Plant Celebration yet! As part of our Pollinators & Prairies program, TPWF will be partnering with H‑E‑B and their partners, the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Master Gardener Program (TMG), to raise awareness about the importance of native plants, the vital role pollinators play in our food supply and how Texans can make a difference at home.
During the celebration, shoppers will find a varied selection of native plants at many H‑E‑B stores throughout the state, and 80 select stores will also host in-store tabling events with native gardening experts during the third and fourth weekends of March. These knowledgeable volunteers from NPSOT and TMG will be available to answer gardening questions, recommend native plants suited to local ecoregions, and help shoppers feel more confident selecting the right plants for their growing conditions. Free pocket prairie seed mix packets will be offered, while supplies last, courtesy of TPWF’s Pollinators & Prairies program.
Like the idea of incorporating native plants into your outdoor space, but don’t know where to begin? You can start by downloading Wild Thumb, TPWF’s new free native gardening app made just for Texas. This interactive, step-by-step tool helps gardeners plan, prep, plant, and care for native plants, with tailored recommendations based on the user’s specific Texas ecoregion — making it easier than ever to turn any outdoor space into a thriving pollinator habitat.
It’s all about helping people in Texas succeed in creating vital new habitat to benefit pollinators, reduce water usage, and help local wildlife—one native plant at a time.
Click here for a list of H‑E‑B stores, dates and times where you can visit with NPSOT and TMG volunteers.
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Statewide Photo Contest Celebrates Texas Wildlife
Our friends at Wildlife in Focus have launched a new statewide photo competition for Texans of all ages, so grab your camera and get ready to take your best shot of our state’s many wild things and wild places.
The inaugural Texas Wildlife & Nature Photographer of the Year contest opens April 1 and runs through June 7. The contest features Adult and Youth divisions, with categories including Birds, Mammals, Animal Behavior, and Texas Wildscapes. More than $3,000 in prizes is up for grabs, including a $500 grand prize.
“This contest invites every Texan to tell the story of our state’s wildlife,” said Miles Phillips, Photo Contest Director for Wildlife in Focus.
Winning images may be featured in publications, exhibitions and educational programming statewide. See Photo Contest Rules & Submission Instructions for complete details and eligibility requirements.
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Become a Member of TPWF today!
From the opening of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park to protecting critical habitat for the Attwater’s prairie-chicken, TPWF Members play a key role in the many stories we share with you each month.
With your support, we can continue to invest in projects that breathe new life into Texas. With our conservation partners on the ground, we have helped ensure the long-term health of Texas waterways and coastal ecosystems. We’ve invested more than $50 million to expand and enhance Texas State Parks. We have studied the return of black bears and supported desert bighorn sheep populations in West Texas, and we are actively revitalizing habitat for grassland birds and pollinators across the state.
When you become a member of TPWF, you support these and many other high-impact, meaningful projects to safeguard our state’s precious lands, waters and wildlife.
Join TPWF today! Help us conserve our wild things and wild places for generations to come.
JOIN TODAY
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