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New Adaptive Equipment Expands Access to the Outdoors
Visitors of all abilities gathered at Inks Lake State Park on April 25 for the fourth annual Fun for All event, a day focused on making Texas State Parks more accessible to everyone. Individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers, and outdoor enthusiasts alike explored a range of adaptive recreational opportunities, from kayaking and fishing to hands-on demonstrations of specialized equipment designed to open up the outdoors for more Texans.
At the center of the experience was a mobile adaptive recreation trailer equipped with all-terrain track chairs and other mobility devices that allow users to navigate and enjoy the outdoors with greater independence. Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) purchased and donated the travel trailer and equipment with support from NextEra Energy Foundation, the Jeanie Rabke Wyatt Family Foundation and BNSF Railway Foundation made the initiative possible.
“This effort is about reducing barriers and opening the outdoors to more Texans,” said Jessica Burke, accessibility manager for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). “With support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and generous donors, we’re able to bring adaptive equipment directly to parks and into communities, so people can experience these places in ways that simply weren’t possible before."
The event reflects a broader effort by TPWD, with continued support from TPWF, to enhance accessibility across the state park system and ensure more Texans can connect with the outdoors.
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S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program Returns for Second Round
The S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program, initially launched in 2025, is back for a second round to help ease harvesting pressures on Texas’ fragile oyster reefs.
The joint effort by TPWD and TPWF leverages the power of philanthropy with public funds to provide existing oyster boat license holders with a compelling offer to retire their licenses. The initiative was made possible by key funders Laurie and S. Reed Morian Foundation and the Coastal Conservation Association, with generous 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.
Building upon the success of the inaugural round in 2025, which netted an impressive 20 percent reduction in overall licenses, TPWD is once again offering a fixed price of $30,000 for each oyster boat license. This offer is available only during the limited application period that began on March 13 and ends on May 15.
TPWF is grateful for the significant support of our donors, who together are accelerating reprieve for ecologically distressed oyster reefs. By notching down the pool of active commercial oyster fishers on Texas waters, we can help our wild oyster reefs rest, recover and continue to benefit local communities and economies for seasons to come.
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Lone Star Land Stewards Awards – A 30-Year Texas Tradition
TPWD will hold its annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards in Austin on May 14 to honor the very best of private land stewardship across Texas, an esteemed tradition now 30 years strong.
Since 1996, this special award ceremony has celebrated and honored more than 270 private landowners across Texas for their contributions to land, water and wildlife stewardship. The annual event, hosted by TPWF and longtime Presenting Sponsor Toyota, also raises vital program support for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Private Lands and Habitat Program, which has helped more than 7,000 landowners establish written management plans impacting 32 million acres to date.
This year’s seven award winners represent a variety of conservation efforts, ecosystems and accomplishments, all demonstrating excellence in natural resource management and stewardship. Click the link below to see the list of this year’s six ecoregion award recipients for more on their stewardship stories and achievements. This year’s winner of the Leopold Conservation Award, the state’s top honor, will be announced shortly.
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Support a Trash Free Gulf All May Long
It’s not too late to join the Gulf Trust and thousands of Texans throughout May for the 2nd Annual Trash Free Gulf initiative, a statewide effort to protect our precious watersheds.
Together with Presenting Sponsor H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future, Supporting Sponsors Mender and Yogi Bins, conservation partners TPWF, Keep Texas Beautiful, and local organizations, the Gulf Trust aims to recruit 2,800 volunteers, conduct upwards of 60 cleanups, and collect 45,000 pounds of litter before it can reach the Gulf.
Volunteer registration is now open, so find a cleanup near you. Join us and help turn the tide for a Trash Free Gulf!
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Last Shot: Wildlife in Focus Photo Contest Ends Soon
There’s still time to enter a statewide photo contest celebrating Texas’ wild things, wild places, and the talented photographers who capture it all.
Texas wildlife conservation organization Wildlife in Focus invites Texans of all ages to submit entries before the June 7 deadline for its inaugural Texas Wildlife & Nature Photographer of the Year contest. Known traditionally for connecting photographers with landowners through its long-running team-based competition, the organization is expanding its reach with this new opportunity open to anyone inspired by the natural world.
Featuring Adult and Youth divisions, with categories including Birds, Mammals, Animal Behavior and Texas Wildscapes, more than $3,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a $500 grand prize for the overall winner. All entries must be photographed in Texas and follow strict ethical wildlife photography standards. Youth entries are free; adult submissions are $10 per image. See Photo Contest Rules & Submission Instructions for complete details and eligibility requirements.
Winning images may be featured in publications, exhibitions and educational programming statewide, helping to inspire a love of Texas nature.
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