This month, we’re celebrating all the things we love about Texas……including former First Lady Laura Bush! Mrs. Bush devotes a lot of time and energy to the wild things and wild places of our state and nation, and we’re thrilled that she took time for a conversation with us on the Texas Parks and Wildlife podcast. Listen in to this month’s podcast to hear what inspires Mrs. Bush’s efforts for the love of Texas…

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is pleased to announce the 2017 inductees into the Texas Conservation Hall of Fame. Tio Kleberg and Fred Bryant (Kingsville) are being honored for their individual accomplishments and their work together at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. Wales Madden, Jr., (Amarillo) is being honored for a lifetime of philanthropy, much of which has benefitted Palo Duro Canyon. The Operation Game Thief program is also being recognized for supporting Texas Game Wardens for more than 35 years. The 2017 inductees will be honored at the Texas Conservation Hall of Fame dinner and concert at ACL Live at Moody Theater in Austin on April 6, 2017. Tables and individual tickets are available.

Just 60 miles south of Houston, Follets Island is one of the most pristine, yet accessible, barrier islands on the Texas Gulf Coast. A consortium of partners is working together to ensure that Follets Island will be conserved forever. Out of the worst oil spill disaster in history flows an unprecedented amount of mitigation funding dedicated to restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. The conservation community has already come together on a priority list of land conservation projects on the Texas coast, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is leading the effort to bring private investment to the table to maximize available dollars. Alongside generous contributions from private donors and foundations, the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund recently approved a grant to help acquire two strategic, threatened tracts that make up a portion of the 2,000 acres targeted for conservation on Follets Island. Additional private funding is needed to help ensure that this valuable coastal resource is protected for generations to come. Contact us to learn more about the unique opportunity to make transformational projects like Follets Island possible.