PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS

Programs

1. TPWFs Engage program strives to engage and inspire all Texans to take an active interest in the natural wonders of our state by offering a wide variety of opportunities to experience Texas great outdoors and to help ensure a thriving future for the wild things and wild places of our state. Through this program, TPWF supports transformational projects at Texas State Parks. Between 2019 and mid-2023, TPWF led a campaign to raise funds through a landmark public-private partnership to open Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. Located 75 miles west of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and sitting on almost 5,000 acres of rambling hills and stunning vistas, this will be the first new state park in North Texas in over 25 years. Palo Pinto is expected to attract 75,000 annual visitors and will support the critical need for more public-use recreational lands for the regions rapidly growing population of more than 8 million residents. TPWF successfully raised over $10 million in private dollars to pair with public funding and broke ground on the vertical construction of visitor facilities in late 2023. Construction is ongoing and Palo Pinto Mountains State Park is expected to open in early 2026. 2023…

   $12,437,207 spentof which $8,830,892 as grants$674,988 earned by the program
   55% of program spending

2. TPWFs Conserve program works to ensure the future of Texas incredible fish and wildlife resources By investing in science-based efforts to restore and sustain healthy populations of native species and the habitats they need to thriveincluding pronghorn, desert bighorn sheep, black bears, quail and other grassland birds, monarch butterflies and other vital pollinators, freshwater sportfish, and saltwater species such as southern flounder, sea turtles, shrimp, and oysters. From restoring a sea of grasslands across West Texas to easing the strain of overharvested oyster reefs along our Texas Coast, TPWF is conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas acre-by acre, species-by-species. In partnership with the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture, TPWD, and private landowners, TPWF continues its work to restore and enhance grassland habitat in Texas and Oklahoma through the Grassland Restoration Incentive Program by implementing on-the-ground habitat restoration projects that directly combat the issues involved in the decline of grassland species, with the restoration of over 9,000 acres completed since the beginning of 2022 and a total of over 110,000 acres restored since the program…

   $7,855,704 spentof which $5,373,720 as grants$26,540 earned by the program
   35% of program spending

3. TPWFs Lead program seeks to advance the capabilities of the Texas Game Wardens who have watched over the lands, waters, wildlife, and people of Texas for over 125 years. Every year Texas Game Wardens patrol over 10 million miles by vehicle and 160,000 hours by boat, facing challenges as unique as the 254 counties they serve. With more than 550 commissioned peace officers throughout the state, game wardens tirelessly lead the way in critical search and rescue operations; render aid during times of natural disaster like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires; and provide conservation enforcement and education for fishing, hunting, and boating. Texas Game Wardens are widely recognized as the best trained corps of conservation officers in the nation, and 2024 marked the 7th anniversary of TPWFs successful S. Reed Morian Gear Up for Game Wardens program. Since its launch in 2017, Gear Up for Game Wardens has outfitted game wardens across Texas with specialized equipment ranging from thermal search and rescue drones and side-scan sonar units to custom-outfitted ATVs and UTVs for off-road patrols, fully outfitted K-9 units, and even custom-made skiffs for shallow-water patrols and…

   $1,536,279 spentof which $1,078,897 as grants$9,650 earned by the program
   7% of program spending

4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundations (TPWF) Steward program is focused on priority land conservation acquisitions. Since its inception in 1991, TPWF has helped conserve over 215,000 acres of land across Texas. TPWF works to restore and conserve fragile ecosystems, including over 110,000 acres of native grassland habitat, which provides sustenance for hundreds of native and migratory species. TPWF has helped conserve more than 7,100 acres of coastal barrier along Matagorda Peninsula, which serves as a sea turtle nesting location and a nesting and foraging site for a variety of wading birds and shorebirds. The peninsula is also an important part of storm surge mitigation, protecting East Matagorda Bay and the mainland. TPWF also helped acquire the iconic 17,351-acre Powderhorn Ranch to create the Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area and future state park, one of Texas most exciting land conservation projects to date. The Powderhorn acquisition was a multi-partner effort that conserved valuable fish and wildlife habitat and created access to undeveloped, restored coastal prairie. In 2024, TPWF supported Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in the purchase of lands to be added to…

   $901,877 spentof which $340,993 as grants$20,557 earned by the program
   4% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $22,731,067.