In 2014, a Texas coalition bought a 17,351-acre coastal ranch for $37.7 million, much of it using Deepwater Horizon restoration money; 15,000 acres later became a wildlife area protecting wetlands, prairie and endangered whooping crane habitat

The area would be managed to restore native grassland and savannah and improve the hydrology of the site. (TPW photo)

In 2014, a coalition of conservation groups in Texas completed the purchase of 17,351 acres of coastal land in Calhoun County. Known as Powderhorn Ranch, the property was one of the largest remaining areas of unspoiled coastal prairie in the state. The land was bought for $37.7 million, while the wider conservation project was planned at $50 million, including habitat restoration, management and a long-term endowment.According to Texas Tribune, a major part of the money came from funds linked to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) committed $34.5 million from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. The fund was created using money paid by BP and Transocean after the 2010 oil spill. At the time, the Powderhorn purchase was the largest land acquisition in the US using BP spill restoration money.The purchase was the result of a partnership involving the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, NFWF, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy of Texas. The organisations had been working towards protecting Powderhorn Ranch for years. The transaction itself had taken more than two years to put together.The land was important also because of the habitats it contained. The ranch included coastal live oak forests, freshwater wetlands, salt marshes and more than 11 miles of tidal bay frontage along Matagorda Bay. The area provided habitat for hundreds of species of birds and animals, including the endangered whooping crane.

The long road to protecting Powderhorn

The effort to protect Powderhorn Ranch had been considered for more than 30 years by conservation groups and wildlife agencies. Before the purchase, the ranch had passed through several owners and had been reduced to about half of its original size.The owners at the time were Cumberland & Western Resources, LLC. Its main investors were conservation-minded citizens. They agreed to sell the property below its market value to help ensure that it would be protected.“The acquisition of Powderhorn Ranch will help define the next generation of conservation in Texas,” said TPW Commission Chairman Dan Allen Hughes Jr.Texas had lost more than 200,000 acres of coastal wetlands between the 1950s and early 1990s, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Powderhorn acquisition was presented as one way to counter that loss by keeping a large area of coastal habitat protected.“The unspoiled and irreplaceable Powderhorn Ranch is now a significant property for all Texans, and a protected national treasure,” said Larry Selzer, CEO of The Conservation Fund.

15,000 plus acres become wildlife area

The conservation project moved into its next stage in October 2018, when more than 15,000 acres of Powderhorn Ranch were transferred to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The land became a state wildlife management area.The transfer marked the completion of a multi-year, $37.7 million land acquisition deal. It also meant that the largest part of the ranch could be managed as protected wildlife habitat.“Our primary management objectives right now focus on the restoration of native grassland and savannah, and for improving existing hydrology to enhance freshwater wetlands habitat for wildlife, particularly whooping cranes that have expanded onto the property,” said Dan Walker, area manager at Powderhorn WMA.The new wildlife management area was also intended to provide public recreation. Hunting, fishing, hiking, paddling and bird watching were among the activities planned for the property.