Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks NS Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Rapid development of West Galveston Island threatened McAllis Point, one of the few remaining large tracts of property available for conservation acquisition.

What we’re talking about is a total complex of nearly 300 acres; some of which is open water, but surrounded by marsh.

Linda Shead is with the Trust for Public Land, or TPL.

Our mission is to conserve land for people. So, we’re really about trying to get land that’s going to have high public benefit, and that usually means public access.

With help from Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a pioneering relationship between TPL, the General Land Office and Permanent School Fund took shape. In addition, funding support from Congress, TP&W, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, the TCEQ—local governments, and the private sector—brought nearly 2.6 million dollars to the table to complete phase one of the conservation plan: the purchase of sixty acres of this special wetland area for Galveston County.

It features almost every habitat that’s found on a barrier island like Galveston. So, it has algal flats, inter tidal marsh, brackish marsh, freshwater marsh, coastal prairie. So, it just really has that whole array of habitats, which provides greater wildlife benefit.

The TPL is currently raising funds to purchase the remaining 67 acres of McAllis Point.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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CLICK HERE to see Design Options for a Nature Park at McAllis Point.

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