This year has flown by and we are truly thankful for all of you for your continued collaboration in 2025.
Five projects have been funded so far this year, and we have reached over $6 MILLION invested in conservation projects since 2021. Additionally, over 100 professionals from business, conservation, and municipal services have attended TxWAC meetings every other month (join us in 2026!), 25 new projects have been submitted and added to the TxWAC portfolio, and 14 members have underwritten our time to deliver TxWAC.
This time of year, the Texan by Nature team is in the midst of our annual strategic planning and 2026 goal setting processes. As we reflect on 2025, here are a few trends that are shaping our 2026 goals for TxWAC:
Our natural resources are facing continued pressures from population growth and development
Extreme weather events continue to cause catastrophic outcomes for people, infrastructure, and natural resources
Federal funding lapses and terminations are causing our conservation partners to reduce their capacity and programs or find alternative funding sources
New technologies and resources are enabling efficiencies and learning
Bi-partisan support for allocating funding for water
Corporations are continuing investments in conservation to meet their environmental goals, with many of their investments being driven by being able to claim volumetric water benefits
Conservation organizations across Texas have projects that deliver tangible outcomes for land, water, wildlife, & people, but these quantitative outcomes are not always measured
We are finding strong alignment between what corporations are asking for and what conservation organizations can deliver, but there are still some hurdles between language used and metrics
In 2026, we have our eyes set on ACTION via speeding up funding for conservation projects through facilitating statewide project matching services, collaborative funding opportunities, sharing meaningful insights and lessons learned through our bi-monthly meetings, demonstrating what it takes to get projects “funder ready” through ecosystem benefits articulation, and more. We hope you join us.
We are excited to share that more longleaf pine forest is being restored in the Pineywoods of East Texas! Microsoft’s support of Kickapoo Ranch (2025) project continues the company’s collaboration, building on existing support forBrushy Creek(2023) and Rock Creek Ranch(2024). These projects are the result of collaborative partnerships among landowners, the Texas Longleaf Team, Tall Timbers, Stephen F. Austin University, Raven Environmental Consulting, the Texas A&M Forest Service, and Texan by Nature.
In total, the impact across these three projects includes:
4,038 private-land acres restored
269,188 longleaf seedlings planted and 274,500 to be planted
432 million gallons of water replenished per year
Stay tuned for information on Kickapoo Ranch. If you’re interested in supporting longleaf pine restoration, check out this project proposalto expand the footprint of the Brushy Creek project.
In case you missed it!
REPLAY: 2025 Texan by Nature Conservation Summit
Over 300 leaders in conservation & business convened in Dallas!
Focused on the future of conservation, panelists mapped the entire lifecycle of a conservation project. Leaders guided attendees through identifying opportunities and goal setting, implementation of collaborative programs and partnerships, and communicating and reporting metrics of project success.
Replay each panel and explore resources and tools aligned with each stage of your conservation project here.
November: Trends We've Noticed in Conservation + Industry
We were joined by Texas Water Foundation for a brief water policy update focused the passage of Prop 4 in the recent election, a constitutional amendment that dedicates $1 billion annually from for 20 years to the Texas Water Fund. We then dove into a discussion of trends and best practices from conservation and industry – including standard frameworks, budgeting for metrics, and resources that can help – we hope these insights help you shape your 2026 goals! Watch the replay here.
Get the 2026 meetings on your calendar and join the dialogue all year long with sustainability professionals, conservation experts, and community leaders to learn about projects that need funding, corporate priorities, water policy, & resources.
TxWAC Project Portfolio
Fill out this form to see 70+ projects in the TxWAC portfolio.
Take this survey if you have a project that needs funding
Submit your project ahead of these rolling deadlines to be included in custom project proposals and the TxWAC portfolio: February 20, May 22, & September 25
TxWAC Members receive custom project proposals 3x/year (or by request) on these dates: March 20, June 12, & October 16
Prairie restoration on 430 acres of 1,114-acre Maddin Prairie Preserve by removing invasives and reseeding native plants, benefiting water, wildlife habitat, and grassland bird populations.
- American Bird Conservancy and Rio Grande Joint Venture
Landowner cost-share incentive program to restore grassland habitats to increase their productivity and to stabilize priority bird populations and provide associated ecosystem benefits.
Rio Grande River Basin | Funding need: $150,000+ (Scalable & On-Going)
- National Forest Foundation and World Resources Institute
Restoration of degraded prairie lands and streams to re-establish critical native habitat and protect the drinking water reserves for the 6.5 million downstream residents of the Dallas Fort Worth area.
Trinity River Basin | Funding need: $950,000
The River in 2050
Last week, Urvi Dani had the privilege of attending this incredible convening of stakeholders in McAllen, Texas to discuss shared water resources, challenges, and solutions for the Rio Grande. Hosted by our partner Texas Water Foundation, the theme of the event was “The River in 2050.”
Over 2 days, we heard panelists from both sides of the Texas/Mexico border share unique expertise and insights on binational issues; engaged in break-out sessions to drive deeper dialogue on topics like urban planning and river flow restoration; and enjoyed opportunities to connect with new and existing partners.
We heard difficult messages, discussed extensive problems and solutions, shared diverse perspectives, and walked away with hope for the future and prepared for the hard work ahead!
Stay connected with TxWAC on LinkedIn. With 230 members and growing, we post ways to get involved with TxWAC, news, and updates on this page AND we invite our members to share here as well!
Have more natural resources events you should not miss? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the list!
Conservation Wrangler is TxN's annual conservation accelerator program. Selected projects receive up to 18 months of program management, strategic planning, marketing messaging, metrics capture and analysis, professional content production, and partnership development – whatever is needed to accelerate the project. We invite science-based projects that demonstrate a positive Return on ConservationTM for people, prosperity, and natural resources to apply!
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
Is your project eligible? Take the program eligibility quiz here!
Where do you get your natural resources news? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the list!
Thank you to our Members
TxWAC Members underwrite Texan by Nature’s facilitation of TxWAC, including bi-monthly stakeholder meetings, aggregation of a statewide project portfolio, customized project matching, project development, and communications. Join today!
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