Pines and Prairies Land Trust to receive support from the National Park Service

Pines and Prairies Land Trust to receive support from the National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) announced today that Pines and Prairies Land Trust (PPLT) has been selected to receive assistance from the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program. NPS staff will provide technical guidance to Pines and Prairies in order to improve the trail system at PPLT’s Colorado River Refuge. The assistance will include an assessment of current trails, a review of PPLT’s volunteer programs, and coaching for PPLT staff and partners. The project is one of four new projects accepted by the NPS in Texas this year. 

The NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program helps communities design trails and parks, conserve and improve access to open space, protect special places, and create recreational opportunities through locally led partnerships.

Pines and Prairies Land Trust protects natural and cultural resources through education and the preservation of open space in the Central Texas counties of Bastrop, Caldwell, Fayette, Lee and Eastern Travis County. PPLT holds conservation easements and owns property in the five county region it serves. Besides direct land conservation, PPLT also hosts nature lessons, workshops and participates in conferences, local environmental events, and provides speakers for civic and business groups.

The NPS is proud to support the visions of community organizations and help improve access to open space in and around central Texas. We believe in public and private partners working together to align state, federal, and local resources that achieve long-term enhancements to quality of life.  

Nationwide Impact

In the last 20 years, the NPS has assisted thousands of communities – from rural Alaska to downtown New York City – with more than 5,000 projects. These community partnerships have helped conserve more than 1,000 miles of river corridor, develop nearly 1,800 miles of trail, and protect more than 50,000 acres of park land, wildlife habitat, and natural areas every year.

Key project contact:

Melanie Pavlas, Executive Director

Email: melanie@pplt.org

phone: (512) 308-1911

For more information on the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program, please visit http://www.nps.gov/rtca, join the conversation at http://www.facebook.com/RTCANPS, or watch a video about our work in communities at www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/multimedia.

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local natural and historic areas and to create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

The Prairie Periodical - Fall 2016

Fall 2016 Newsletter

Regional Landowners, The Pecores, Recognized

Celebrating Excellence in Private Land Conservation

Four Seasons Hotel, Austin—The banquet room was teeming with wall-to-wall people, all assembled to publicly recognize seven regional Texas landowners for their conservation contributions to land, water and wildlife stewardship. Each year Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation highlight the best land stewards in all of Texas.

Post Oaks award winners Albert and Wilda Pecore oversee 196 acres in Fayette County, land which has been meticulously restored to a natural state reminiscent of the native tall grass prairies of yore. They share a bond with their land, made by decades of struggles and successes.  There is no hurry, no sense of urgency.  They know nature is everlasting change and to walk hand-in-hand with her requires a long view. . .a patient, loving view. The land is one of six properties protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement through Pines and Prairies Land Trust of Bastrop, Texas.  The Pecores have also partnered with the Wildlife Habitat Federation, a conservation and restoration non-profit located in Cat Springs, Texas and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Initiated in 1996 by the TPWD Private Lands Advisory Committee, the Lone Star Land Steward Awards set out to recognize private landowners for excellence in habitat management and wildlife conservation; as well as, to illustrate the important role that landowners play in the conservation of Texas’ natural resources. The program also focuses on encouraging youth education and the importance of engaging future generations of Texans in responsible habitat management and ecosystem health.  Since inception of the program, landowners have been recognized for conserving more than three million acres of our cultural and natural heritage in Texas.

Larry Gfeller

Pines & Prairies Land Trust an Affiliate of The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

This year Pines & Prairies joins a network of 44 Affiliates of The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  We look forward to pursuing joint projects which promote the complementary missions of our organizations and to strengthening our partnerships.