Stewarding the Future:

Conservation Insights & Impact

The Stewards of the Wild Statewide Conservation Committee Newsletter

Issue 2 | August 2025

From the Capitol: What the 2025 Session Meant for Texas Conservation

Photo by Chase Fountain, TPWD

The 89th Texas Legislature tackled a wide range of issues with significant implications for conservation, land stewardship, and natural resources across the state. While the session had its share of disappointments on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) budget front, several important wins emerged that will benefit Texas for years to come.

“This was one of those sessions where we really just held steady,” said John Shepperd, executive director of the Texas Foundation for Conservation. “We didn’t get many major conservation victories, but we didn’t lose anything either. A high point was a bill to protect the Devils River by prohibiting wastewater discharge permits into that watershed.”

Lawmakers also laid the groundwork for a once-in-a-generation investment in Texas’ water future. Senate Bill 7 dedicates billions to expand and secure water supplies, improve treatment and distribution systems, modernize wastewater infrastructure, and enhance flood mitigation. In connection with this effort, House Joint Resolution 7 will go before voters in November, asking Texans to constitutionally dedicate $1 billion annually to the new Texas Water Fund beginning in 2027—a 20-year commitment to securing reliable, clean water.

On the coast, legislators advanced several measures that strengthen conservation and support oyster farming. HB 609 streamlines oyster mariculture operations, reducing red tape for growers. SB 1215 allows placement of cultivated oysters from hatchery-produced spat into Texas bays with written permission from TPWD. “For the last several sessions, we’ve had to deal with bad oyster bills,” Shepperd noted. “This year, no bad bills were filed—and several good ones passed. If the oyster farming industry in Texas can get on its feet, that’s ultimately going to reduce the pressure on public reefs.”

Another notable step forward was HB 3556, which expands aerial gunning authority to include aoudad, placing them alongside feral hogs and coyotes as species that may be controlled through paid helicopter hunts. Shepperd explained the conservation significance: “Adding aoudad to the list is important because they compete with desert bighorn sheep and damage fragile habitats.”

Lawmakers also appropriated $100 million for local park grants, with $7 million earmarked for the tramway at Franklin Mountains State Park. Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation will be raising private funds for the tramway. The state funding reflects broad recognition of the role parks play in quality of life for Texans and in conserving landscapes for recreation and wildlife.

Despite these wins, TPWD’s budget was a mixed bag. Requests for additional Fund 9 dollars to support fish and wildlife conservation, funding for 25 new game wardens, and money for the Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program all fell short. On the positive side, the Legislature approved $30 million for Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement equipment and operations, as well as funding for key fish hatcheries and facilities.

Some issues remain unresolved and are likely to return next session, including how to address statutory high-fence requirements on former deer breeder release sites that limit park expansion and complicate private land management. Chronic wasting disease will continue to demand vigilance, as will funding for Fund 9 and ongoing oyster management challenges.

“It wasn’t a blockbuster year for conservation,” Shepperd said. “But we helped stop a lot of bad bills, protected key programs, and made some meaningful gains. That’s progress in my book.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading/Resources:

Texas Legislature Online

Texas Legislature 2025 | The Texas Tribune

Generational Investment in Texas’ Water Future Signed into Law | Texas Water Foundation

Texas legalizes shooting invasive sheep from a helicopter | The Texas Tribune

Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program | TPWD

S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program is Turning the Tide for Texas Oysters

If you’ve ever cast a line on the Texas coast, hauled a string of blue crabs, or slurped a Gulf oyster on the half shell, you’ve benefited from the quiet, powerful work of oyster reefs. These low-profile, high-impact structures are ecosystem engineers. They filter water, stabilize shorelines, fuel food chains, and form the backbone of healthy bays. But across the Texas coast, wild oyster reefs are in trouble.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve seen a real decline in reef health,” said Dakus Geeslin, Deputy Director of Coastal Fisheries for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “A lot of that stems from chronic overharvest. With too many boats working too few oysters, there’s just no time for these reefs to recover.”

Texas has more than 60,000 acres of public oyster reef, but many of those acres are now closed to harvest. At the start of the 2024–25 season, only ten of the state’s 28 shellfish harvest areas were open, and even fewer yielded significant harvests. That concentration of activity puts even more pressure on the few productive reefs that remain. TPWD has worked for years to relieve that pressure. Reef restoration efforts have rebuilt more than 1,700 acres of oyster habitat. In-season harvest closures give stressed areas a break. But one of the most powerful tools in the management toolbox is also one of the least visible: the commercial license buyback program.

By offering commercial oyster fishers a financial incentive to permanently retire their licenses, TPWD can directly reduce the number of boats on the water. Fewer boats mean less dredging, less reef damage, and more time for recovery. This isn’t a new idea. Texas used the same strategy to shrink its shrimp fleet starting in the 1990s. But for oysters, the effort had stalled—until now.

TPWF and a group of private donors teamed up with TPWD earlier this year to launch the S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program, named in honor of the former Commission Chairman and lifelong coastal conservationist. A fixed-price offer of $30,000 per license, made possible through philanthropic support, drew an overwhelming response from the commercial fleet. In this first single round, roughly 20 percent of all active commercial licenses are slated for retirement.

“For the first time, we were able to offer a price that made the decision real for working oyster fishers,” Geeslin said. “And the response showed us that the fleet understands the stakes. They want this fishery to succeed.”

These aren’t dormant permits. More than half of the licenses submitted had reported landings in at least three of the past five years. That means real, on-the-water effort is coming out of the system. TPWD will monitor the impact of the buyback over time, tracking metrics like reef crowding, catch per unit effort, and the number of shellfish harvest areas that can be opened each season. Combined with restoration, mariculture, and leasing reforms, the buyback offers a strategic path toward rebuilding a healthier, more resilient fishery.

“This round has shown that when we align incentives and work together across sectors, we can make real progress,” Geeslin said. “It’s not just about taking pressure off the reefs. It’s about giving them a chance to come back stronger.”

Private philanthropy was critical to making this happen. Phase I of the buyback was funded through the generosity of the Laurie and S. Reed Morian Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, the Brown Foundation, the Earl C. Sams Foundation, Jeffery and Mindy Hildebrand, Beaver and Joanie Aplin, John and Mary Eads, and Bobby and Sherri Patton. This ambitious effort is proof of what’s possible when conservation, community, and commitment converge.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading/Resources:

News Release: TPWD Purchases 112 Licenses through Oyster Buyback Program | TPWD

Inside the Fight to Save Texas' Oyster Reefs | Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine

Texas Oysters & Path to a Sustainable Fishery | CCA Texas

Texas Cultivated Oyster Mariculture | TPWD

Sink Your Shucks™ Oyster Recycling Program | Harte Research Institute

Short Reports: Oyster Article | TPWD

The New World Screwworm: A Shared Enemy Returns

Photo by Jonathan Vail

In the 1960s, Texas played a leading role in eradicating one of the most destructive pests affecting livestock in North America: the New World screwworm. Today, that parasite is once again on the move, advancing north from Central America into southern Mexico, and experts across Texas are raising the alarm.

“This is a fundamental threat to livestock, wildlife, and natural resources in our state,” said Carter Smith, former executive director of TPWD and a current trustee of TPWF. Smith recently agreed to serve on the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team, a group formed this June at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott.

The New World screwworm is the larval stage of a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals. Once hatched, the larvae burrow into living tissue, causing immense suffering and often the animal’s death within two weeks if left untreated. While livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats are especially vulnerable, the parasite can also affect white-tailed deer, birds of prey, ocelots, jackrabbits, and even humans. “These larvae look just like little screws the way they burrow into tissue,” Smith explained. “If untreated, the wounds attract more flies, and the infestation can spiral quickly.”

After a decades-long eradication effort, the pest was pushed as far south as the Panama–Colombia border. But in 2022, it breached that barrier. By late 2024, screwworms had spread into southern Mexico and have continued moving north. Texas is the country’s front line in preventing the screwworm’s return to the U.S. With the largest cattle population in the nation, a wealth of native wildlife, and a long-shared border with Mexico, the state faces serious risk.

“Our livestock and wildlife economies are deeply interconnected,” said Smith. “They influence the value of rural land in Texas, from ranching and hunting to outdoor recreation and local economies.”

TPWD Executive Director Dr. David Yoskowitz emphasized that both TPWD and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are prepared. “The charge of the response team is to work directly with landowners, livestock producers, and the public,” he said. “We’re bringing all the resources and expertise we have to make sure we’re ready.”

In his official directive, Governor Abbott emphasized that Texas must remain informed and prepared. The response team brings together agency experts, landowners, scientists, and conservation leaders to ensure a coordinated effort.

“We know screwworms are moving north through Mexico,” Smith said. “We have to be ready to respond the moment the first one is detected in Texas.”

One challenge is that the U.S. no longer had facilities to mass-produce the sterile flies used in eradication efforts. That changed on August 15, when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a sweeping national plan to combat the parasite. Central to the effort is a new facility near Edinburg, the first of its kind in more than two decades, which will produce 300 million sterile screwworms each week to help protect the U.S. from re-infestation.

Until that facility comes online, early detection and public awareness remain Texas’ best defense. Landowners, hunters, and wildlife professionals will be vital to spotting the first cases. Reports of unusual wounds, lethargic animals, or visible maggots should be directed to TPWD biologists, game wardens, or veterinarians with the TAHC. “This is where education and clear communication matter most,” Smith said. “If someone sees something concerning, we need them to report it quickly.”

The response team will work to define clear protocols for reporting and response, including the potential for localized treatment efforts such as those used in a 2016 outbreak in the Florida Keys that threatened the endangered Key deer. In that case, a rapid multi-agency response successfully eliminated the parasite in five months.

Unlike some wildlife disease issues, the screwworm threat is uniting people from across the spectrum. “There’s no debate about junk science or agency bias,” said Smith. “Everyone recognizes that the screwworm is a shared enemy.” As Smith put it, “Texas is blessed with people who are willing to put their shoulders to the wheel. I expect a strong, united front in the fight to protect our land, livestock, and wildlife.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading/Resources:

Plans to Protect the US from New World Screwworm | USDA

Texas Screwworm Resource and Reporting Website

New World Screwworm | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

TPWD, TAHC To Establish Texas New World Screwworm Response | Office of Gov. Abbott

News Release: Texas New World Screwworm Response Team Formed | TPWD

TWA launches New World screwworm resource website | Texas Wildlife Association

Safe Havens for Shorebirds: TPWF Launches Shorebird Habitat Initiative

Photo by Jonathan Vail

Texas’ seemingly endless skies offer so much more than energizing sunrises and inspiring sunsets. They serve as an avian superhighway for shorebirds, waterfowl, warblers, and other winged wild things. And Texas’ serves as the first U.S. pit stop (or last, depending on where your headed) for migrating birds up and down the Central Flyway looking for the perfect pit stop. Sadly, the healthy wetlands, prairies, and coastal ecosystems that have long fueled past voyages are beginning to dwindle or disappear altogether.

To meet this urgent challenge, TPWF has launched the Shorebird Habitat Management and Restoration Fund (SHMRF). This new initiative aims to restore and enhance habitat for shorebirds on Texas’ vast patchwork of public lands. This effort recognizes the vital role Texas plays in global shorebird survival.

While many existing programs focus on habitat improvement for waterfowl on private lands, private landowners often understandably prioritize practices that support hunting and agriculture, making it challenging to hold water or maintain shallow wetlands into spring, just as the first wave of shorebirds touch down in Texas. Public lands, by contrast, can serve as critical safe havens if managed adequately for shorebird needs.

Of Texas’ 2.7 million acres of public lands, many often lack sufficient funding to carry out water control, vegetation management, and infrastructure maintenance shorebirds require for ideal habitat. By providing flexible, supplemental support for projects on public lands, SHMRF can help expand the footprint of Texas acres that consistently provide feeding, nesting, and migratory stopover opportunities for struggling species.

The fund will offer targeted grants ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 per project, and eligible applicants include non-governmental organizations or government-sponsored partners working alongside city, county, state, or federal land managers. Examples of potential projects that coud benefit from the program include an existing effort by Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment (RICE) to restore 800 acres of freshwater wetland units at the at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Brazoria County,

Similarly, Mad Island Wildlife Management Area on the coast is planning to restore 350 acres of wetland units. These wetlands host large numbers of shorebirds and wading birds year-round and are also a stopover site for the endangered whooping crane. By refurbishing levees and improving water management, we can create more reliable habitat for shorebirds while enhancing opportunities for birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts.

With grants available beginning in August 2025, SHMRF is poised to accelerate on-the-ground conservation at a time when migratory shorebirds need it most. By directing resources to public lands across the state, from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle, this fund is more than a stopgap—it’s a long-term commitment to ensuring that shorebirds can continue to fly high and find refuge in Texas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading/Resources:

eBird Status and Trends | Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Shorebird Conservation Plan | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Shorebird Resources | Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Panhandle Playa Lakes | TPWD

Protecting Texas Water: The Role of Private Landowners

Photo by Chase Fountain, TPWD

If you’ve lived in the Lone Star State for any length of time, you know that water is worth its weight in gold, but vital Texas’ wellsprings are running dry. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) projects that by 2070, Texas’ existing supply will shrink by nearly 18%, while demand rises about 9% with population estimates swelling past 51 million.

Part of the challenge lies in how Texas manages water. Surface water—rivers, streams, and lakes—belongs to the state and is distributed through a permit-based priority system. Groundwater, however, is usually owned by the landowner under the “Rule of Capture,” meaning you can pump what’s under your property. Still, nearly 70% of the state falls under Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs), which set local rules on pumping and well spacing. That makes water use a patchwork system that varies widely by location.

On top of that, major threats to our water supply continue to pool. Drought is hitting hard and often. Crucial recharge zones are being paved over, keeping rainfall from topping off our already thirsty aquifers. And as our infrastructure ages, it leaks precious drops of water we can’t afford to lose.

The good news is that Texas is actively taking steps to address the mounting drip of water challenges. Aquifer storage and recovery projects, desalination plants, expanded reuse programs, and new reservoirs are all in the works. And, as we mentioned in our Legislative recap, the Texas Water Fund is up for voter approval in November, a proposal that could dedicate up to $1 billion annually—plus a $2.5 billion upfront boost—for water infrastructure. That’s a significant investment in our future.

But in a state where over 95% of the land is privately owned, solutions can’t just come from the state or a new pipeline. They also must come from everyday Texans, and our day-to-day actions can make a huge difference in protecting our water. Some simple but powerful practices include:

• Restoring native grasses to allow more rain to sink into the ground.
• Installing rainwater harvesting systems to capture and store runoff for livestock or irrigation.
• Implementing rotational grazing to keep pastures healthy and prevent erosion.
• Installing guzzlers in drier areas to provide a lifeline for our wild things in tough seasons.
• Establishing conservation easements on larger tracts to permanently protect sensitive recharge zones from future development.

Luckily, landowners don’t have to go it alone when implementing real water solutions on their properties. TPWD's Landowner Incentive Program, TWDB grants and loans, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension resources, and assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer technical assistance and financial incentives that make it easier to put stewardship into action.

The next chapter of Texas water relies on our actions today. Together, we can ensure a wild future not only for our wild things and wild places, but for the water that fuels it all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading/Resources:

2022 State Water Plan | Texas Water Development Board

Innovative Water Strategies | Texas Water Development Board

Landowner Incentive Program | TPWD

Water Conservation Resources | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Technical Assistance | Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Water Ownership FAQ | Texas Groundwater Protection Committee

Want to get involved with the Statewide Conservation Committee (SCC)?

Complete the interest form linked below to let us know you're interested in joining this incredible group! We'll be looking to add new members at the end of 2025/early 2026.

Looking for resources to further your conservation knowledge?

Thank you to our Stewards of the Wild statewide program sponsor!

The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is the leading wildlife research organization in Texas and one of the finest in the nation. Its mission is to provide science-based information for enhancing the conservation and management of wildlife in South Texas and related environments.

Stewards of the Wild, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s conservation leadership program, equips emerging leaders aged 21 to 45 with opportunities to actively participate in the stewardship of Texas’ wild things and wild places by providing education, networking, and outdoor experiences.

Copyright © 2025 Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation

6220 Gaston Ave. #700

Dallas, Texas 75214