Land Protection
Texas came into the Union in 1845 with a huge public domain of 225 million acres. However, by 1900, Texas had lost all but roughly 3% of its public property. Much of the land had been distributed by the state to pay off debts, attract settlers, reward veterans, and encourage industrial development.
Subsequent years have seen efforts to reclaim some lands for protected status, including campaigns for national and state forests, parks and wildlife refuges, and private hunting and fishing clubs, nature sanctuaries, and conservation easements on farms and ranches.
Audio:
David Schmidly on the need for land access and protection:
Map sources:
Steinbach, Mark. 2011. Executive Director, Texas Land Conservancy. Personal communications, December 2009 through April 2011.
Texas Land Trust Council. 2014. Texas Land Trust Council Conservation Lands Inventory.