Our Work

Protecting Land

Over 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned. This creates a unique challenge for Texans, as conservation becomes the responsibility of private landowners.

Assisting private landowners who choose to protect their property from encroaching development pressure allows them to prioritize conservation and protect more land and water.

TLC helps landowners find an economically advantageous, realistic alternative to selling their land that allows ownership to remain in their hands but puts the responsibility of conserving the land in ours.

Saving Water

Streams, reservoirs, and rivers are increasingly threatened due to drought, development pressure, and population growth.


One of the most successful methods for conserving water is protecting land from being fragmented and developed.


TLC’s Land for Water Initiative guides our work to help maintain and increase water quality and quantity by conserving land in six target watersheds to benefit wildlife, ecosystems, and most importantly, the people in the surrounding areas and rest of the state.

Connecting People

People are spending less and less time outdoors, whether it’s lack of access to natural spaces, fear or uncertainty around nature, or minimal exposure.

The more we can come together to share our love of nature, the more people will want to protect it.


TLC provides regular education and outreach activities on the land. Thousands of visitors explore our public preserves on their own or join us for volunteer days to manage and restore the land. We also partner with landowners to provide access to their private properties, sharing these special landscapes with the general public.

 
 

 Protected Lands

Texas Land Conservancy protects land through purchased or donated nature preserves and by holding permanent conservation easements on privately owned land. We now protect 208 properties totaling 165,093 acres — all made possible by the generous support of our donors and volunteers.

 

Land For Water

Texas is losing its open lands faster than any other state in the nation. At the same time, our water resources are dwindling due to drought and unsustainable consumption by a growing population.

With the help of respected scientists in the conservation field, TLC created a framework focused on land protection in six key watersheds: Llano, Pedernales, Medina, Brazos, Trinity, and Neches. These watersheds are both under high threat of fragmentation and have opportunities for significant conservation impact. Strategically protecting land in these areas will make a significant impact on the future landscape of Texas.

 
 

Successes Across the State

Land conservation is not just about dots on a map and acres in a database. Learn more about the properties and the impacts of land conservation across the state.