Another Landmark Conservation Success at the Texas Coast
We are thrilled to announce that 2,230-acres of land, protected by North American Land Trust (NALT) in Port O’Connor, Texas, is being purchased by the Coastal Bend & Bays Estuary Program, ensuring that this extraordinary landscape will forever become a public resource.
The Pass Cavallo Ranches consist of 6 contiguous tracts (Pass Cavallo, Santo Bay, Cayo Dorado, Monterrey Cove, Cristobal Key and Cayo Marsopa), properties initially protected by NALT in 2016 and 2017.
In addition to holding the conservation easements on the property, NALT was engaged by the landowner to create and implement conservation management plans, working to manage and restore vital habitats on these properties. Stewardship efforts have included prescribed burning, invasive species removal, and the enhancement of exceptional wetland habitats—both saline and freshwater. These efforts have strengthened the ecological resilience of the property and improved habitat availability for countless species that rely on this section of the Texas coast. NALT also documented biodiversity every year and noted over 100 bird species, 22 of which are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Texas Wildlife Conservation Plan including Mottled Ducks and Whooping Cranes.
When first protected, these tracts became a critical component of a sweeping conservation story in the Port O’Connor region. They connect and complement major protected areas such as Powderhorn Ranch and the expansive conservation habitats of Welder Flats. Within this concentrated geography of the Coastal Plain, NALT now holds more than 5,800 acres in permanent protection.
We are extremely excited that this remarkable preserve—long cared for in private hands—will now move into public ownership, where it will be accessible for generations to come and will continue to serve as an anchor for conservation along the Texas coast.
Read more about this tract in our previously published Stories from the Land article: Conserving Endangered Species Habitat in Coastal Texas – North American Land Trust
Authored by Patty Kennedy, NALT Southeast Program Director
