The Coastal Prairie Conservancy (CPC) has permanently conserved 60 acres in northwest Harris County, advancing the organization's long-term goal of permanently protecting 30,000 acres on the historic Katy Prairie, the organization announced on July 29.

Located in the Upper Cypress Creek watershed, the property preserves native prairie, seasonal wetlands, and working agricultural land to support habitat for wildlife, provide natural flood storage, and maintain the natural landscape in one of the fastest-growing areas in the Houston region.

The land was protected through a voluntary conservation easement – a legal agreement that remains with the land regardless of who owns it. It permanently protects the property’s conservation values by limiting future development that is incompatible with those values while allowing continued agricultural use, active wildlife management, and other uses consistent with the easement’s conservation purposes.

“Conservation happens one project at a time,” said Mary Anne Piacentini, President and CEO of the Coastal Prairie Conservancy. “Each property we protect adds to the resilience of the Katy Prairie Preserve. With nearly 20,000 acres already permanently conserved, this project helps us with our goal of protecting at least 30,000 acres.”

Historically used for rice production before transitioning to cattle grazing, the property contains native grasslands as well as seasonal wetlands and ponds that support migratory birds, monarch butterflies, Northern bobwhite quail, and numerous species of conservation concern, including the state-threatened white-tailed hawk, the federally protected Bald Eagle, and the western chicken turtle, a Texas Species of Greatest Conservation Need documented through ongoing Texas A&M University research. Conserving these habitats also helps maintain the hydrologic health of the Cypress Creek watershed by naturally storing and slowing down floodwaters.

This project was made possible through funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) Program, the Texas Park and Wildlife Department’s Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program Conservation Assistance Program, and Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.

About the Coastal Prairie Conservancy:

The Coastal Prairie Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to sustaining a resilient Texas by preserving coastal prairie, wetlands, farms, and ranches to benefit people and wildlife forever. Preserved lands play an important role in flood control, cleaner air and water, outdoor recreation, and wildlife habitat. To learn more about the Coastal Prairie Conservancy’s conservation efforts, visit www.coastalprairieconservancy.org.