About Us

The Trinity Waters Story 

With nearly 8 million residents, the Trinity River Basin is the most populated river basin in Texas.  The Trinity River flows from its headwaters north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW) to its outlet into the Galveston Bay Complex.  The Trinity River is 512 miles long and has 1,983 miles of major tributaries that drain an area of over 18,000 square miles and support primary water needs for over 40% of the state's population. 

About 75% of the Trinity River Basin remains in farms and ranches - and these private lands support critically important wildlife resources as identified in the Texas Wildlife Action Plan.  But land fragmentation and changes in land use have decreased available wildlife habitats and reduced the watershed service capability across many of these rural lands.  For example, over 300,000 acres of native rangeland habitats were converted to non-native grasses over the 10-year period prior to 2003.  During this same period, the average rural ownership size decreased by 27% as over 9,600 new farms and ranches were created through large property subdivision.  These land use conversions and fragmentation are placing important upland and floodplain habitats at risk. 

In 2000, a 150,000 acre wildlife cooperative of about 35 landowners was formed in Anderson and Freestone Counties - The Mid Trinity Basin Conservation Cooperative.  These landowners were interested in improving their properties for wildlife by working with local TPWD biologists for technical assistance through written wildlife management plans.  Plans specified habitat management tasks, primarily for white-tailed deer and waterfowl.  A mix of state lands (more than 20,000 acres of TPWD wildlife management areas and 21,000 acres of TDCJ lands) combined with holding of the Tarrant Regional Water District formed a relatively large, intact ecosystem from which to engage surrounding landowners in landscape-level wildlife conservation in the watershed.  This cooperative effort was led by cardiologist Dr. Robert McFarlane of Palestine.  A former Lone Star Land Steward award winner (2001), Dr. McFarlane has dramatically improved habitat and wildlife populations on his 7,200-acre ranch since he initiated a management plan in 1995.  In fact, there are five other Lone Star Land Steward award winners involved in the cooperative:  Bunker Sands (1996), Gary Price (1997 and statewide winner in 2007), Jim Reed (2001), Cliff Johnson (2004), and Brian Smith (2011).  In addition to these landowners, TPWD currently administers wildlife management plans or other cooperative agreements with about 650 landowners or managers on roughly 750,000 acres throughout the Trinity River Watershed. 

By 2005, several landowners decided to form a non-profit organization known as the Trinity Basin Conservation Foundation.  The purpose of the foundation is to improve the quality of life, economic sustainability and ecological integrity of areas associated with the Trinity River Basin through a broad-based coalition of local communities and municipalities, NGOs, and stewards of private and public lands, particularly local wildlife management cooperatives/associations.  This coalition has expanded the current stakeholder base to include the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tarrant Regional Water District, Trinity River Authority, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Delta Waterfowl, Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Houston Wilderness, private ecosystem-oriented business enterprises, and numerous other interested parties and entities along the entire river corridor. 

Even though local representatives of the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) were involved from the inception of the Trinity initiative, in 2007 the executive board of TWA voted formally to join as a full partner with the TBCF, thus integrating the missions, planning activities, and operations of the two organizations.  An extremely notable product of this partnership the Trinity L.A.N.D.S. (Learning Across New Dimensions in Science) focused on unifying science education for fourth grade students in the basin.  Presently, fourth grade classes in the rural Blooming Grove school district and the urban St. John's Episcopal School in Dallas are linked in formal collaboration to become acquainted with their respective education experiences and lifestyles.  Plans include expanding this elementary component of the TWA Trinity L.A.N.D.S. program as well as adding an adult education sector.  TPWD personnel in several divisions are participating by providing substantial contributions to this education program. 

                       Photo courtesy of the Texas Wildlife Association

In September 2006, Governor Perry announced a Trinity River Initiative to help clean up the Trinity River, which has a long history of water-quality programs.  "If Texans all along the Trinity River band together to fully protect its water quality and restore the river to its more pristine past, it will have a dramatic impact on birds and wildlife, and ecotourism," Perry said.  Texas A&M University will coordinate the improvement efforts, which involve funding from several state agencies including the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Trinity River Authority.  The Trinity Basin Conservation Foundation will help with the project and private landowners can participate voluntarily, Perry said.  Funds raised from grants and other contributions will provide for hydrology studies, wetland restoration, reforestation and wildlife habitat conservation efforts, along with a comprehensive water flow model with the Army Corps of Engineers, Perry said. 

In 2011, the Trinity Basin Conservation Foundation was renamed to Trinity Waters and educational programming is set to begin, as well as the launch of this website.

The Trinity River Basin presents a major opportunity for habitat restoration through wetland development, reforestation of bottomland hardwoods, invasive plant management, and restoration of grassland habitats.  These actions could deliver valuable ecosystem services through enhancing water quality, improving basin hydrology and mediating flood events - as well as other services such as carbon sequestration, wetlands mitigation, and substantially enlarged land-based recreational opportunities for Texans - an area of major interest to TPWD and its constituents.  A Master Plan for the Trinity River will supply the foundation for more effective public and private support for such conservation efforts, including priority of public funding, improved conservation policy, and increased support through a clearer understanding of natural resource trends.  An additional focus of the project is to stimulate private sector markets for ecosystem services, thus contributing to habitat conservation efforts at reduced public expense.  Already, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources personnel have produced a series of publications targeted to landowners within the basin, and developed the Trinity River Information Management System (TRIMS:  http://trims.tamu.edu). 

With assistance from the aforementioned agencies and NGOs, Trinity Waters has accomplished the following: 

Outreach:

• Produced the Trinity Basin Conservation Foundation/Trinity Waters Newsletters (over 30 issues to date)
• TW featured through numerous media outlets, including the Wild Wonderings Blog, radio spots, and promotional DVDs
• Ten publications were written and produced highlighting the unique ecosystems of the basin and management of the natural resources
• TBCF partnered with the Texas Wildlife Association in 2007 and 2008 to launch a Trinity Basin version of TWA's Learning Across New Dimensions in Science (LANDS) Curriculum. In this pilot initiative, fourth graders participated in 3 hands-on field experiences in which they gained knowledge in water quality, riparian ecosystems, wildlife management, and land stewardship concepts.

Habitat:

• Received a $42,000 Wildlife Diversity Grant for The Western Navarro Bobwhite Restoration Initiative (WNBRI) which seeks to restore native grasslands for Bobwhite quail habitat.
• Received a $10,000 Challenge Grant from the Rosewood Foundation for habitat work and capacity-building. Challenge met as of May 2008.
• Patrons pledged ~$15,000 in a previous fundraiser held at the 7-J and Rattlesnake Ranches.
• A Renewable Resources Extension Act grant ($76,000) was awarded to Texas AgriLife Extension Service to help develop conservation planning tools for landowners and municipal leaders.
• Clean Water Act §319(h) Nonpoint Source grant ($731,515) was awarded by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board using state and federal funds for the Building Partnerships through Cooperative Conservation in the Trinity River Basin project.