Texas, September, 1, 2026: A massive coastal conservation effort in Texas has transformed more than 15,000 acres of the historic Powderhorn Ranch into a protected wildlife management area, safeguarding wetlands, coastal prairie and habitat for the endangered whooping crane.
The 17,351 acre ranch in Calhoun County was purchased in 2014 for $37.7 million by a coalition of conservation organisations and government agencies. The broader conservation project, including habitat restoration, long term management and an endowment, was valued at around $50 million.
A significant portion of the acquisition was funded through money linked to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation committed $34.5 million from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, created using payments from BP and Transocean following the disaster.
The project brought together the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy of Texas.
Powderhorn Ranch was considered one of the largest remaining stretches of relatively undisturbed coastal prairie in Texas. The property contains coastal live oak forests, freshwater wetlands, salt marshes and more than 11 miles of tidal frontage along Matagorda Bay.
The area also provides important habitat for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife, including the endangered whooping crane.
In October 2018, more than 15,000 acres of the ranch were transferred to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and officially became the Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area.
Conservation managers have focused on restoring native grasslands and savannah, while improving the site’s hydrology to strengthen freshwater wetland habitats. These efforts are expected to particularly benefit whooping cranes, which have expanded into the area.
The protected landscape is also intended to support public recreation, including hunting, fishing, hiking, paddling and birdwatching.
The Powderhorn project represents one of the largest examples of land conservation supported by restoration funding connected to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It also highlights how environmental settlement funds can be used to protect ecosystems and restore habitats long after an environmental catastrophe.
With Texas having lost more than 200,000 acres of coastal wetlands between the 1950s and early 1990s, the preservation of Powderhorn Ranch provides an important refuge for wildlife and a significant step toward protecting the state’s remaining coastal ecosystems.