Artist Boat has now raised $16.4 million by the June 30th deadline to secure the next 204 acres of conserved land for the Coastal Heritage Preserve. This is the next critical and last 204 acres within the former Chapoton Ranch and adds to the full vision to conserve 1,400 acres of contiguous barrier island ecosystems on West Galveston Bay creating the Coastal Heritage Preserve. These 204 acres contain endangered coastal prairie and rare freshwater wetlands that are essential to completing an interior 3-mile wildlife corridor on the island. This achievement keeps a 204-acre tract woven into the 3-mile interior relic dune and swale system and connected to the 3 miles of salt marsh living shoreline already protected along West Galveston Bay. This will bring the Preserve to 1,243 acres. Over the next five months Artist Boat, Galveston ISD, state and federal agencies, and the willing sellers will complete and approve the due diligence, conservation easements, and deeds to close on the 204 acres by December 2026. Stay tuned for a celebration, what’s next on these acres for school children with Galveston ISD, and more conservation!
“Galveston Island was my home for over a decade, and it is an honor for the General Land Office (GLO) to provide more than $8.2 million in Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funding to expand the Coastal Heritage Preserve on West Galveston Island,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “Adding these 204 acres of pristine, unfragmented coastal barrier habitat to the Preserve will help safeguard Texas’s diverse marine life and strengthen our coastal communities’ natural defense against hurricane storm surge and flooding. I look forward to the GLO’s continued work with Artist Boat to ensure the Preserve is protected for generations to come.”
Tomorrow’s future can be secured by today’s conservation.
Hear from Conservationists
Like You
Al Alsup wants to leave behind a better world for his grandchildren.
The Kirschners know the power of nature in education.
Haley Robinson knows it’s up to us to protect animals and their homes
Learn how the Galveston ecosystem protects people from hurricanes and other factors.
