The Be One in a Million (BOIAM) campaign is our grassroots engine. We are asking one million people to give $10 each. This approach is powerful because every small gift helps leverage much larger state and federal grant dollars. For every $10 donated, $372 in federal and state conservation dollars is unlocked. So far, over 2,500 donors have contributed nearly $2.3M. We believe everyone is a Conservationist. By partnering with everyday citizens like you as well as with state, local, and federal organizations and agencies, we believe the wilds of Galveston Island can be preserved for generations to come.
The land serves as a “natural infrastructure” that provides critical benefits to the entire community. The prairies and wetlands provide filtration of water helping keep the bay clean, provide homes for wildlife on land and in the water, and drive the economy through nature-based tourism and fisheries. When it comes to climate resilience, these wetlands and prairies absorb storm surge, reduce flood risks, protect future homes from the costs incurred to taxpayers during natural disasters, and help lower property owners’ insurance costs. The corridor safeguards habitat for the endangered Eastern Black Rail, migratory birds, and the unique Galveston coyotes, ensuring the protection of Galveston’s vital biodiversity. The preserve also acts as a “living classroom” for over 5,000 underserved students annually.
We primarily secure land through major state and federal conservation grants. However, these grants are not “free money”. They require matching funds from the community to be released. Every $10 gift to our “Be One in a Million” campaign helps us leverage and “unlock” these larger grant dollars. This allows small individual donations to have a massive impact on multi-million-dollar acquisitions. Every $10 donated unlocks $37.20 and every $100 donated unlocks $372 in conservation grant funds.
Artist Boat has a 23-year track record of resilience and results. Since 2008, we have grown the Preserve from zero to over 1,039 acres. We have completed 15 major land transactions and raised over $24 million with federal, state, and private partners. We have also successfully navigated through Hurricane Ike, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Hurricane Harvey, and the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging stronger each time. Moreover, Galveston is our home. We are residents of Galveston and know first-hand the environmental, cultural, and personal significance of this vital ecosystem. We are a trusted non-profit to award funds to by state and federal agencies who help “fuel” our grassroots conservation through land acquisition.
Preservation does not mean the land is “off-limits.” Our vision for these 204 acres, in partnership with Galveston Independent School district, will provide:
- Three miles of low-impact nature trails with interpretive signage
- Activity trunks and curricula for 4th-grade teachers, teaching the island’s history, geology, and ecology through a local lens
- Community access to diverse habitats via curated and managed trails
Funds for this next step will be sought separately, so stay tuned for opportunities to help in this manner, too. The Preserve currently provides opportunities for families to participate in guided tours, citizen science, and volunteer stewardship, as well as dedicated grant funds to support youth Eco-Art Kayak and Walking Adventures and other facilitated programming, ensuring every child in Galveston can experience hands-on science and art.
The total cost for this phase of land acquisition is $16.3 million. We have already raised or secured $12.8 million through grants and donors. We need to secure the funding for the final $3.5 million by June of 2026 to buy the land, conduct all due diligence, convey conservation easements, and other associated costs of coordinating the effort to save the 204 acres of land. Artist Boat has done this before with 15 transactions totaling over $24 million to conserve the current 1,039 acre preserve. Through a unique partnership, the Galveston Independent School District (GISD) will hold the property title, while Artist Boat will maintain a permanent conservation easement to manage and protect the land forever.
If we do not act within the next 6 months, this land is at high risk of being lost to development. The 204 acres are currently platted for approximately 1,281 housing units. Development would fragment the habitat and degrade the land we have already worked so hard to conserve. Once the land is developed, we can’t get it back. To date, we have prevented 1,039 acres from being developed. However, these 204 acres are a vital part of the ecosystem and habitats that surround the Preserve. Every acre matters and its development affects the entire Island. The impact from this development is vast and include:
- Decreased water quality to the wetlands and bay due to run-off pollution from cars (oil and gas leaks) and homes (pesticides and herbicides)
- Reduced flood retention from increased concrete and impervious surface
- Increased flooding during rain and storm events
- Disruption and displacement of wildlife due to light and noise pollution disturbing their way of life
- Elimination of many homes for wildlife that will not move and thus will die during the grading, leveling, and paving of the land.
Artist Boat is working to protect the last wild corridor on west Galveston Island. Our immediate focus is a push to secure the remaining funding of $3,481,000 of the $16,361,000 to acquire 204 additional acres for the Coastal Heritage Preserve (the Preserve). This acquisition will bring the total land saved to 1,243 acres, achieving 88% of our ultimate 1,400-acre goal. Ancient Dune Swales exist all across the Island. In particular, we are looking to save the dune swales existing in the area between 8 Mile Road and Pabst Road between the 3005 San Luis Pass Road and Steward Road. The acreage already saved have protected 3-miles of living bay shorelines in the areas between LaFitte’s Cove and Spanish Grant, past Spanish Grant and along Settegast Road.
Artist Boat is dedicated to protecting the wilds of Galveston for future generations to experience. Conservation easements protect the land from development, in perpetuity, and our habitat department and Sea Citizen volunteers work hard to preserve the land, restore native vegetation and remove invasive species. Habitat restoration programs also allow individuals and groups to join our staff for Habitat Workdays, helping to care for and plant native species across the coastal prairies. The land is able to be a platform for environmental education. Artist Boat pursues funding and provides free programming via the Eco-Art Adventure program via kayak and walking, the Habitat Restoration Program, and other co-designed programs with partners serving over 5,000+ students annually on the Coastal Heritage Preserve. Additionally, the City utilized the conserved lands to increase their score in the FEMA Community Rating System providing decreased flood insurance costs by increasing community resilience through increased and permanent space for flood sequestration and keeping future homes from being impacted by hurricanes and costs from being incurred by the taxpayer.
Our state and federal partners are contributing $12,220,000 million-dollars in conservation grant awards. The remainder raised to date is from individuals and foundations totaling $1,060,000
- Texas General Land Office
- National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Galveston Bay Estuary Program
- The Knobloch Family Foundation
- Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation
- Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
- Galveston Bay Foundation
- Be One In A Million Donors
As the land has never been developed, these properties have been scheduled with agricultural exemptions in the past and have never contributed greatly to the tax base. Artist Boat maintains similar wildlife tax exemptions and deductions within the restrictions of the Galveston County Appraisal District. The benefits of conserving this land on Galveston Island outweighs the minimal tax base income. Additionally, properties adjacent to conserved lands for up to 2.5 miles away experience 25% increases in value but, the city doesn’t have to build or maintain any new infrastructure to experience the lift in property taxes.
All donations from the Be One In A Million campaign are dedicated to land conservation efforts. Artist Boat negotiates the cost-of-purchase for land at fair market values according to appraisal standards with the development companies that own(ed) the properties. Additionally, the properties are appraised and surveyed. These are approved by the federal and state agencies before closing. Campaign funds are used to buy the land, conduct all due diligence, restrict in perpetuity with deed language, convey conservation easements if required, and other associated costs of coordinating the effort to save land.
The Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) is governed by state and local city ordinances. The law dictates its use. Artist Boat is supported by HOT competitive grants to market our programs that integrate art, science, natural history, and engage them in our island culture. This helps:
- Promote our Eco-Art Adventures via kayak
- Produce the World Ocean Day Festival
- Promote Bucket Brigade Beach Tours and Eco-Art Camps in the summer
- Host the Marine Debris Art Contest
- Inform people how to visit the Helen and Edward Oppenheimer Bird Observatory and Project SIT (Seawall Interpretive Trail)
Use of HOT Funds for land acquisition is an ineligible use in the City of Galveston and non-conforming to the city ordinance.
You pay online with a credit card at the end of the registration process. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. If you have an Island Pass there will be a space to indicate that, though you will still have to pay the registration fee with a credit card.
We meet on site for all adventures, meaning at the boat launch. An informative itinerary with the location of and directions to the site will be emailed to you upon registering. You’ll also receive a medical waiver, which must be completed and brought to your adventure.
When attending a kayak adventure you should bring weather appropriate clothing, closed-toed shoes that you are willing to get wet, sunscreen, bug spray, plenty of water, snacks or lunch depending on the length of the tour. Please also bring a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. All of our kayaks have room in the front and back to store one or two small backpacks.
There are typically porta-potties located at the launch for each of our adventure destinations. However, there is no access to bathrooms once we launch.
Depending on the location, you can expect to see beautiful natural and restored wetlands, bayous, freshwater lakes, riparian zones, and coastal upland prairie habitats. The wildlife typically seen on our adventures includes shorebirds such as herons, egrets, pelicans, terns, ibises, and roseatte spoonbills, fish, blue crabs, hermit crabs, snakes, periwinkles, rays, and even alligators!
Our Kayak Adventures vary in length. The usual Eco-Art Kayak Adventure is 4 hours long. This typically includes two to three stops along the way to rest, observe our surroundings, paint a watercolor, and eat lunch. On occasion we have 3 hour evening Eco-Art adventures scheduled at the Coastal Heritage Preserve. Our East End Lagoon adventures and some adventures at the Coastal Heritage Preserve are two hours long, and do not include art. To see times, locations, and durations of scheduled adventures please visit our calendar or the registration page.
One of our instructors will train all participants in various watercolor painting techniques using professional art supplies. After a brief demonstration, all participants will then used the art supplies provided by Artist Boat on the back of each kayak to paint a watercolor image of their surroundings. This is a great way to observe the natural habitats around the Houston/Galveston area. You’re then able to keep your painting as a souvenir of your trip!
You will step into the water to get in your boat, so at the very least your feet will get wet. Depending on weather conditions and how much you splash, other parts of your body may get wet.
In most instances we paddle through shallow wetland areas that are only a few feet deep. Some of our locations include boat channels or bayous that are deeper. Tides and coastal flooding may have a slight impact on water depth.
Most of our adventures follow an approximately 3-mile route, though the exact distance travelled depends on the weather and group make up. Two and three hour adventures travel less distance, and the Cypress Swamp location is slightly longer than the typical 3 mile routes.
You will be using tandem kayaks in almost all cases. Due to the set up of our kayak fleets, you may not request a single kayak. In the event that an adventure has an odd number of total participants, the guide will determine who will use a single kayak based on age, experience, etc. If the total number of participants is an even number but your party is an odd number, you may be asked to partner with another participant in a tandem kayak.
All Artist Boat instructors are ACA certified kayak instructors. We provide all participants with a brief paddling demonstration prior to getting on the water, so no previous paddling experience is required. However, you must be in good enough physical condition to be on a kayak for the duration of the adventure and paddle for an hour or so at a time.
No, registration closes at midnight the day before your scheduled adventure.
Our tandem kayaks have a weight limit of 450 pounds and our weight limit per person is 275 pounds.
Yes, you may bring your own kayaks, lifejackets, and paddles. Your lifejacket needs to be a type 3 jacket. If you bring your own equipment you can indicate this during the registration process. When you bring your own equipment you receive a discount on 3-4 hour adventures.
Children must be at least 7 years of age to participate in our 3 to 4-hour trips. Children 5-6 years of age may participate in our 2-hours trips. If your child is less than 50 pounds, you must provide a Coast Guard Certified Personal Flotation Device. If your child is 13 years or younger an adult from the same party is required in the kayak. Children 16 years or older may attend without an adult present as long as a parent or guardian signs the waiver and medical release.
Alcohol is NOT PERMITTED on any Eco-Art Kayak Adventures.
Eco-Art Kayak Adventures are guided group tours and fishing is NOT PERMITTED on the adventures.
Due to the potential remoteness of locations and need for stability on the kayaks, pets are NOT PERMITTED on adventures.
