FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2018
Media contact: Lydia Saldaña
817.851.5729
lsaldana@tpwf.org
Thanks to funding provided by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation, 12 state parks across Texas will soon be providing enhanced visitor experiences or improved habitat to benefit wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) is raising dollars to match the more than $38,000 in funding for the competitive grants.
The winning grants will fund efforts ranging from improving bird blinds at Abilene State Park in West Texas, to improving the amphitheater at Eisenhower State Park in North Texas, to providing trail entrance kiosks at Colorado Bend State Park in Central Texas. All the projects are aimed at providing a higher quality visit for state park visitors. Engaging volunteer labor to provide a non-monetary match for the requested funds is one criteria of the competitive grant.
“This marks the third year of this 3-year year grant cycle, and we are gratified at the enhancements across the state park system that have been made as a result of this funding,” said Adelaide Leavens, president of Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation in Fort Worth. “The projects presented by park staff and volunteers are innovative and unique to the attributes of each site, as is evident in this year’s approved projects. I am amazed and inspired by the ingenuity of staff who squeeze every inch of value out of the grant funds while encouraging the dedicated volunteers who bring the projects to life.”
The projects that are funded in the 2018 grant cycle are:
| STATE PARK | COUNTY | PROJECT |
| Abilene | Taylor | Bird blind improvements |
| Colorado Bend | San Saba | Trail entrance kiosks |
| Cooper Lake | Hopkins | Geocaching |
| Copper Breaks | Hardeman | Construct bird blinds |
| Devils River | Val Verde | Rainwater collection and xeriscaping |
| Dinosaur Valley | Somervell | Outdoor skills kit |
| Eisenhower | Grayson | Amphitheater improvements |
| Goliad | Goliad | Invasive species control |
| Goose Island | Aransas | Invasive species control |
| Kickapoo Cavern | Kinney and Edwards | Pollinator garden |
| Lockhart | Caldwell | Invasive species control |
| Mother Neff | Coryell | Native prairie restoration |
In 2019, the Competitive Park Grants program will be evaluated to determine whether a new grant cycle will be funded in the future.
“State park visitors will be enjoying these enhancements for years to come, and we’re very thankful for the funding that has been provided by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation over the last there years,” said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown. “It’s a great example of how philanthropic funding is enhancing the experience for those who love to visit Texas State Parks.”
Donations can be made online HERE
All TPWF news releases available online: www.tpwf.org/news/press-releases/
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation raises private funds to advance Texas’ proud outdoor traditions and conserve our state’s wildlife, habitat, recreational areas, and natural resources. Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has raised more than $170 million in private philanthropy to ensure that all Texans, today and in the future, can enjoy the wild things and wild places of Texas.
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