Quiz: How Well Do You Know Texas’s Public Lands?

TRUE: Conserving Green Space Trail Is an Example of TPL’s Efforts in Texas

In the heart of Dallas is a rare gem: Big Cedar Wilderness. This natural, wild landscape will connect cyclists and hikers to recreational opportunities while preserving thousands of mature trees and leaving the habitats of threatened and endangered species intact.

With nearly 300 acres of hills, trails, cliffs, and creeks, this stunning landscape provides natural beauty reminiscent of Texas Hill Country, within minutes of downtown Dallas.

With your support, we can preserve more close-to-home green spaces for Texans and communities across the nation.

TRUE: Making Parks More Accessible Is an Example of TPL’s Efforts in Texas

More than 300,000 Dallas residents don’t have a park or green space within a 10-minute walk of home. In response, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson requested an inventory of vacant city-owned land that could be redeveloped into public green spaces. To lead this Dallas Greening Initiative, he turned to TPL to help transform these spaces into new neighborhood parks.

We’ve identified 15 future green space locations near communities that need them the most. By collaborating with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department and residents, we aim to create new green spaces that are welcoming, close to home, and tailored to the specific needs of each community.

To ensure these green spaces are safe and accessible for everyone, TPL is developing a comprehensive maintenance plan. We’re working to establish “friends of” groups to provide volunteer stewardship and a long-term maintenance fund to support the preservation of these parks.

With your support, we can put more parks within 10 minutes of home.

TRUE: Protecting Waterways Is an Example of TPL’s Efforts in Texas

Barely a mile from the high-rises of downtown Austin lies an urban oasis: the 1,000-acre Barton Creek Greenbelt. This natural sanctuary features spring-fed swimming holes, over 12 miles of rugged hiking and biking trails, limestone rock climbing, and bouldering. At the end of the greenbelt is Barton Springs Pool, one of the state’s most iconic natural swimming pools.

Since 1990, the area around Barton Creek has experienced intense development. To protect access to this cherished space, Trust for Public Land stepped in and purchased nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Barton Creek watershed, transforming it into one of Austin’s most well-loved green spaces.

Your support can help us work with communities to protect rivers and streams, the land surrounding them, and access points so everyone can enjoy these places.

TRUE: Transforming Schoolyards Is an Example of TPL’s Efforts in Texas

Across the country, we’re transforming asphalt schoolyards into cooler, more inviting spaces that improve the lives of students, educators, and residents. These places help address health needs, park equity, and the effects of extreme weather events.

In the Dallas area, we’ve transformed 20 schoolyards into community green spaces, with inspiring outdoor learning areas and murals from artists that reflect the culture of the local neighborhoods. Through this transformation, nearly 72,000 residents have gained access to a park within a 10-minute walk of home.

With your support, we can create more community schoolyards throughout the country!

FALSE: TPL Doesn’t Own Land; We Pass It to the State, County, or Another Entity for Public Ownership.

Partnership drives projects. We help communities and government agencies identify lands that need protection and secure funds to help, sometimes through charitable campaigns and legislative or voter initiatives.

Here’s a great example: known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro Canyon boasts bulging rock formations, vibrant red hues, and deep ravines demonstrating the power of water erosion and wild wind. Its walls show off brightly banded geological formations that slice through the flat topography of the Panhandle.

Large swaths of the canyon rim have remained privately owned, including the Fortress Cliffs Ranch. Named for a 6-mile-long ridge of rock, the ranch offered one of the canyon’s most dramatic vistas. When the land went on the market in 2008, there were concerns about the possibility of development blocking the bluff’s beautiful views.

Trust for Public Land led the effort to purchase the ranch as a nearly 3,000-acre addition to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. After purchasing the Texas Panhandle property, TPL immediately transferred it to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, thus increasing the size of Palo Duro Canyon State Park by nearly 10 percent.

With your support, we can create more long-term success stories like the Fortress Cliffs Ranch.