The mission of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust is to preserve the unique natural heritage of the Guadalupe watershed for future generations, by protecting open landscapes, working farms and ranches, and wildlife habitat through conservation easements, education, and outreach that connects people to the water and the land.

Amazingly, in Texas where land is so plentiful, we are losing this open land more rapidly than any other state.

The Guadalupe River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the United States, stretching from the springs and canyons of the Texas Hill Country to the marine environment of the Gulf Coast wetlands and San Antonio Bay.

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust organization that was developed to conserve land in the Guadalupe River Watershed for its natural, recreational, scenic, historic and productive value. It was founded in 2001 by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, a conservation and reclamation district created in 1933 by the Texas Legislature. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) has also partnered with the Trust. The voluntary board of directors consists of citizens who share a love of the Guadalupe River - one of the most pristine rivers in Texas.

Texas A&M and American Farmland Trust collected data from the 1997 to 2007 census that shows Texas is home to over 142 million acres of private farms, ranches and forestlands. The state of Texas thus leads the nation in land area devoted to privately-owned working lands. These lands account for 84% of the state’s entire land area and provide substantial economic, environmental, and recreational resources to the benefit of the state’s entire population.

According to accumulated from data the County Appraisal Districts, over 2.1 million acres of farms, ranches and forestlands were converted to other uses over the period from 1997 to 2007. Over 40% of this land conversion was related to growth and development associated with population expansion in the state's 25 highest growth counties. During this period, 861,765 acres were lost from the agricultural land base in these counties. As a function of population increase, roughly 149 acres of agricultural lands were consumed per 1,000 new residents. For more information go to Texas Land Trends.

A land trust is a local, regional or national nonprofit organization that protects land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historic or productive value. Land trusts have varying conservation objectives; some work in specific geographic areas or concentrate on protecting different natural or cultural features. Land trusts that accept conservation easements are responsible for monitoring that property and ensuring that the terms of the easement are followed. The land trust is responsible for stewardship of the conservation easement for as long as the easement exists.

EarthShare of Texas supports the work of its more than 70 participating environmental and conservation organizations by representing them in workplace giving programs throughout Texas. Workplace giving is the opportunity for employees to contribute by having their designated amounts deducted contributed from each paycheck.

As a member of EarthShare of Texas, we have unique campaign codes that you can use to donate directly to us, including the following:

Combined Federal Campaign: 82815
State Employee Charitable Campaign: 035601
City of Austin Combined Charities Campaign: 1814
Houston Combined Municipal Campaign: 1481

To view the list of EarthShare of Texas participating workplaces visit www.earthshare-texas.org