SSPEED Center and Rice University About the Proposed Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area In 2008, Hurricane Ike demonstrated how valuable undeveloped coastal land is for mitigating storm surge damage. Conservation of these open lands is one strategy to mitigation for future storm damage along the upper Texas coast. The Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center at Rice University, with funding from the Houston Endowment, has proposed a means to ensure this conservation in the form or the Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area (LSCNRA)…. Read More →

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA), RESTORE Act Trustees, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) The Deepwater Horizon Accident, which occurred April 20, 2010, spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a 3 month period. The responsible parties for the spill are required to restore natural resources lost or damaged by the accident. Civil fines and criminal penalties paid by the responsible parties are being used by the Gulf of Mexico states for oil spill cleanup… Read More →

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and RCPP Collaborative Partners About the RCPP Program The RCPP program was created in the 2014 Farm Bill. It gives landowners incentive to enroll agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland in conservation easements and conservation contracts through partnership between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and local entities which create projects for private landowner conservation. Those entities may be agricultural or silvicultural associations, farmer cooperatives, state and local government, water districts, conservation driven organizations, and educational institutions. Landowners must work with a local… Read More →