Recently, USFWS Arlington Field Office staff met with representatives from the Northeast Texas Water Utility District, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Caddo Lake Institute, and Texas A&M Forest Service in Camp County, Texas. The group met to discuss restoration projects on private property owned by Partners For Fish and Wildlife program cooperator, Mr. Nelson Roach. Mr. Roach’s property includes 7,500 acres in the Big Cypress watershed and is one of the largest contiguous tracts of intact bottomland hardwood and upland forests in east Texas. Restoration activities are focused on the use of prescribed fire to open up the understory of wooded areas and restore natural flows by replacing water crossings that once constricted flow and impaired water quality. These efforts will not only benefit rare species like native freshwater mussels and paddlefish, but will also improve water quality downstream, including Lake O' the Pines which serves as a source of drinking water to nearby communities.

A new water crossing on Mr. Roach’s property that restores the natural hydrology of the Big Cypress Creek while maintaining landowner access. Credit: USFWS.

Mr. Roach is a shining example of good stewardship and the invaluable contributions that private landowners across Texas make to preserve and protect natural resources that benefit all Texans.

A prescribed fire is conducted on Mr. Roach’s property to reduce woody understory and restore open forest. Credit: USFWS.

Through our Emphasis Area approach, the USFWS Southwest Region is working to prioritize our resources for the greatest return on our conservation investment. One of our focuses is helping to recover