A city dweller’s vacant lot . . . A rancher's back forty . . . A hiker's favorite park . . . When the places that we love are threatened, we can be stirred to action. In Texas, people of all stripes and backgrounds have fought hard to safeguard the places they hold dear. To find and preserve these stories of courage and perseverance, the Conservation History Association of Texas launched the Texas Legacy Project in 1998, traveling thousands of miles to conduct hundreds of interviews with people from all over the state. These remarkable oral histories now reside in an incomparable online and physical archive of video, audio, text, and other materials that record these extraordinary efforts by veteran conservationists and ordinary citizens to preserve the natural legacy of Texas. This book holds stories from more than sixty people who represent a variety of causes, communities, and walks of life—from a West Texas grocer fighting nuclear waste to an Austin lobbyist pressing for green energy. Each speaks from the heart in personal reminiscences and first-hand accounts of battles fought for land and wildlife, for public health, and for a voice in media and politics. These impassioned accounts remind us of the importance of protecting and conserving the natural resources in our own backyards . . . wherever they may be. Records of the archive are available at the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. Five dollars of the cost of this book goes to environmentally friendly materials and processes.

With a deep belief in partnerships for conservation, Richard C. Bartlett, Chairman of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, explores the past and ongoing efforts of individuals and groups—private, public, federal, and state—to save the best of Texas' natural landscapes and the myriad species of plants and animals they support. Drawing on some 100,000 miles of backroads travel, Bartlett vividly describes many of the areas that, through a commitment to partnerships, have already been preserved in their natural state. Fine color photographs by Leroy Williamson provide a striking visual counterpoint to the text. These words and images give well-deserved credit to the people responsible for saving some of the best of Texas. They also highlight the need to continue to join together to preserve our natural environment so that the beauty and diversity we enjoy today will be available for future generations. It is the author's hope that Saving the Best of Texas will be a catalyst in that process.