TPL worked with the
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and
a diverse group of stakeholders to develop the
West Fork San Jacinto Watershed Greenprint.
Through community engagement and stateof-the-art
computer modeling, the Greenprint
blends community priorities with science and
research to identify lands with the highest
value for voluntary conservation.
Work on this Greenprint began in the spring
of 2015, and the Greenprint was finalized in
the summer of 2016. The goals of the Greenprint
are to (1) Protect water quality and (2)
Provide access to water-based recreation. The
Overall Greenprint priorities map (page 24)
highlights over 101,000 acres that are the
highest priority for voluntary conservation
because they would best meet these goals.
Year Published2016
StateTexas
Landscape ContextInland
Housing DensitySuburban, Rural
Funding TypePrivate
Habitat FocusWater
Organizations InvolvedThe Trust for Public Land and the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
ValuesWater Quality, Recreation
Stakeholder InvolvementStakeholders were involved; stakeholders were convened five times over the course of one year and local residents were polled and interviewed.
Planning ProcessThe planning process followed the below steps:
1. Constituency building and community outreach—reaching out to and convening stakeholders, identifying community values, establishing conservation criteria
2. Data gathering and analysis—understanding existing conditions, assembling local GIS data, creating GIS models, ranking goals and criteria, translating models into opportunity maps
3. Implementation strategies—identifying practical strategies for implementation, developing an action plan.
Desired OutcomesHelp the communities in the study area plan for a future that balances development pressures with protection of important resources, particularly water quality; and help foster a strong foundation for economic growth by setting priorities for preserving natural and recreational resources that are critical to local quality of life.
