NRI Announces Funding for Land Management to Private Landowners within the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape
San Antonio, TX — The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI), through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), is offering over $1 million in funding to support private landowners within the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape. This funding will help implement sustainable land management practices aimed at enhancing ecological health and improving the region’s natural resources.
The initiative focuses on addressing key ecological concerns that benefit both the mission of Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis and the land stewards and residents in the project area. Priority areas include water quality and conservation, plant health, restoration of native plant communities, soil quality, and habitat improvement for wildlife, native pollinators, and grazing species.
Eligible landowners are encouraged to apply for funding to implement a variety of conservation practices tailored to their property’s needs. These practices include protecting water quality and riparian health through vegetative buffers around waterways, as well as enhancing upland areas with prescribed grazing, selective brush management, and native plant restoration and establishment.
By participating in this program, landowners will not only improve their properties but also contribute to broader ecological benefits that support the community and the region’s natural resources.
How to Apply:
Private landowners with properties within the project area boundary are encouraged to apply. Applications are now open and accepted on a rolling basis, starting in January 2025. For more information and to apply, visit CampBullisRCPP.nri.tamu.edu. For eligibility inquiries, contact George Clendenin, Project Coordinator, or Erin Davis, Project Specialist, at CampBullisRCPP@ag.tamu.edu.
Thank you to our key partners:
Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)
The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Texas Agricultural Land Trust
Hill Country Alliance
Green Spaces Alliance
The Cibolo Conservancy Land Trust
Edwards Aquifer Authority
Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance
Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District
The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute operates as a unit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Texas A&M NRI works to improve the conservation and management of natural resources and private land stewardship through interdisciplinary and applied research, education, and policy. We are committed to solving natural resource issues and engaging land managers, citizens, and policymakers throughout the process.
If you have any questions regarding federal funding, please email nri@tamu.edu.
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Authors
Erin Davis is a Project Specialist with the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Regional Conservation Partnership Program. She works closely with landowners in the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape project area, offering land management guidance and connecting them with funding opportunities to support conservation efforts. Erin is passionate about preserving the unique features of the Texas Hill Country and sustaining its fragile natural resources.
Before joining NRI, Erin served as a Staff Forester with the Texas A&M Forest Service for seven years in Kerrville, where she assisted landowners and communities in a 12-county region with land management, proper tree care, and forest health issues such as oak wilt and drought stress.
She attended Texas A&M University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Renewable Natural Resources and Forestry. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Natural Resources Stewardship with a focus in Ecological Restoration from Colorado State University. She also holds accreditations as a Certified Forester and Certified Arborist.
In her free time, Erin enjoys hiking, renovating her mid-century home in the hill country with her husband, and scouting for vintage finds at local thrift stores.
George Clendenin serves as the Project Coordinator for the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). He leads a collective group of partners focusing on protecting and conserving open space and agricultural lands, bolstering land stewardship and management, and thereby strengthening military readiness around Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis.
Prior to his position as RCPP Coordinator, George served for twenty years with the U.S Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, primarily as a Rangeland Management Specialist. During this time, his focus was developing stewardship plans on rangelands and wildlands, planning and executing prescribed burns, and educating landowners and land stewards how to conserve and apply natural resource management on their lands. George also authored a book on Common Rangeland Plants of West Central Texas, during his time out west.
George received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University, a Bachelor of Agriculture from Texas State University, and a Master of Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University.
In his free time, George enjoys traveling, and experiencing the great outdoors. He loves the coast, hiking in the mountains, and spending time with his family and friends.