Cross Timbers Conservancy

Preserving one of the least disturbed ecosystems in Texas

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About Us

Woodlands of a picturesque and pleasing variety

The Cross Timbers region of North Central Texas was described in 1854 as a dense woodland of post-oak and blackjack oak, “not growing in a continuous forest, but interspersed with open glades, plateaus, and vistas of prairie scenery, which give a very picturesque and pleasing variety”.  For travelers crossing the area, it provided then, as now, a temporary respite “from civilization, its joys and cares, for many, many weeks.”

The woodlands of the Cross Timbers comprise the watershed valleys of numerous creeks, winding down from the uplands of bordering tall-grass prairie regions.  In recent times the bordering upland prairies were turned to productive farmland, while the picturesque rolling hills and stream courses of the Cross Timbers, with their highly erosive sandy and clayey soils, tended to be left with large areas of less-altered and more-natural vegetation and wildlife habitat.

A preservation and advocacy group

Increasingly this unspoiled area has come under attack from powerful corporate interests seeking to exploit the subsurface for oil and gas, and seeking to destroy the surface areas with the construction of massive industrial wind projects. 

Residents desperate to protect the unspoiled character of the land, the quality and sufficiency of its water, and the ecosystem of its plants and wildlife, gathered together in 2006 and formed the Cross Timbers Conservancy.  Through education, conservation, research, and advocacy, we seek to protect and preserve the natural beauty and evolved order of the region.  We seek to be good stewards of our natural inheritance.

  Objectives

We seek to:

    1.  Educate landowners in the Cross Timbers about their ecosystem, it's uniqueness, and the  importance of preserving and protecting its less-altered, more natural character.

    2.  Conserve the woodlands of the Cross Timbers, especially those old-growth remnants that predate settlement, by obtaining the conservation commitment of landowners through execution of Conservancy Agreements.

    3.  Protect the ecosystem of the Cross Timbers from intentional or inadvertent destruction by individuals, corporate interests, or government agencies.

    4.  Support and enhance opportunities for education and research efforts by qualified biologists, botanists, and wildlife specialists.

Our initial focus is on the Western Cross Timbers of Texas.  With growth and development, we will expand our efforts to the Eastern Cross Timbers of Texas, and the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas.