114 



Mad Island Marsh. Texas . The Foundation is a key partner in a five-year, comprehensive 

 program. This program of habitat protection, restoration, and ecological management is underway in 

 an effort to return the 9,262 acre Mad Island Marsh ecosystem to its formerly productive state. The 

 project is designed as a model for protection, enhancement, restoration, and management of a Texas 

 Gulf Coast wetlands/uplands complex. A goal is to apply the knowledge gained to influence 

 conservation management of other private and public wetlands/uplands on the Texas coast. Other 

 partners include The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Ducks Unlimited, North American Wetlands 

 Conservation Council, Dow Chemical, private landowners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 

 other government agencies. 



Management efforts by the partners to date have focused on restoring and enhancing the 

 ecosystem. In the past two years, removal of exotic species and establishment of water management 

 capability have restored 166 acres of critically important wetlands on site. Over 700 acres of rice 

 fields have been managed to provide winter feeding and roosting habitat. Prescribed burning has 

 been employed to enhance and restore 315 acres of upland coastal prairie. Foundation contributions 

 totalling $225,000 have been critical to the continuing success of this project. 



Parrott Ranch. California . The Foundation was a pivotal player in the 1991 acquisition of 

 18,000 acres of nationally important wetlands and other natural habitat at the Parrott Ranch in 

 Northern California. This extraordinary property supports an unparalleled abundance of waterfowl 

 and other wetland species. The acquisition of the Parrott Ranch was deemed the top priority of the 

 North American Waterfowl Management Plan. 



In 1990 and 1991, the Foundation provided a jump-start with $1.4 million which resulted in 

 more than $11 million in total partnership funding to purchase the property. In addition to the 

 Foundation and the Conservancy, the partnership included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 State Wildlife Conservation Board and Department of Fish and Game, Ducks Unlimited, and the 

 North American Wetlands Conservation Council. 



San Pedro River. Arizona . Foundation matching funds of $100,000, leveraged on a 3:1 

 basis, were critical to efforts in the San Pedro River ecosystem project. This project includes several 

 major components: (1) protection of land and water resources of the San Pedro River corridor and 

 watershed which sustain globally significant riparian and aquatic communities and species; (2) 

 partnerships with local landowners, non-profit organizations and public agencies to more effectively 

 accomplish resource protection and management; and (3) international cooperation through the 

 Conservancy's Mexico Program partnership with the in-country non-governmental organization 

 Centro Ecologico de Sonora. 



Foundation funds were essential for current water protection efforts in the San Pedro River 

 Basin, including instream-flow water rights acquisition. The Arizona Chapter of The Nature 

 Conservancy wrote the following to the Foundation: "As a result of your generous grant, the San 

 Pedro project is off and miming on solid footing." 



