How a rancher and a nonprofit teamed up to protect 6,600 acres of Texas prairie

The landowner will continue using the ranch land, but the permanent easement ensures that this coastal prairie land — a rapidly shrinking habitat — will remain intact. The prairie plays multiple roles. It acts as a buffer from floods and hurricanes, helps filter air and water, stores carbon and hosts wildlife, including the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken and the threatened black rail, both bird species. Read more.