Just 75 miles east of Houston, the 12,376-acre Sabine Ranch is located almost entirely within the boundary of McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) — part of the largest coastal freshwater wetlands in Texas. The area’s wetlands, coastal prairie and marshlands serve as a buffer for storm surges and provide highly productive breeding, migration and wintering habitat for the region’s abundant wildlife. The permanent protection of Sabine Ranch will help manage and restore the dynamic ecosystem along the Texas-Louisiana coastline, safeguard threatened and endangered species, and create new opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking and bird-watching.

Our Role

Since the 1990s, more than 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands have been lost in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast region. Large-scale development projects have dramatically altered the landscape’s natural hydrology over time, degrading thousands of acres of marsh due to erosion and saltwater intrusion — which makes the protection of Sabine Ranch a top priority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The Conservation Fund acquired the entire property in 2016 and has been working with both public and private partners to transfer the land to the USFWS as an addition to McFaddin NWR. Along with Anahuac, Moody and Texas Point national wildlife refuges, McFaddin is part of the larger Texas Chenier Plain Refuge Complex, which currently protects approximately 106,000 acres — with authorization to add an additional 60,000 acres to its holdings, including Sabine Ranch.

If TCF had not pre-acquired this sprawling ranch property, it would have likely been sold for non-conservation purposes and subdivided, fragmenting the wetlands and impairing the watersheds that support the Refuge.

Why This Project Matters

As sea levels rise and storms intensify, ensuring the permanent protection of Sabine Ranch will reinforce the resilience of the area as a coastal buffer. Conserving the ranch will have a positive effect on water quality, shallow aquatic habitats, emergent tidal marshes, migratory birds, shore birds and a range of other coastal habitat species. These wetlands act as a life-saving buffer for human communities, too — protecting inland populations during intense storm and hurricane events, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Adding Sabine Ranch to McFaddin NWR will also expand and enhance wildlife viewing opportunities in the protected coastal marsh and prairie habitat along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.

What’s Next?

Over the next several years, TCF will seek private and public funding to allow for the eventual transfer of Sabine Ranch to the USFWS. The successful conveyance of this vital property to the agency will create a continuous refuge of 71,237 acres.

For more information about how you can support the conservation of Sabine Ranch, contact Callie Easterly.

Learn More

• Where We Work: Texas
• McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge