Help us ask Presidio County and TxDOT to rename this local landmark. Cibolo, the Spanish word for buffalo, is a term that spans all possible dimensions of Presidio County's identity—”Cibolo Rock” is a place name that will honor the Indigenous peoples and the cibolo herds of La Junta. 

Big Bend Conservation Alliance has partnered with the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas to obtain a historical marker and have the land, which was owned by the City of Presidio and Presidio County, transferred back to the Lipan Apache Tribe. Today we are working on a project to protect the site, which will prevent erosion of the burial mound, create space for reflection, and teach about the area’s Indigenous history.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance, in partnership with the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project, is creating a garden behind the Presidio Activity Center comprised of three garden beds and three fig trees with drip irrigation.

Students in Alpine, Fort Davis, Marfa, Presidio, and Terlingua are learning about indoor hydroponic gardening using the “Flex Farm,” a stand-alone vertical farm from Fork Farms.

This panel held during Agave Festival Marfa discussed the protection project currently underway at Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes. Panelists included architects from MASS Design Group and Indigenous voices of the Big Bend.

The Big Bend has some of the darkest night skies in the world, but light in the region’s towns closely mirrors what we see in larger cities—light pollution is unevenly distributed among communities of color and lower income residents. 

Students at Marfa High School participated in a month-long challenge to help preserve the night skies by connecting residents to Big Bend Conservation Alliance’s lighting incentive program.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance in partnership with Jumano Nation of Texas attend the annual Marfa Lights Festival to facilitate dialogue about Jumano history, culture, and family connections. 

A pollinator garden, bird blind, and public engagement fort the BJ Bishop Wetlands thanks to a grant from the Great Texas Birding Classic.

Small gardens in public spaces and Presidio schools along with workshops to engage students, families, and elders in planting and growing in La Junta de los Rios.

Big Bend River Ranger program engages students in the environment, outdoor activities, and help preserve natural resources for future generations. Students hear from guest speakers about environmental science and take field trips to monitor the water quality of the Rio Grande.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance is the regional coordinator for Lights Out Texas, a state-wide initiative that asks Texans to dim non-essential lights to support fall and spring birds during their migration. Pickup a Bird Care Package at area libraries.

Trees make for a healthier environment—one that absorbs pollution and lowers temperatures. The program takes the concept of Tree Equity—an area having enough trees so that everyone can experience the health, climate and economic benefits—and applies it to the rural towns of Far West Texas.

Federal Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a WaterSMART Applied Science Grant to Big Bend Conservation Alliance—in partnership with local groundwater conservation districts to fund a common data management platform and data sharing module.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance is working with intentionality to become a more equitable organization and leads by sharing power with communities in the Big Bend. Joining the board are Sophia Hernandez, Roberto Lujan, Aimee Roberson, and Oscar Rodriguez.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance’s Serious Starlight program assists homeowners and municipalities in the region that wish to opt-in to night-sky-friendly lighting with fixtures that point light down at the ground rather than up into the sky.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance partnered with the Judd Foundation in the first year of the project to coordinate community feedback through a series of focus groups and to raise funds for the planning process, conservation easement, and educational signage that includes Indigenous perspective.

High school students throughout the region participated in this program making connections to the night sky using their cell phones to capture low-light photography.

Big Bend Conservation Alliance in partnership with Southwest Research Institute studied the connectivity of the six springs that make up the San Solomon Spring system, also known as the Balmorhea Spring Complex.