ONEOK Improves Accessibility at TLC’s Ivy Payne Preserve
Described as a “witty friend and a feisty protector of living things”, Ivy Payne wanted to protect her land and the wildlife habitat that it provided. She knew her property in Elkhart, Texas was something special, but she worried what would happen to the land once she was no longer around to take care of it. It was the late 1980s—the early days of land conservation in Texas—when Ivy decided to donate it to the recently formed Natural Area Preservation Association (NAPA), now the Texas Land Conservancy (TLC).
Her donation to TLC became Ivy Payne Preserve, the sixth and, at 465 acres, the largest property that TLC had protected up to that point. TLC was thrilled to accept the donation of this lovely property that so well represented the character and diversity of the East Texas Pineywoods. With already established trails, many of them arriving at the “teacup”, a waterfall on Spring Branch creek, this preserve was a perfect place for visitors to experience the beauty of East Texas nature.
Fast forward 30 years. While the natural landscape of Ivy Payne Preserve still thrived, some of the infrastructure that was on the property when it was gifted to TLC had fallen into disrepair. Several bridges providing access throughout the property had become unpassable. Wear, tear, and a few giant trees had transformed these bridges into safety hazards.
When I started with TLC in 2017, these liability and safety issues made it impossible for TLC to allow more than minimal use of the preserve. This jewel of an East Texas property was not able to live up to its potential. Instead of being able to host educational programming, nature hikes, and campouts on a regular basis, we had to limit its use to protect our guests from injury and TLC from liability. While we would have loved to do the necessary repairs, finding extra money in a nonprofit budget is tough to do. We tried to find ways to save or fundraise for these repairs, but we knew that, on our own, they were still a long way off, and the preserve would continue to be underutilized.
Major infrastructure needs on Ivy Payne Preserve:
Enter ONEOK—a new partner in preservation for both TLC and this incredible property. Ivy Payne Preserve, like many places across the state, has a pipeline right of way (ROW) running through it. ONEOK approached TLC with the plan to do repairs on the ROW, including replacing the two bridges along the ROW that would allow for passage to the western part of the property. While ONEOK was committed to improvements along the ROW, they quickly realized that this could be something more than a just a ROW fix. Other crucial repairs included the removal of the other two hazardous bridges, trail grading, and the need for new gates and fencing at the entrance to the preserve. Big changes take time. After much careful thought and planning, we had our final on-site meeting on March 12, 2020. Contractors were present, bids were collected, a plan was made for the repairs that were needed, and then — COVID-19. While many extra projects skidded to a halt this year due to the economic downturn, ONEOK remained committed to the plans for Ivy Payne Preserve, and we are so grateful they continued to pursue these crucial repairs and this much needed work on the land. In addition to the ROW work, ONEOK donated funds for the additional crucial repairs needed at the Preserve.
After getting contractors on the ground this fall, we are excited to show off the improvements to the Preserve:
While we would have loved to throw a big re-opening event following the completion of this work, the big scissors and tape cutting will have to wait. We are eagerly anticipating events, educational opportunities, workdays, etc. that will happen once everything is back to normal. We can’t wait for you to get out and see Ivy Payne Preserve. And while we have made huge progress thanks to ONEOK’s generosity, there’s still work to be done— trail improvements where the former Long Bridge and Boy Scout Bridge were removed, a pollinator garden, educational exhibits/signage, etc. If you’d like to be involved once the pandemic is over, please contact Amber Arseneaux at amber@texaslandconservancy.org and watch for updates on TLC social media!
This could be you:
