PLATINUM2023

Conservation History Association of Texas

Protect, restore and remember

Austin, TX   |  www.texasconservationhistory.org

Mission

The Conservation History Association of Texas exists to collect, compile, preserve, share and promote the history of natural resource and public health protection in the state.

Notes from the nonprofit

We appreciate the chance to share information through the GuideStar platform, and hope that this introduction to our group is helpful to the public.

Ruling year info

1999

Executive Director

David Todd

Main address

1304 Mariposa Dr #211

Austin, TX 78704 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

74-2900386

NTEE code info

Libraries, Library Science (B70)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Conservation History Association of Texas sees a lack of understanding and appreciation for challenges in habitat fragmentation, water pollution, water supply shortages, air contamination, community injustice, wildlife diversity decline, and other environmental problems in the state.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Texas Legacy Project

The Association has conducted over 250 video oral history interviews in communities across the state of Texas, to document the lives of conservation leaders, and to weave together a public history of the protection of natural resources and public health in the state. More information about this program is available at www.texaslegacy.org, and in the book, The Texas Legacy Project: Stories of Courage and Conservation (Texas A&M University Press, 2010).

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Association has prepared more than 300 maps, charts, and other figures, accompanying narratives about the history of protecting water resources, air quality, native habitat, and communities in Texas. These materials are shared at www.texaslandscape.org, and in the book, The Texas Landscape Project: Nature and People (Texas A&M University Press, 2016).

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Association compiles stories of the conservation and restoration of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and other animals found in Texas, drawing on over 215 interviews with scientists, zookeepers, veterinarians, advocates, land managers and others who have worked closely with wildlife in the state. Transcripts and streaming audio files, together with supporting literature citations, can be found at www.texasfauna.org.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Texas Fauna Project: Number of Texas conservation oral history interviews created, shared and archived

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Texas Fauna Project

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

This metric tracks the oral history interviews with Texas wildlife conservation narrators that are researched, scheduled, conducted, recorded, transcribed, edited, excerpted, archived and shared.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Conservation History Association of Texas seeks to promote a better public understanding about the challenges, remedies, and importance of environmental problems in the state.

The Conservation History Association of Texas has two principal strategies for furthering environmental education in the state: 1) collecting and disseminating government, academic and citizen data about habitat, wildlife, air, water, and community justice and presenting those data in user-friendly maps, charts and other formats, 2) conducting, recording, transcribing, excerpting, saving and sharing audio and video interviews with veteran conservationists with first-hand and contemporary experience in the public health and natural resource conservation field in Texas.

To meet our goals, the Conservation History Association of Texas is fortunate to have institutional partners, including the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas (archiving), the Information Science School at the University of Texas (online multi-media platforms), the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (illustrative video), and the Texas A&M University Press (publication), equipment (video and audio gear, recording, transcription, and backup software, and server storage), and individuals (videographer, researcher, web designer, transcriber, and narrators).

Towards our goals, the Conservation History Association of Texas has made good progress, conducting over 400 oral history interviews with leading Texas conservationists, producing more than 200 illustrations of Texas wildlife, creating two books (the Texas Legacy Project: Stories of Courage and Conservation - Texas A&M Press, 2010; The Texas Landscape Project: Nature and People - Texas A&M Press, 2016), building five websites (www.texasconservationhistory.org, www.texaslegacy.org, www.texaslandscape.org, www.texasfauna.org, and www.texasnotebook.org), and compiling two archives at the University of Texas Briscoe Center for American History (Texas Legacy and Texas Fauna).

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve

Financials

Conservation History Association of Texas
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Conservation History Association of Texas

Board of directors
as of 06/19/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Susan Petersen

Janice Bezanson

Ted Siff

Irene Pickhardt

Susan Petersen

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/17/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/17/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.