Purpose of the Texas GLCI

To provide for:

• a coordinated effort to identify priority issues, find solutions, and effect change on privately owned grazing lands.
• leadership and guidance in implementing the GLCI mission.
• a basis for coordination with other units of government, institutions of higher learning, and other agencies as appropriate to promote the enhancement of grazing land resources.
• increasing the information base from which sound policy and resource management decisions are developed.
• increasing the awareness and transfer of technical information to grazing lands producers.

Strategic Plan

The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) is an alliance of organizations. GLCI has been underway since 1990, but it has only received funding support and emphasis from NRCS since 1996. Since that time, GLCI has been the catalyst for significant progress on privately owned grazing lands in this regions, yet much remains to be done. Phase I(Increased technical assistance) of GLCI has yet to be fully funded, but implementation is progressing. Although preliminary work has begun on Phase II (research and education), the Texas GLCI Coalition and National GLCI Steering Committee still supports Phase I as its top priority.

The purpose of this plan is to provide focus to the Texas Coalition and information to the partnership to facilitate the needs of the private grazing land resources and owners and managers of those lands in the state of Texas. This will be implemented through actions of the partnerships which include producers, organizations, and agencies at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

The Texas Coalition was officially organized in October, 1994. An initial planning meeting was held in Sinton on March 28 and 29, 2000, in order to formulate an action plan to initiate GLCI in Texas. The Sinton plan is continually being updated with an action plan to accomplish the objectives of Phase I of GLCI. These actions will facilitate implementation of the Conservation of Private Grazing Lands program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).