The Preserve - A Nature Based Solution
Date/Time
5/31/2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Central
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Central
Event Description
Join Karla Klay, Executive Director of Artist Boat to hear about their largest project and their clearest
nature-based solution: the Coastal Heritage Preserve on West Galveston Island.
Galveston Island sits in the Galveston Bay Estuary, facing the Gulf of Mexico. Bayside wetlands improve
water quality, support fisheries, and buffer storms. Coastal prairies absorb floodwaters and sequester
carbon. Dunes and beaches guard against erosion from a high-energy coast. These habitats are in steep
decline under pressure from development, sea-level rise, erosion, and subsidence. Protecting land
before it’s fragmented is the most cost-effective, durable intervention we have. Since 2010, with
partners across agencies and the community, Artist Boat has assembled a 1,039-acre sanctuary with a
goal of 1,400 acres — a living laboratory for resilience. Thus far, $24M+ has been secured through 14
transactions to make the vision real. With hope, Artist Boat is striving to conserve the next 204 acres.
Learn how hope, persistence, and hard work have turned an uncertainty into a “given” with willing
sellers and an invested community from the national to state to local level. Time for interactive
discussion with the speaker will be provided. Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986278890631. This virtual event will use the WebEx platform.
Registrants will receive a separate e-mail with WebEx connection details. All registrants will get a link to
the recording of this talk. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
nature-based solution: the Coastal Heritage Preserve on West Galveston Island.
Galveston Island sits in the Galveston Bay Estuary, facing the Gulf of Mexico. Bayside wetlands improve
water quality, support fisheries, and buffer storms. Coastal prairies absorb floodwaters and sequester
carbon. Dunes and beaches guard against erosion from a high-energy coast. These habitats are in steep
decline under pressure from development, sea-level rise, erosion, and subsidence. Protecting land
before it’s fragmented is the most cost-effective, durable intervention we have. Since 2010, with
partners across agencies and the community, Artist Boat has assembled a 1,039-acre sanctuary with a
goal of 1,400 acres — a living laboratory for resilience. Thus far, $24M+ has been secured through 14
transactions to make the vision real. With hope, Artist Boat is striving to conserve the next 204 acres.
Learn how hope, persistence, and hard work have turned an uncertainty into a “given” with willing
sellers and an invested community from the national to state to local level. Time for interactive
discussion with the speaker will be provided. Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986278890631. This virtual event will use the WebEx platform.
Registrants will receive a separate e-mail with WebEx connection details. All registrants will get a link to
the recording of this talk. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
Location
Setting: Live Virtual
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