With pine forests, miles of coastline, prairies covered in wildflowers, and red desert mountains, Texas is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Preserving that natural beauty has been a collaborative effort between the Texas state government and the United States federal government. Over the past century, Texas has participated in many federal government programs to preserve Texas lands.
One of the first federal programs to prioritize maintaining Texas natural spaces was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Not only did this work to protect natural wonders, but also to control flooding and erosion during the Great Depression. Texans can explore the great outdoors in Big Bend, a national park that safeguards thousands of years of human history, including cave paintings and a wild west ghost town. To learn more about it, you can read Big Bend Historic Sites, by G. Hubert Smith. The CCC also worked on state parks, so some of these are also a collaboration between Texas and the federal government. Read Parks for Texas: Enduring Landscapes of the New Deal by James Wright Steely to learn how places like Texas’s Big Bend became national treasures.
Another historical program born from the New Deal was the Federal Farm Board, which worked directly with farmers when it began. Now known as the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), they work with the banks that help farmers by subsidizing crops to keep prices lower. For a look at how the Federal Farm Board helped Texan farmers at the start of its mission, check out The T. C. C. A. Handbook for 1931: Some Facts Concerning the Federal Farm Board and the Cotton Co-operatives in Texas for those Who are Interested in the Welfare of the Southland.
With all of the different landscapes across Texas, the state can be prone to a variety of natural disasters. Another well-known Federal program that has helped Texans throughout the years is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). After hurricanes like Celia and Harvey, FEMA was an instrumental part of getting Texans back to regular life. TSLAC holds documents like Hurricane Celia Redevelopment: a Preliminary Catalogue of Priorities and Needs for Possible Federal Assistance in the Seven County Disaster Area, which explains what FEMA did to help people get back to their normal lives. FEMA also plays a part in making sure that even before a disaster happens, people are prepared. One example is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Planning Project for the City of Gonzales, Texas: 2001 Flood Preparedness and Mitigation plan.
Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about Texas and the Federal government working together. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.
| Title | Author | Call Number | Location | Available Digitally |
Selected United States Government publications | McLean, Va. | 015.73 D659s 1968 | MAIN | |
| Parks for Texas : enduring landscapes of the new deal | Steely, James Wright | 333.783 St325p | MAIN | |
| Texas and the federal government | Terrell, George B. | 342.784 T277 | MAIN | |
| Hurricane Celia redevelopment : a preliminary catalogue of priorities and needs for possible federal assistance in the seven county disaster area. | Coastal Bend Regional Planning Commission | 350.754 C63HU C.1 | MAIN | |
| Tales of the Big Bend | Miles, Elton | 398.209764 M594T | MAIN | |
| T. C. C. A. hand book for 1931 : some facts concerning the Federal Farm Board and the cotton co-operatives in Texas for those who are interested in the welfare of the southland | Texas Cotton Cooperative Association | 381.41351 T312T | MAIN | |
| Big Bend historic sites | Smith, G. Hubert | 978.3 SM57b | MAIN | |
| Ranchers, farmers, soldiers, and the CCC : the background for seven historical sites at Camp Bowie, Brown County, Texas | Leffler, John | A1900.7 P422 NO.2591 | TXD | |
| Phase I archaeological survey, Dunlap Canal, emergency spillway, Guadalupe County, Texas : FEMA-1257-DR-TX | Texas Antiquities Committee | A1900.7 P422 NO.2704 | TXD | |
| Critical environmental areas in Texas : a summary of federal, state, and local protective measures | Texas Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations | I1150.8 C869EA 1977 | TXD | |
Texas State Parks Centennial Plan | Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department | P400.8 C333PL 2016 | TXD | |
| The Civilian Conservation Corps in Texas state parks | Steely, James Wright | P400.8 C499CON 2020 | TXD | |
| Texas state parks | Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department | P400.8 T312ST 1988 | TXD | |
| Birds of Buescher & Bastrop state parks | Mitchell, David | P500 B86BIR 1988 | TXD | |
Site assessment and inventory of Civilian Conservation Corps features : Buescher State Park. | Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department. | P500 B86Si 2008 | TXD | |
| State services and federal expenditures in Texas | Texas. Office of State-Federal Relations. | S1250.8 ST29 | TXD | |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) planning project for the city of Gonzales, Texas : 2001 flood preparedness and mitigation plan | Public Management, Inc. | W600.8 G589 2002 | TXD | |
| Texas state parks and the CCC : the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps | Brandimarte, Cynthia A. | Z TA475.8 B733te | TXD | |
| Fire in the Piney Woods : Texas lookout towers, the forest service, and the Civilian Conservation Corps | Cavallerano, Edward | Z TA475.8 C314fi | TXD | |
| Management alert – observations and concerns with FEMA’s housing assistance program efforts for Hurricane Harvey in Texas | United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General | HS 1.22:17-121-MA | USD | Yes |
| National parks and national forests | United States. National Park Service. | I 29.2:N 21/6/956 | USD | |
| The national parks : shaping the system | McDonnell, Janet | I 29.2:SH 2/2005 | USD | |
Texas narrative review of agency operations, 1933-1938 | National Emergency Council (U.S.) | Y 3.N 21/9:9 T 31/2 | USD |