Texas is set to gain its second-largest state park, a nearly 54,000-acre property in the Hill Country, after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) announced the completed acquisition of Silver Lake Ranch on May 27, 2026. The Moody Foundation donated its 87.5% ownership interest, while TPWD purchased the remaining interest for $11.85 million.
6, 2025, that it planned to donate its direct and indirect interests worth 87.5% to TPWD. The purchase was completed, with the state buying the rest for $11.85 million, according to TPWD’s release in May 2026. The $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund was approved by Texas voters in November 2023 through Proposition 14 to support the acquisition of land and development of new state parks.
The transaction came after the Moody Foundation announced on Nov. At the time, the donation was proposed and pending due diligence, final surveys and title work, as well as mutually agreed-upon documentation. The Moody Foundation stated that the rest of the minority interest was owned by a non-Moody organization. Only the interest earned on the endowment can be used for these purposes, with funding allocations subject to a process involving the Legislative Budget Board.
Because of its natural and recreational resources, tPWD said Silver Lake Ranch was considered suitable for a state park.
TPWD said the acquisition was funded through the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund and the Sporting Goods Sales Tax.
