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Day Use Only Hiking & Walking Trails Natural Science Center Outdoor Education & Recreation Programs Guided Tours Meeting / Conference Facilities Picnic Tables & Grills Restrooms	Cooper Farm is an award-winning demonstration site to promote wildlife conservation measures.

LCRA has created a natural science laboratory on 180 acres of what once was Central Texas farmland between Giddings and Brenham, about 70 miles east of Austin.

The Cooper Farm Natural Science Laboratory is a site for research and education where LCRA demonstrates ways to better manage and protect regional wildlife.

Named after Theodore Cooper, the land's former owner, LCRA acquired the property in the early 1980s for a lignite-mining operation for the Fayette Power Project. The mining operation never materialized, but LCRA retained the property to develop a demonstration site and promote wildlife conservation measures, such as prescribed burn techniques, land management, farm safety and pond-life study.

Designated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a Texas Wildscape Demonstration Site, Cooper Farm includes walking trails through plant gardens of native grasses and wildflowers.

A place for study
In addition to creating a place where wildlife can thrive, Cooper Farm is a place to study ways to work more effectively on the land. A converted barn provides a meeting place for groups, such as 4-H, Future Farmers of America, wildlife cooperatives, and schools.

Two ponds allow for research about waterfowl and fish. Plants propagated at the on-site greenhouse are used to improve area habitat and test sites at Cooper Farm.

Spirit of cooperation
Responding to LCRA's initial planning work at Cooper Farm, neighboring landowners who control more than 30,000 acres formed a wildlife management cooperative called the North Central Fayette County Wildlife Management Co-Op. In 1996, LCRA and the co-op received the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's first statewide Lone Star Land Steward Award for outstanding accomplishments in habitat management and wildlife conservation.

Hours of operation: Open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday by appointment. It is best to call ahead. For more information, call 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 8140.

Fees: No charge to visit the farm.

See Map of parks, preserves and natural science centers.