[5] The Austin’s have invested time and resources into the restoration of the watersheds in the Sonoran Desert region for the purposes of maintaining free open spaces and promotion of biodiversity.
[6] Acknowledging their important efforts, they began to grow their operation for the restoration of wetlands on a broader scale, such as, the borderland regions between the United States and Mexico.
[6] In the 1990s, the couple founded the Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation, which translates to "Watershed of the Springs",[3] based at their El Coronado Ranch.
[7] The foundation encompassed various educators, scientists, ranchers in the area, and government agencies to restore and maintain the grasslands in the area, as well as, restore the habitats and biodiversity[3] Notable Achievements include: Their work has been recognized by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service[8] and the United States Geological Survey.
[12] In addition, Austin has served on the advisory board for the Borderlands Research Institute for Natural Resource Management at Sul Ross State University, located in the Big Bend region of West Texas.