Conservation Easements
The Hill Country is blessed with rich natural heritage. For many landowners, land is much more than a financial asset; it is their legacy and their family history. Unfortunately, passing on the family farm or ranch, once a time-honored Texas tradition, is becoming less and less feasible due to many personal and financial issues, including the cost of land management and the pressures of encroaching development.
Conservation easements are one of the most flexible and effective means to protect private property while providing tax relief. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that ensures a property will be forever managed according to the landowner's wishes. Each individual agreement is unique to the special qualities of the land and the conservation goals of the landowner.
Pending legislation could provide funding to preserve and protect farms and ranches.
HB 3632 introduced by Representative Geren provides funds for the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program which was created in 2005 but not funded. This PDR program (purchase of development rights) pays property owners who volunteer to conserve their land. Click here for more
Recent News:
February 10, 2010
Registration opens for Land Conservation Conference
Don’t miss early bird savings – register today for the 2010 Statewide Land Conservation Conference hosted by the Texas Land Trust Council and underwritten by Land/Water/Sky. Held April 28-30 this is a great opportunity to share and learn with the conservation and land trust community. Details and Registration
February 9, 2010
Dahlstrom Ranch Preserved for Future Generations
A rare collaboration to preserve and restore a threatened Texas ranch makes conservation history. Find out more from the Hill Country Conservancy here.
September 17, 2009
Army, warbler making peace
The Nature Conservancy and Fort Sam Houston were poised to announce today a five-year agreement to bolster Camp Bullis by finding and purchasing land to set aside as habitat for an endangered songbird. Read full SA Express article here.
August 28, 2009
Conservancy shifts into high gear
Scott Storm decided the best way to keep his family’s ranch together was through a conservation agreement that would protect more than 5,000 acres covered in live oak, Spanish oak and native prairie grasses. So he started working with the Hill Country Conservancy to do so. Read full Austin Business Journal article here.
Read News on Conservation Easements and Find Upcoming Events.
Helpful documents:
Conservation Easements - A Guide for Texas Landowners
Conservation: An Investment That Pays - A paper from The Trust for Public Land (TPL)
Helpful links:
Conservation Almanac - Land Conservation in Texas
Texas Land Trust Council - Formed in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to serve as a support association for all land trust organizations in Texas.
Hill Country Conservancy - Marshaling public and private resources to preserve the natural areas and scenic vistas, aquifers and springs, rivers and streams, working farms and ranches, and the rural heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country for people to enjoy and cherish for generations to come.
Hill Country Land Trust - Organized by resident landowners concerned that increasingly intense development pressures throughout the Texas Hill Country area threaten to destroy its very nature.
Farmland.org - The mission of American Farmland Trust is to help farmers and ranchers protect their land, produce a healthier environment and build successful communities.
Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas - A non-profit land trust working to keep South Texas green.
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