December 29, 2011

Private Lands, Public Benefits: Innovations to Sustain the Private Lands that Provide Food, Fiber and Water Policy

In early December, the Texas Agricultural Land Trust and Texas Department of Agriculture hosted Private Lands, Public Benefits in Austin, Texas. The full day conference showcased examples of unique, market based approaches to land and natural resource conservation. Topics included; land fragmentation and loss of rural lands, purchase of development rights or “PDR” programs, the value of natural ecosystems and conservation easements. Learn more about the conference and access speaker presentations. Learn more about Land Conservation and Conservation Easements.

November 17, 2011

Texas Land Conservation on the rise!

A new report by the Land Trust Alliance shows that land conservation by nonprofit land trusts across the United States is thriving, with more than 10 million acres conserved from 2005-2010. According to TLTC Land Trusts in Texas contributed to that success, reporting and increase in 55% in acres conserved over this period. Read more from USA Today.

August 30, 2011

Learn about Proposition 8: The Water-Stewardship Amendment

We all need water to live. Nothing is more important than having a reliable supply of clean water to drink. Now, more than ever, Texas is in need of tools to protect its valuable water supply. Proposition 8 is the result of hard work and a commitment to conservation by Senator Kirk Watson, Senator Craig Estes and Representative Allan Ritter. Read more from the Nature Conservancy.

July 5, 2011

Scaling Up Conservation for Large Landscapes

The central question facing land conservationists today is how to scale up efforts to protect entire landscapes and whole natural systems. The land trust movement has been built on the individual successes of conserved private properties, but increasingly both conservationists and landowners entering into conservation agreements want to know what is being done about their neighbor, their neighborhood, and most significantly their landscape. Read full Lincoln Institute article here.

March 18, 2011

In San Antonio, a Focus on Land Conservation

From Marcy G. Rothe’s hillside home, she can see oaks and grasses and a creek bed spread out, looking much the same as when her grandfather first arrived here in the 1920s. In June, she sold a conservation easement on her land to the city of San Antonio to prevent development that would harm the aquifer below — and also to ensure that the nearly 2,000 acres of land remained undisturbed for her descendants. Read full Texas Tribune article here.

March 4, 2011

Free workshop gives landowners new tool to control properties’ future uses – March 25 in Llano

Did you know landowners can preserve all or part of their ranch and farm land from development even after they pass away? Or that they can arrange for part of their land to be preserved indefinitely while allowing other parts to be used for various purposes? Conservation easements provide a way to customize these types of agreements to suit the needs and desires of each individual landowner. Find out more