Barton Creek Habitat Preserve conservation to continue ‘in perpetuity’ following Austin acquisition

June 10, 2021
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Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News, Public Lands, Wildlife

A 10-0 vote by Austin City Council on June 3 ensured the permanent preservation nearly 4,100 acres of land home to one of the area's unique wildlife habitats and key sources of drinking water. Council via consent June 3 approved the purchase of a conservation easement on the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, located near Hwy. 71 southeast of Bee Cave, from longtime owners and stewards The Nature Conservancy for up to $2.8 million. The Barton Creek preserve now represents one…

San Pedro Ranch receives Texas Leopold Conservation Award

May 27, 2021
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Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News

San Pedro Ranch, located near Carrizo Springs, will be awarded the state’s highest honor for private land conservation, and a $10,000 award, at the Lone Star Steward Virtual Awards Banquet on May 27. Anyone can join the livestreamed banquet and can find more information on how to tune in, along with information on other award winners, on the Lone Star Land Steward page of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) website. The ranch is owned by siblings Joseph Fitzsimons…

Expanding opportunities for natural resource conservation in Texas

Texas is home to a variety of unique, productive, and biologically thriving landscapes from the Piney Woods in the east to the arid mountain vistas in the west. Each year, these lands are the root of hundreds of thousands of jobs that help generate billions of dollars in revenue to the state economy. Our land resources also provide a wealth and variety of ecological services, including wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and clean water. The same landscapes that so…

Hays County POSAC seeking new project submissions

The Hays County Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission (POSAC), which was created in 2020 and recently restarted, is seeking additional project submissions that would be funded by Proposition A, a Parks & Open Space Bond, approved by voters in the November General Election. Prior to the passing of the bond, POSAC members announced a call for projects which resulted in an initial set of 15 recommended projects to the Hays County Commissioners Court. “The role of POSAC was to establish…

q&a+water: Suzanne Scott

May 10, 2021
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Community, Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, News

In this issue’s Q&A, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, interviews Suzanne Scott, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Texas. As State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, Scott establishes conservation strategy and public policy leadership to protect the state’s cherished landscapes and support ecology, economy, public health, and equity. Working closely with a talented and diverse staff, she oversees the execution of landscape-scale conservation efforts, freshwater protection initiatives, and critical marine protection measures in the Gulf of Mexico,…

30×30: How important are private lands in meeting conservation goals?

April 26, 2021
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Community, Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Legislature and Regulation, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Regional Planning, Scenic Beauty, Wildlife

Sagebrush bulldozed for a housing development. A pipeline carved through grasslands. Forest felled for a road. Every 30 seconds in the United States, a football field-sized swath of nature is lost to development, according to research from the Center for American Progress. This troubling trend runs counter to calls from scientists to protect more natural areas to mitigate against the effects of climate change and better protect plants and animals from extinction. Read more from Tara Lohan with The Revelator…

It’s (past) time to save our rural land heritage

April 12, 2021
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Community, Conservation Easements, Economics of Sound Planning, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Landowner Alliances, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Scenic Beauty, Wildlife

On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:00pm, the Comal County Conservation Alliance (CCCA) will host an evening program on “Saving our Rural Land Heritage.” Guest speakers are David K. Langford of the Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County, and Rob and Teresa Ohlrich Johnson of the JO Ranch in Comal County. They will tell their stories about their families’ use of conservation easements as a tool to preserve their families’ land and ranching heritage along with the natural and…

An audacious and timely conservation challenge

We should all applaud President Biden's executive order calling for conservation of 30% of the U.S. land base by 2030. This bold "30x30" vision is firmly rooted in science, given that protected land is key to a healthy and secure future for all Americans. It provides pure drinking water, healthy food, clean air, habitat for wildlife, and places for people to reflect, recreate, hunt and fish. Conserved land also provides protection from natural disasters, such as floods and droughts, and…

Biden should use private partnerships to save US lands

March 21, 2021
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Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Landowner Alliances, Legislature and Regulation, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Wildlife

Conserving land is an essential element of any effort to battle climate change, a fact highlighted by the 30x30 plan supported by President Biden. Fulfilling a campaign pledge, one of Biden’s first actions as president was to sign an executive order that established the goal of conserving a third of America’s land and ocean waters by 2030. Meeting that goal will not be easy, but it can be achieved if we harness both private and government resources and ensure more Americans can participate…

Hays Trinity Groundwater – Water-Wise Speaker Series

February 24, 2021
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Community, Conservation Easements, Groundwater Resources, Land Conservation and Stewardship, News, Planning and Development, Rainwater Harvesting, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources

The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has announced its 2021 Water-Wise Speaker Series. Subject matter experts will discuss a variety of water topics important to Hays County residents. Hays County is listed by the US Census Bureau as the second fastest growing county in the United States. Great schools, good housing, proximity to growing business opportunities, and a beautiful landscape are all drivers for our growth. Its most precious resource is water. The Trinity Aquifer deep below has a limited…