Conservancy helps Austin conserve 3,000 acres

Property protected through purchase of land, conservation easements

Austin, Texas — March 4, 2008 — In a landmark conservation effort, the Conservancy assisted the city of Austin in protecting 3,058 acres in the Barton Springs Recharge Zone. This effort will help conserve water in Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer, and will protect a landscape of scenic beauty that provides important habitat for wildlife. In addition, part of the land will eventually be accessible to the public. The land deal was announced in February.

The property contains numerous caves, sinkholes, seeps and other wetlands that contribute recharge to the Edwards Aquifer, and it provides habitat for endangered golden-cheeked warblers and potential habitat for endangered black-capped vireos.

Situated strategically between a chain of other preserve lands, the tract also provides a vital link for the Walk-For-A-Day project – an ambitious partnership between the city of Austin and the Hill Country Conservancy to link easements, preserve lands and existing trails and to create a continuous 35-mile hike-and-bike trail extending south from the Barton Creek Greenbelt to Onion Creek in Hays County.

“This is a terrific accomplishment for the city of Austin, and The Nature Conservancy is proud to have been able to assist in the purchase these conservation lands,” said Jeff Francell, the Conservancy’s director of land and water protection. Francell helped negotiate the land deal. “We applaud the leadership of Mayor Will Wynn and Austin’s City Council, who reflect a commitment to conservation strongly supported by Austin’s citizens.”

Francell noted that the city paid a bargain price of $30 million from voter-approved bonds to buy 1,500 acres outright and purchase a conservation easement on the other 1,558 acres. The easement restricts development that was once slated for thousands of homes to no more than 15 homes and one community facility – all of which must follow strict environmental protections that exceed city regulations. The effort is the city’s largest investment in land conservation to date.

“In dollar terms, this is the largest single land conservation deal in Texas history. The Nature Conservancy is fortunate, once again, to work with a city that makes protecting its natural resources one of its highest priorities,” Francell said. He added that Austin’s scenic beauty, quality of life and recreational opportunities will be forever preserved and enhanced through the foresight of the city’s citizens and their leaders.

The purchase of conservation easements by local governments is an emerging trend that allows communities to protect their water and other natural resources by leveraging taxpayer dollars, while keeping land in private ownership and on the tax rolls.

The Conservancy was asked by Mayor Wynn to assist the city in negotiations with the seller for this purchase, get the land under contract, then assign the contract to the city.

In this effort, The Nature Conservancy and the city of Austin are coming together again to continue their long history in the protection of the region’s lands and waters. Public-private partnerships such as this one are part of the solution for protecting our lands and waters for people and for wildlife.

The Conservancy assisted the city in the early 1990s in acquiring properties that are now part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Beginning in 1998, the Conservancy helped the city of Austin purchase 15,000 acres of preserves and conservation easements to protect water quality in Barton Springs, including thousands of acres adjacent to this property.

Photo downloads:
Austin Barton Springs 1 - Photo Credit: © Bosse & Turner Associates, Inc.
Austin Barton Springs 2 - Photo Credit: © Bosse & Turner Associates, Inc.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org. In the Lone Star State, The Nature Conservancy of Texas owns more than 30 nature preserves and conservation projects and assists private landowners to conserve their land through more than 100 voluntary land-preservation agreements. The Nature Conservancy of Texas protects some 250,000 acres of wild lands and, with partners, has conserved 750,000 acres for wildlife habitat across the state. Visit The Nature Conservancy of Texas on the Web at nature.org/texas.