A green grassy field filled with bushes and trees.
Safrguarding Central Texas TNC's Barton Creek Habitat Preserve is located just southwest of downtown Austin, Texas. © Chase A. Fountain

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Statement from TNC in Texas on Proposed Violet Crown Development

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The Nature Conservancy’s  Barton Creek Habitat Preserve  encompasses more than 4,000 acres of pristine land and four miles of Barton Creek frontage.  Not only does this property safeguard the quality and quantity of water in the Barton Springs recharge and contributing zones,  but it also provides habitat for endangered golden-cheeked warblers and numerous wildlife endemic to Central Texas. In a city like Austin, which is experiencing unprecedented land development pressures, Barton Creek Habitat Preserve’s conservation value is paramount. 

Potential impacts from the mixed-use, proposed development and 20,000-seat music venue in southwest Austin are very concerning—especially considering the investment that the citizens of Austin and Travis County, The Nature Conservancy, and our government partners have made to protect our aquifer and Hill Country habitat. The proposed project sits immediately adjacent to Barton Creek Habitat Preserve; some of the best golden-cheeked warbler habitat in Travis County would be severely compromised with the traffic, light and noise that a development of this scale would create. 

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.