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SUCCESS STORIES
LAND PRESERVATION
LOCAL FAMILY DEDICATES HILL COUNTRY LAND TO CONSERVATION
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SAN MARCOS, Texas – Jason and Ashley Roberts partnered with Colorado River Land Trust to protect their family ranch from future development in the rapidly growing area of San Marcos, Texas.
Riding horseback across the wide-open spaces of the Hill Country is one of the most iconic images of Texas... Windemere Farms, located along the banks of Sink Creek in the city of San Marcos, is a pristine equestrian boarding and training facility offering dedicated care for horses. When Jason Roberts and his family purchased the property, they knew it was a special place to not only operate a horse facility but also to allow the family access to the outdoors and riding horses. As an integral part of their day to day lives, the Roberts family believed it was time to ensure the property would be protected for future generations. |
Read more about this land conservation effort.
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SHIELD RANCH: WORKING TO PROTECT THE NATURAL WONDERS OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
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The wide-open spaces of Texas are a gift to all who live here, but they're not a given. Ninety-five percent of the state is privately owned. This means that landowning families—working together with government, nonprofits, developers, and concerned citizens—play a crucial role in sustaining our most treasured natural environments.
At Shield Ranch, stewarding and protecting the Hill Country ecosystem is our solemn purpose. Located just 18 miles southwest of downtown Austin, we are a 6,800-acre family ranch established in 1938. Today, we are home to a mosaic of habitats, a diverse community of native plants and animals, and over six breathtaking miles of Barton Creek. Through an evolving program of land management, unique nature immersion experiences, and conservation easements with the Nature Conservancy and the City of Austin, Shield Ranch offers something exceptionally rare in our rapidly urbanizing community—a truly wild place. Join us in making sure it stays that way. Read more. 
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THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HAYS COUNTY WILL AQUIRE OVER 530 ACRES OF EL RANCHO CIMA
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With a majority vote by the Hays County Commissioners Court, The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with Hays County, closed on the acquisition of more than 530 acres of the historic El Rancho Cima on November 22. This represents a $13 million effort to safeguard an iconic piece of the Texas Hill Country.
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EDWARDS FAMILY AND HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY ESTABLISH CONSERVATION EASEMENT
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The Edwards family and the Hill Country Conservancy announced the conservation easement on September 24. Straddling the Burnet-Blanco county line, Cherry Springs Ranch has a range of landscapes, including lush, vegetated grottoes. Seventy-seven unique species of birds and 16 native wildlife species "of greatest conservation need" are found on the property. A species is identified as one of greatest conservation need based on declining populations and alarming rates of habitat loss.
The property even has dinosaur tracks. Texas historian and folklorist J. Frank Dobie once owned it before selling it to the Edwards family in 1958. Find out more. 
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The Hill Country Conservancy and the Edwards family of Cherry Springs Ranch in Spicewood announced the signing of a conservation easement on the 1,038-acre property that will protect many of its unique features such as this grotto. The Edwards still own the property and control access to it, but they agreed to certain management practices that conserve and protect it as well. Courtesy photo
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SAN MARCOS CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION FOR SUPPORT OF EMERALD CROWN TRAIL
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The San Marcos City Council voted 7-0 to pass a resolution for support of the Emerald Crown Regional Trail Proposal on Tuesday.
The Emerald Crown Trail is a proposed regional trail system that aims to connect Hays County cities and ultimately cities to the North and South. The project was developed through a collaborative effort between members of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, Hays County, the City of San Marcos, the City of Kyle, the City of Buda, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the Hill Country Conservancy, Take-a-hike San Marcos and the Texas State University Geography Department with the assistance of the National Parks Services.
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SINK CREEK PROJECT AWARDED US FOREST SERVICE GRANT
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The City of San Marcos will receive a $423,500 grant from the United States Forest Service to fund the land purchase of the Sink Creek Community Forest Tract. This is the first Community Forest and Open Space Program grant awarded to a project in Texas.
The City purchased the 102-acre tract through a three-year lease with The Trust for Public Land in 2017 for a total purchase price of $1.27 million. City Council approved the lease-purchase agreement with the expectation that external funding sources would be sought to match the commitment of public funds.
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75 ACRES OF SINK CREEK PURCHASED
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In 2013, the River Foundation purchased 75 acres in the highly sensitive Sink Creek recharge zone just above Spring Lake, the head of the San Marcos River.
The purchase was the culmination of several years of work with the landowner who was threatened with the use of eminent domain to create a roadway easement for large housing developments on either side. SMRF's purchase of the land will protect the area from over-development and limit impervious cover. With many caves and other recharge features, the property is critical for ensuring a clean and steady flow of recharge into the aquifer, lake and river. SMRF is also encouraging other land owners in the area to consider land conservation easements and protections, and is helping to guide them through the process. |
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CONSERVATION EASEMENT FOR PURYEAR RANCH
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On July 30th, 2018, Travis County and the Puryear family celebrated the closing of a real estate deal on their 423-acre historic ranch. The deal allows the Puryears to stay on the land, where their family has lived for 138 years. Hill Country Conservancy helped them to create a conservation easement that keeps the land from being developed in perpetuity.
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RESTORED 5,500-ACRE RANCH IN BLANCO COUNTY
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The mission of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is to teach ethical land stewardship — by example and outreach. The ranch offers seminars for landowners and serve as a research lab for botanists, zoologists, and other scientists. They also provide nature camps and hands-on science classes for school children. The public tours and workshops attract birdwatchers, photographers, and animal and plant enthusiasts.
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PROTECTION OF NATIONAL FOREST LANDS IN TEXAS
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As part of our campaign to protect national forest lands, Texas Conservation Alliance built the support for designation of five areas in Texas’ national forests as wilderness areas, ended clearcutting on 200,000 acres of national forest land in Texas, and has been instrumental in obtaining special protections for tens of thousands of additional acres of forest.
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WATER PRESERVATION
EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM
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Edwards Aquifer provides San Antonio with an abundant source of groundwater. Rainfall enters the aquifer through fractures, caves, sinkholes and other features and replenishes the aquifer. However, rapid growth continues to impact the aquifer. The citizens of San Antonio have approved increases to sales taxes in order to purchase and protect lands over the Edwards Aquifer. Millions of dollars have been collected and used toward this effort to protect the aquifer.
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WILDLIFE PRESERVATION
396 ACRES OF WILDLIFE HABITAT PROTECTED FOREVER
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"Texas Land Conservancy recently completed the permanent protection of 396 acres in the Hill Country. The newly protected Los Madrones Ranch is a beautiful landscape of limestone bluffs, open pastures, and diverse woodlands located in Travis County along Hamilton Pool Road. The ranch has been in the same family for the last 40 years."
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KIRCHOFF FAMILY FARM RESTORED TO PRAIRIE
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The Kirchoff Family Farm supports reestablished grasslands in the fields as well as a dense, woody plant community commonly found in South Texas. The Kirchoff Family's "Farm to Native Prairie" philosophy is a working example of how native prairies will become invaluable as more landowners become interested in restoring their own lands to native prairies.
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COASTAL PRAIRIE BECOMES WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
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Over 15,000 acres of the Powderhorn Ranch along the Texas coast in Calhoun County, prime unspoiled coastal prairie, is now a state wildlife management area. The newest crown jewel in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) system is the result of a unique conservation land acquisition coalition led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF).
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