Austin's $30 Million Land Conservation Deal

"This is an exceptional model for future efforts - we really maximized the value of our investment and hit on multiple objectives at once," said Austin Mayor Will Wynn.

The city has agreed to pay $30 million from voter-approved bonds to buy 1,500 acres outright and purchase a conservation easement on the other 1,558 acres.

"In dollar terms, this is the largest single land conservation deal in Texas history," said Jeff Francell, director of land and water protection for The Nature Conservancy of Texas, which assisted the city in negotiations for the property.

"We used conservation easements to stretch public dollars, secured highly-sensitive land that was subject to intense development and created an amazing new opportunity to get people outdoors and active in a beautiful setting," said Mayor Wynn.

The land, southwest of the city in Hays County, contains numerous caves, sinkholes, seeps and other wetlands that feed water into the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs.

It offers habitat for two endangered birds - the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo.

Midway between the City of Austin and the City of San Antonio, Hays County has experienced rapid population growth overflowing from these two major metropolitan areas during the past decade.

The rural character of the county is being changed by new subdivisions, commercial property, and other types of urban development. Residential subdivision construction is fragmenting the large and contiguous patches of juniper-oak woodland habitat that shelters endangered wildlife.

Spring flowers in Hays County, Texas (Photo courtesy Hays County)

Situated strategically along a chain of other preserve lands, the newly purchased land will be part of the Walk-For-A-Day project. This partnership between the City of Austin and the Hill Country Conservancy would link easements, preserve lands and existing trails to create a continuous 35 mile trail extending south from the Barton Creek Greenbelt to Onion Creek in Hays County.

Mayor Wynn asked for the help of The Nature Conservancy of Texas because of the history of success the city has had in working with the group to execute complicated conservation agreements. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

"They were able to act with greater speed and agility than the city could have, securing exceptional environmental protections and helping leverage public dollars in a very judicious way. Frankly, they negotiated this deal at a phenomenal bargain price," he said.

Thousands of homes were once planned for the site, but the conservation easement restricts development to no more than 15 homes and one community facility - and all must follow strict environmental protections that far exceed city regulations.

"The Hill Country Conservancy applauds the efforts of the City of Austin and the Nature Conservancy in acquiring this unique piece of property," said Hill Country Conservancy President Steve Drenner.

"This property puts a critical piece of the puzzle in place for the southern portion of the Walk-For-A-Day trail system," he said. "We are just thrilled with this news,"

The Austin City Council voted last year to authorize negotiation for purchase of the land. This purchase represents the 17th conservation easement by the City of Austin since 1998.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.