Land Conservation and Stewardship
Land Conservation and Stewardship
The Hill Country is blessed with a rich natural heritage. For many landowners, land is much more than a financial asset; it is their legacy and their family history. Unfortunately, passing on the family farm or ranch, once a time-honored Texas tradition, is becoming more difficult in the face of rising costs and the pressures of encroaching development.
The role of private landowners in the Hill Country could not be more important. Especially within the context of Texas’s longstanding tradition of robust private property rights, the decisions made by each Hill Country landowner affect the future of the entire region and the legacy we will all leave to our children and grandchildren. Many landowners want to preserve their land’s unique natural features and historical uses. This page provides information and resources for you. Also see HCA’s page on the economics of land conservation here.
Download HCA’s issue paper “Conservation Easements and Working with Land Trusts”
Hillside Stewardship
Effective hillside stewardship balances healthy plant communities and soils with the landowner’s goals for long-term land management. When landowners can slow and sink water into the land, this physical process provides a variety of benefits, including reduced erosion, increased soil moisture and grass production, flood mitigation, groundwater replenishment, habitat enhancement, and increasing the flow of spring-fed creeks. Used in concert with long-term management, these site-specific structures can be quite effective. This guide provides a few simple methods and additional resources for landowners looking to improve our stewardship of hillside land across the Hill Country.
Download HCA’s resource “Hillside Stewardship: Reducing Erosion, Establishing Vegetation & Enhancing Water Catchment”
Recent Land Stewardship and Conservation News
What’s being done to protect one of the longest caves in Texas? KSAT Explains
In this episode of KSAT Explains, Meteorologists Sarah Spivey and Justin Horne take us inside Honey Creek Cave for a swim and to highlight how it now coexists with the fast-growing Comal County. Watch the video from KSAT here.
Don’t go with the flow
Do areas on your property look like this—sparse vegetation and very little topsoil? Hill County soils are notoriously thin. At one time, this spot likely had lots more soil and vegetation. What happened? Hard to tell exactly, but it’s likely due to a combination of...
Five things to know about drought in the American West
Harsh and unrelenting. But also transformative? The dry conditions blanketing much of the American West are setting records nearly every week. Lakes Mead and Powell, the country’s largest reservoirs by capacity, dropped to new lows this year. The Great Salt Lake did,...
Hill Country peach crops behind schedule due to heat, drought
Peaches can be seen growing on trees throughout the Texas Hill Country, but they are ripening about 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule. The amount being harvested at places like Jenschke Orchards is far less than what was picked the last two seasons. "We are very grateful...