Public Lands
Public Lands
Public lands, including parks, trails, beaches and open spaces, represent spaces for all of us to enjoy. Because of this, we each have a stake in how our public lands are managed and how much public land is available for the enjoyment of all Texans.
Texans strongly support public land conservation. A public survey performed by Texas Tech University in 2001 found that nearly 80 percent of Texans supported purchasing additional public lands for conservation. Another public survey conducted in 2009 showed similar results, with 83 percent of respondent agreeing that conservation of natural areas was a “core Lone Star value.”
Despite this support, Texas consistently falls short of national goals in regard to available parkland, and we are especially lacking in urban-accessible public lands. The National Recreation and Park Association recommends about 25 acres of local public parkland per 1,000 people as a quality-of-life measure. Even though we have significant private land conservation in the Hill Country, we average only about 12.4 acres per 1,000 people. Especially in the more urban areas of the Hill Country, our citizens are missing out on the numerous health and economic benefits of adequate access to public land. You can find out more about the economics of land conservation by visiting HCA’s Economics of Sound Planning page here.
Recent Public Lands News
Hill Country leaders gather for a meeting on water challenges and One Water solutions
On Wednesday, November 13, city leaders and staff from across 15 cities in Central Texas gathered for the second “One Water in the Hill Country” meeting, co-hosted by Hill Country Alliance (HCA) and the City of Boerne. This annual event provides the opportunity for...
Texans are (probably) about to get 7,637 more acres of state parks
Don’t pack the tent or backpack just yet, but Texas park lovers could get 7,637 acres of additional parkland to roam in the coming years. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider four land acquisitions to create new or expand existing parks at its meeting...
Saved from sprawl: Deal on ranch in Comal County part of efforts to protect water for S.A.
Under a new conservation easement, held by the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy, Moore and Dischinger have guaranteed that the land will remain as it is in perpetuity, preventing it from being turned into more suburban sprawl. The agreement also protects vital acres on the...
Exclusive: Travis County reaches $90M deal for 1,500 acre wilderness park near Spicewood
The $90 million purchase, the largest amount for a buy in Travis County Parks’ history, was made possible by voters’ approval last November of a $276 million bond for parks and land acquisition, as well as the decision by Scott’s mother, Nadya Scott, to donate roughly...