New Conservation Area in Texas Boasts Hundreds of Natural Springs – Yahoo Finance

LEAKEY, Texas, Jan. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has acquired a conservation easement on 1,640 acres owned by landowner Gary Krause, preserving its unique natural features for future generations.

The easement was funded in part by the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, overseen by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Mr. Krause donated part of the value of the easement as a charitable contribution.

Real County, the Krause Ranch features hundreds of natural springs creating a five-mile-long aquatic network feeding the West Frio River, which flows through the ranch. The springs and the river host several species of aquatic life only found in pristine, undisturbed conditions. These species disappear as the waters flow to developed areas.

The ranch also features dinosaur footprints, fossils, parts of a historic 1800’s wagon trail, signs of Native American habitation, and innumerable species of flora and fauna unique to Texas.

The conservation easement details perpetual development restrictions which the Krause family and any future owners must follow, preserving the natural features of the property and limiting human impact.

Darren Clark, NRCS easement program manager.  “The conservation easement further provides a means for preserving traditional farm and ranch values as well as protecting the natural resources.”

Chris Abernathy, who manages the TPWD program.

Both the NRCS and TPWD programs are designed to conserve private land, especially productive farms and ranches which are valuable for sustaining native wildlife and the health of natural watersheds. TPWD botanists, biologists, geologists and hydrologists have been studying the ranch and have identified rare and threatened species. A long-term study of one spring alone has shown that it supplies over a billion gallons of water a year to the Frio River.

San Antonio.”

Sky Lewey, resource protection and education director at the Nueces River Authority.

TNC holds the easement and will be responsible for perpetually monitoring and enforcing the agreement with scheduled access to the site subject to the landowner’s wishes. Sustainability and minimal impact are key to the conservation of the property and its resources.

Gary Krause will continue to own and operate the ranch. “Most of the past 35 years was spent earning the money to purchase the land as I searched for interest from different organizations,” Krause said. “There are numerous organizations dedicated to land preservation and conservation. I kept inquiring until I found this program. It is a 4-way partnership with USDA, TPWD, TNC, and the landowner that is sustainable and beneficial for all parties.”

Gary Krause acquired this ranch to conserve it, recognizing that it’s an example of the Hill Country at its most scenic and most natural,” said David Bezanson, TNC’s protection and easement manager. “We’re very honored that he chose to work with us to accomplish that lifetime goal.”