AUSTIN, Texas—Today, Shield Ranch and the City of Austin announced a 202-acre conservation easement located in southwest Travis County and northern Hays County. A portion of the appraised value of the easement was purchased by the City of Austin using voter-approved bond funds designated for open space and water quality protection, while the balance of the value was donated by the Shield-Ayres-Bowen family.
The land is part of Shield Ranch, an ecologically diverse, 6,600-acre protected wildland that is home to 10% of Barton Creek’s watershed. This agreement protects water quality, hydrologic function and biodiversity that would be compromised by large-scale development in rural areas southwest of Austin.
“For nearly 90 years, our family has been committed to land stewardship, natural and cultural resource conservation, and protection of our state’s natural wonders for future generations,” Patricia Shield Ayres, co-owner of Shield Ranch, said. “We donated our first conservation easement to The Nature Conservancy in Texas in 1998, and this easement represents our ongoing commitment to safeguarding highly developable land along Barton Creek.”
Shield Ranch Barton Creek is now permanently protected through three conservation easements, one held by The Nature Conservancy in Texas and two held by the City of Austin. The easements prohibit commercial development while allowing agricultural and recreational activities and limited development within strict parameters for a small number of family residences and facilities for nonprofit organizations.
“I think of Shield Ranch as the lungs of Barton Creek,” Jeff Francell, associate director of land protection for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, said. “Protecting this latest easement and in turn, Austin’s water quality, is possible because of the $72 million bond proposition which City of Austin voters passed in 2018.”
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Texas and the City of Austin, Shield Ranch remains committed to preserving water quality on Barton Creek. Under the conservation easement, officials from the City of Austin are required to visit the property at least once a year to ensure the family adheres to the terms of their agreement.
According to a joint statement issued by Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water and Jorge Morales, Director of the Watershed Protection Department, both city departments praised the conservation commitment: “Shield Ranch is part of a network of protected open space that represents a generational investment by Austin citizens. Austinites have repeatedly voted for taxpayer funds to permanently protect Barton Creek’s water quality, wildlife habitat, and open space. This conservation easement is the latest success in a long-standing partnership between the City of Austin, Shield Ranch, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners that have delivered on these conservation goals for all Austinites.”
This conservation easement marks the completion of the City of Austin 2018 Water Quality Protection Lands Bond, approved by City of Austin voters under Proposition D in November 2018. This $72 million bond funded the permanent protection of over 6,830 acres of conservation land and open space across the recharge and contributing zones for Barton Springs. For more information about Shield Ranch’s conservation easement agreements with The Nature Conservancy in Texas and City of Austin, please visit shieldranch.com/story/conservation-easements/.
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About Shield Ranch
Shield Ranch is a 6,600-acre protected wildland just outside of Austin with a solemn purpose to steward and protect the natural treasures of the Hill Country. Home to a mosaic of habitats, a diverse community of native plants and animals, and over six breathtaking miles of Barton Creek, the ranch offers something exceptionally rare in our rapidly urbanizing community — a truly wild place.
