As Hill Country land in its natural state rapidly goes under the bulldozer for new development, we will need all the help we can get to preserve some of our wide open spaces before its too late. Every voter who cares about preservation should be asking candidates on the November ballot what they will do preserve our land and water resources.
Builders and developers have long held way too much sway in blocking measures to protect our land and water. Still, GEAA and others have had great success in advocating plans to pay landowners for the ecological services they provide. San Antonio’s Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan, Austin’s Balcones Canyonlands Plan, and efforts by land trusts to secure conservation easements are efforts that many of our elected officials understand and support.
Now, a seemingly well-funded group out of Texas, American Stewards of Liberty, is floating the idea that conservation easements are an abridgement of property rights. On their behalf, “Landowners Easement Rights Act” (H.R. 7021), which would prevent the U.S. Department of the Interior from entering into a conservation easement for a term longer than 50 years, was filed in Congress this past March. It is a pretty safe bet that similar legislation will be filed in Texas in 2023. We need to make sure that we do not elect candidates who think it is ok to prohibit willing land owners from preserving their property in perpetuity.
Besides weighing in at the ballot box this November, I’d like to call your attention to some great preservation efforts that you can support today with just a click of your mouse…
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The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is out of committee in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. In the coming weeks, we expect this groundbreaking legislation to move to the House and Senate floors for full chamber votes. If the Act passes, Texas would be eligible for more than $50 million per year to implement the Texas Conservation Action Plan and help stabilize the at-risk species in our state. YOU can help ensure that the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act crosses the finish line! Contact your U.S. House Representative and our U.S. Senators from Texas and ask them to vote YES for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Your contact by website, e-mail, in person, or phone call will make a difference!
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