Blanco County ranch donated to conservation

The Scott Shannon Ranch in Blanco County, which was recently donated to the Hill Country Conservancy under a conservation easement, ensuring that it will remain pristine. Courtesy photo
The Scott Shannon Ranch in Blanco County was recently donated to the Hill Country Conservancy. The 367 acres of land lying along U.S. 290 will now be permanently protected under a conservation easement. The ranch contains 1.4 miles of Towhead Creek, which ultimately supplies the city of Austin with a portion of its drinking water.
“In Texas, we owe a lot to private landowners like Scott Shannon, who voluntarily protect their land’s water and wildlife for generations to come,” said Frank Davis, Hill Country Conservancy’s chief conservation officer in a media release. “Thanks to him and the assistance of the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, these 367 acres will remain a wondrous example of the glory of the Texas Hill Country for many generations to come.”
The HCC is a nonprofit organization that holds over 14,000 acres of conservation easements throughout the Hill Country. These easements are on private land, but they function as natural sanctuaries for native wildlife and plant life and preserve the natural waterways that flow through them.
The Scott Shannon Ranch easement contains a stretch of Towhead Creek, which flows into Flat Creek and joins with the Pedernales River. The Pedernales and its adjoining waterways contribute 23 percent of Austin’s water.
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This is wonderful to hear! I hope more landowners do this with their land for the benefit of future generations in perpetuity. It is what makes the hill country special indeed!