Balcones Canyonlands growing with Burnet County’s blessing

Public access to Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge will likely grow by nearly 1,000 acres thanks to an upcoming land purchase. 

The Burnet County Commissioners Court recently filed a “letter of no objection” in regard to the refuge seeking to buy 310 acres of land along FM 1174 in the southeast portion of the county. The letter serves as a sort of blessing from local officials, making it easier to acquire the $3.5 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund money needed for the purchase.

If everything goes as planned, the new land would connect a larger tract that does not have easy access to the main body of the refuge, adding about 970 acres of accessible property.

“(Burnet County’s letter of no objection) means that we can continue to provide conservation of land and provide access to the public,” refuge Manager Kelly Purkey told DailyTrib.com. “Between habitat conservation, water conservation, and access to the public, I think it’s a good thing.”

The Balcones Canyonlands NWR spans over 20,000 acres at the intersection of Burnet, Travis, and Williamson counties, offering protection to critical habitat for a variety of species and exceptional public land access to residents in Central Texas. Aside from conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge offers hiking, hunting, birdwatching, and other recreational opportunities, with over 100,000 visitors a year to the Doeskin Ranch trail system, 10645 FM 1174 in Bertram.

The Commissioners Court filed its letter of no objection after a presentation from Purkey during its Tuesday, June 10, meeting. She said the land the refuge planned to purchase was from a willing seller. The refuge has about 6,000 acres total in Burnet County and, in lieu of taxes, pays around $50,000 to the county annually through a federal refuge revenue-sharing program. 

Purkey explained that the request for the letter was to maintain transparency with the public and keep the Burnet County in the loop on the refuge’s decisions.

“Right now, I think the most important thing I can do for conservation is protect land because there is so much urbanization that is occurring (near the refuge),” she said. “We’re completely surrounded by subdivisions.”

The Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1992 to protect two endangered songbirds, the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, as well as pristine habitat in the rugged hills northwest of Austin. The efforts have been fruitful, with the black-capped vireo delisted from the endangered species list in 2018 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommending downlisting the golden-cheeked warbler earlier this year.

dakota@thepicayune.com