ahead to ensure that our grand- children will experience the same landscapes that we enjoy. Land trusts around the state


partner with landowners to pre- serve those lands and waters that give Texans so much. Land trusts are charitable organizations whose mission is land and water conserva- tion. They conserve natural areas by negotiating private, voluntary agreements with landowners to leave their land largely undevel- oped. Land trusts in Texas have helped to conserve over 1.6 million acres of farms, ranches, wildlife habitat, forests, and watersheds. And water is just one of many ben- efi ts of this tool for landowners. By protecting these lands, we


work together to help ensure that every Texan has access to clean water, the freedom and peace grant- ed by natural areas, and the op- portunity to be connected to our natural and cultural heritage. In short, conserving land protects our drinking water, keeps working lands working, provides habitat for our wildlife and essentially… keeps Texas, Texas. Land trusts offer nonprofi t so-


lutions for land conservation. By negotiating these voluntary agree- ments to keep their lands free of housing developments and shop- ping malls, landowners can ensure that their lands will remain open, natural, and in working agricul- tural production for generations to come. Conservation easements maintain private land ownership that is freely transferable, and they provide landowners a mechanism to secure their vision for the long term stewardship of the water re- sources, wildlife, and range grasses for many generations to come. Conservation easements are also a fl exible tool to help fami-


tscra.org August 2016 The Cattleman 77


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