January 2008

San Antonio buys land, conservation easement to protect Aquifer

On January 10 the San Antonio City Council unanimously approved spending $1.45 million on the acquisition of land and a conservation easement on the 2,251 acre Gulley Ranch north of Uvalde. The money comes from the $90 million fund created by a voter-approved sales tax in 2005. So far, the program has protected over 24,000 acres at a cost of $22.8 million. In this instance, the deal included the purchase of 570 acres and protection of the rest under an easement that permanently limits development rights. The purchase of conservation easements is viewed as cutting-edge environmental protectionism because it is much cheaper than an outright purchase and you get the benefit of having the land protected.