October 2011
Lake Travis
Economic Impact Report

Impact News
Published : Friday, June 17, 2011
By Tiffany Young

Supporters gathered May 13 at Reicher Ranch in Bee Cave to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Balcones Canyonlands Preservation Plan—the first regional multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan in the nation—just days before Endangered Species Day on May 20.

Both the City of Austin and Travis County read proclamations honoring the occasion.

Supporters gathered May 13 at Reicher Ranch in Bee Cave to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Balcones Canyonlands Preservation Plan—the first regional multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan in the nation—just days before Endangered Species Day on May 20.Both the City of Austin and Travis County read proclamations honoring the occasion.

The conservation plan allowed for the creation of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, land set aside for the protection of endangered species and their habitat, in western Travis County.

To date, more than 29,000 acres have been set aside for the BCP—about 96 percent of the acreage required for the benefit of two endangered birds, the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo. In 1996, the City of Austin and Travis County were issued a regional permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which allows the municipalities to protect eight endangered species and 27 at-risk species in the area.

Under the agreement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service required 30,428 acres of habitat to be set aside. “It’s always a good feeling when you’re working in government to work on a project that’s not controversial like this, although I realize it has not always been noncontroversial,” Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said at the 15th anniversary party.

“The BCPP is a great example of where we’re able to build consensus and cooperation and get a great result out of it.” The process began in 1988 with concerned citizens, businesses, municipalities and organizations. “Central Texas got smart 15 years ago and realized how important our natural resources are to our quality of life in deciding not to ignore the environment but to partner with it, and the results have been awesome,” Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber said.

Recently, Austin and Travis County set aside a parcel of the BCP to honor Sam Hamilton, previously the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who died in 2010. Huber described Hamilton’s contribution as “instrumental creativity around the BCPP in getting it started—fighting the battles and the wars.”

The endangered species, protected by federal law under the Endangered Species Act from any type of “take”—a federal term for doing harm—are the black-capped vireo, golden-cheeked warbler, Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion, Tooth Cave spider, the Tooth Cave ground beetle, the Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle and two arachnids: the Bee Creek Cave harvestman and Bone Cave harvestman.

While the Jollyville Plateau Salamander and Bracted Twistflower, a purple wildflower—also located within the BCP—are not on the endangered list, they are increasingly rare. About one-third of the BCP is available to the public for use through trails and parks, including the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Emma Long Park, Common Fords Park, St. Edwards Park, Mount Bonnell Park, Wild Basin Preserve, Hamilton Pool and Westcave Preserve.

For more information on the Balcones Canyonlands preservation, visit the website at www.fws.gov/southwest/ refuges/texas/balcones/.

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