Around the Bend, Volume 4, Number 2, Spring 1998 Page: 4
6 p. : col. ill.View a full description of this periodical.
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New Land Trust Coming to the Coastal Bend
Coastal Bend Bays Foundation Initiates Action to Protect HabitatPopulation growth in Texas is one of
the most rapid in the country. New
home construction and urban sprawl
means losses of important ecological
areas - especially coastal habitats. Be-
sides the encroachment into these habi-
tats, Carolyn Scheffer of the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
says, "A nagging concern for many Texas
landowners is the uncertain long-term
future of rural land."
In the Coastal Bend, a new effort is un-
derway to address these issues on a re-
gional scale. Inspired by discussions
during the development of the draft
CoastalBendBays Plan, the Coastal
Bend Bays Foundation (CBBF) has
taken a lead in the development of a
Coastal Bend Land Trust (CBLT).
According to TPWD, the general pur-
pose of a land trust is to "manage pur-
chased or donated land and easements
for conservation purposes." Presently,
there are over 20 land trusts in Texas,
each with its own mission; some work
in specific geographic areas or concen-
trate on protecting certain natural fea-
tures.Various social and economic forces are
gradually breaking many Texas family
farms and ranches into ever-smaller frag-
ments. Ownership costs often prevent
landowners from keeping or bequeath-
ing their land. And yet many have in-
vested their lives and energy into land
stewardship.
That's where a land trust can help. The
legal structure of a land trust provides for
both long-term conservation and land-
owner interests. First, landowners that
donate their land get immediate tax re-
lief on the property. Secondly, landown-
ers may direct the specific goals for which
the land should be managed in perpetu-
ity.
Dr. Jennifer Prouty is the CBBF President
and Chair of the CBLT Committee.
"Land trusts provide a cost efficient
mechanism to achieve some of the long-
term conservation goals in the draft
Coastal Bend Bays Plan. And hav-
ing it administered locally is important as
well. It allows landowners and the trust
organization to forge and maintain a per-
sonal involvement in land management."The CBLT primary mission will be to
hold, preserve, conserve, restore and
enhance ecosystems of the region. The
goals are to:
" Ensure long-term protection of
Coastal Bend habitats;
. Develop site-specific management
plans, including compatible land
uses, that can serve as models for
other sites and landowners;
" Establish education programs
regarding the importance of
habitat conservation and potential
partnership opportunities; and
" Assist in developing research
programs that will increase the
ability to assess habitats and
restoration success.
Dr. Prouty says the CBLT will focus on
habitats of ecological significance.
"There are many important ecosystems
in the Coastal Bend and we want to
preserve a variety, including wetlands,
riparian corridor (river bottom lands),
upland woods, and others." Those that
will receive special attention will be
lands that are in immediate likelihood
of development or which require res-
toration efforts to return lost functions
and values."Bay Summit to Feature Presentation of
the Coastal Bend Bays Plan
The draft Coastal
Jend Bays Plan
was printed and mailed
to more than 7,000 coastal citizens for re-
view and comment in early February.
The Plan is a 'framework for action' to
help guide resource management efforts
well into the 21st century. Special pre-
sentations to various organizations and
several Town Hall meetings throughout
the region were conducted to expand
public input on the Bays Plan before close
of the official public comment period on
March 31st. But there is still one lastchance for interested citizens to provide
input before the Management Confer-
ence goes to work to finalize the Plan.
On Monday April 27th, the public is in-
vited to attend the biennial Bay Summit
which will feature a presentation of pro-
posed actions and updates on several re-
cently completed scientific investigations
of the bay system. On hand will be those
who have been most involved in Plan de-
velopment to answer questions and re-
ceive additional comment. The day willfeature more than 20 presentations from
scientists, resource managers, and key
stakeholders who will describe from their
perspective why the proposed actions de-
serve public attention.
The Bay Summit is open to the public
free of charge and will take place at the
Omni Marina Hotel in Corpus Christi
beginning at 8:00 A.M. on the 27th. To
register or for more information, call the
CCBNEP Program office at 512/980-
3420.0
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Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program. Around the Bend, Volume 4, Number 2, Spring 1998, periodical, Spring 1998; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1622961/m1/4/: accessed May 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.