A scenic 118-acre property between Fredericksburg and Kerrville will remain undeveloped and protected forever under a new conservation easement held by Hill Country Conservancy.

“When a place like Mary Ann’s Mountain is protected, we’re saving more than acreage on a map, we’re preserving a piece of the Texas Hill Country’s soul,” said Kathy Miller, chief executive officer of Hill Country Conservancy. “This land provides a refuge for wildlife, clean water for downstream communities, and the sense of wonder that comes from knowing these special places still exist. Protecting it today means future generations will inherit the Hill Country we all love.”

Limiting development in this area along White Oak Creek will help limit flood risk downstream while safeguarding water quality. The easement will preserve the health of the Pedernales River basin, threatened by the rapid rate of change and cherished by the people and wildlife who visit and call the basin home and rely upon its replenishing waters. The easement limits groundwater use to that needed for two homes and agricultural and wildlife use, preserving the long-term viability of the Middle Trinity aquifer, which is facing increasing demands from land fragmentation and suburban sprawl.

Owner Mary Ann Bennett worked with Hill Country Conservancy to preserve her family’s legacy, which began when her father and mother first purchased 739 acres on White Oak Creek in 1969. An artist and fervent lover of nature, she has since named her beloved 118-acre remainder of the larger ranch “Mary Ann’s Mountain.” The land straddles approximately one-half mile of White Oak Creek, an all-weather tributary of the Pedernales River. Hill Country Conservancy carefully developed the conservation easement to ensure that the property’s natural resources, native landscapes and ecological values will remain intact for future generations, with Bennett and any future owners serving as the long-term stewards of the legacy she has created with HCC.

“When you’re standing on this land, looking out across the hills and listening to the creek, it’s hard not to feel a responsibility to take care of it,” Bennett said. “We’ve been fortunate to enjoy this special place, and we wanted to make sure it stays this way long after we’re gone. Knowing that future generations will be able to see the same views, hear the same birds, and experience the same sense of peace means a great deal to our family.”

Mary Ann’s Mountain also provides habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, a species that breeds nowhere else in the world except Central Texas. In addition, the ranch protects riparian areas and native grasslands that support declining native wildlife, including the Eastern Meadowlark, Field Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Monarch Butterfly and Wilson’s Warbler.

More than 95 percent of Texas land is privately owned, making voluntary conservation easements one of the most effective tools for protecting the landscapes that define the Hill Country. As nearby ranches and open spaces face increasing development pressure from market forces and generational change, Hill Country Conservancy presents opportunities for landowners like Bennett to permanently protect their lands in order to preserve the region’s rural character, scenic beauty and ecological health.

Hill Country Conservancy accomplished this conservation easement through a partnership with more than 20 nonprofit, academic and public partners known as the Hill Country Headwaters Conservation Initiative. The Natural Resources Conservation Service funded the initiative through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The effort has protected more than 2,400 acres to date and supported land restoration projects on more than 20,000 acres, with 8,200 additional acres now in process for protection.

With the conservation easement now in place, Mary Ann’s Mountain will continue to protect wildlife habitat, water resources and the open landscapes that define the Texas Hill Country for generations to come, helping to keep the Texas Hill Country like no other place on Earth.

Hill Country Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust committed to preserving open spaces in the Texas Hill Country. Preserving vital natural resources through conservation, community collaboration and engagement, HCC works to sustain the region now and forever.