Hill Country Conservancy is pleased to announce the permanent protection of Wootan Family Ranch, 85 acres of critical watershed located near San Marcos. The Greater Austin area is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, and this property was under incredible pressure to develop. Keeping open spaces in the Hill Country intact protects waterways, habitat connectivity, and scenic vistas.
Wootan Family Ranch has a diverse range of plant life, which supports numerous wildlife species including small mammals, frogs, lizards, snakes, insects, and birds. The property hosts at least eight species of birds identified as being in greatest need of protection, as well as the threatened Monarch butterfly. Protecting this land helps maintain the biological diversity of the Texas Hill Country and provides crucial habitat connectivity to Purgatory Creek Natural Area.
Wootan Family Ranch is located in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge zone, the area in which water flows through the ground into the aquifer. This means the water that falls on the ranch makes a significant contribution to the Edwards Aquifer, a source of drinking water for over a million Hill Country residents. Since the Texas Hill Country is a karst landscape, there is little filtration of water as it flows into the aquifer—this means the protection and proper stewardship of protected lands like Wootan Family Ranch plays an important role in the protection of the water quality of our region. Wootan Family Ranch adds to the thousands of acres already protected and pending protection around Purgatory Creek and the San Marcos River, further protecting the health of these critical waterways and all the downstream communities.
Thank you to the Wootan Family and to all of Hill Country Conservancy's generous partners and supporters for making this land protection possible.
