John Knox Ranch in the Texas Hill Country secures permanent protection through a conservation easement
The ranch, a mission of Mission Presbytery, partnered with Hill Country Conservancy on an easement to protect 255 acres
Together with Hill Country Conservancy, John Knox Ranch announced this week that a conservation easement has been secured on 255 acres of the 300-acre John Knox Ranch. The HCC-led easement will protect the property’s important water and wildlife resources, and John Knox Ranch — a mission of Mission Presbytery — will continue operating as a nonprofit summer camp and retreat center.
Conservation easements are negotiated agreements under which a landowner retains ownership of its property but voluntarily restricts certain uses to protect the land’s natural features.
John Knox Ranch held its first summer camp in 1963. Today it hosts more than 1,000 children ages 4-18 each summer, providing a place for them to lean new skills, grow confidence and gain an appreciation for the natural world. The ranch straddles the border between Hays and Comal counties and is about 45 miles southwest of Austin.
The 255 acres protected by the easement is crucial for conservation efforts, with numerous conservation groups focused on protecting water resources, wildlife habitat, public recreation opportunities and scenic views. This conservation easement adds to a network of more than 2,000 acres of completed and pending conservation projects along the Blanco River.
“Our 300 acres of beautiful Texas Hill Country, and our spring-fed Blue Hole in particular, are unique natural resources and spiritual places that must be protected,” said Henry Owen, executive director of John Knox Ranch. “By establishing a conservation easement on a portion of the JKR property, we further live into the mission of John Knox Ranch ‘to foster experiences of Christian community in the beauty of God’s Creation’ by protecting the land of John Knox Ranch forever and protecting the camp and retreat ministry program through the creation of an endowment.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Hill Country Conservancy in this effort,” Owen said. “HCC has a stellar reputation as a land trust and a vision for preserving our beloved Texas Hill Country.”
“Hill Country Conservancy was blessed with an especially rare opportunity to help preserve John Knox Ranch,” said Frank Davis, HCC’s chief conservation officer. “This land is incredibly sensitive and unique, as evidenced by the incredible water resources and diverse and rare species found throughout the property.”
“More than that, many thousands of kids — many of them now grownups — have cherished experiences at John Knox Ranch, and a connection to nature that they will never forget,” Davis said. “It is wonderful to know that this place will continue to support the water and wildlife of the Texas Hill Country and instill wonder in the hearts of people for many generations to come.”
“A conservation easement is a very unique tool in that there’s financial incentives that are associated with it that allow you to keep the land intact. You can invest that money so that you have a long-term management fund to deal with,” Davis says in the video above. “There are a lot of ways that this particular property and the conservation easement on it — all of it became much more viable by way of our partnership with the ranch.”
“It’s really an ideal partnership in many ways,” Davis says. “Our idea of stewardship — we’re thinking about long-term protection of the land, and in many ways when they talk about stewardship of God’s Creation, being a church that created this, they’re thinking about long-term stewardship in just the same way we are.”
“They felt like they were creating a legacy here and they had concern for what would happen in the future if they didn’t set some things in place now,” Davis says.
“This is really a moment where we need to all be thinking 50 years, 100 years, 500 years down the road as to what kind of world do we want to live in,” Owen says in the same video. “As a summer camp and retreat center, the thing that was really striking about a conservation easement is this project is going to fulfill two major goals for us: long-term protection for our nature preserve side … and the second is protection for our program, and that is going to come in the form of the funds we receive from the conservation easement. That makes this project a no-brainer and a win-win for our organization, for the world and for the people who are going to use this space for generations to come.”
John Knox Ranch contains almost 2,000 feet of the Blanco River and nearly a mile of Carpers Creek. The headwaters of Carpers Creek, Blue Hole Springs, are located on the ranch and support rare species including the Blanco River Salamander. Above the river and the creek are more than 200 acres of old growth Ashe juniper-dominated forest, providing connectivity to thousands of acres of endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat in the area. Beyond harboring this endangered species, these forests collect, filter and infiltrate rainwater into the Edwards Aquifer, a source of drinking water for 1.7 million people in Central Texas.
“Hays County is grateful to be part of the preservation of John Knox Ranch through this conservation easement,” said Hays County Commissioner Morgan Hammer. “The acquisition allows for the protection of a cherished piece of land that will continue to benefit our community for generations to come. It ensures that future residents and visitors may enjoy open spaces, recreational activities and the rich natural and historical resources of this unique property. This partnership reflects our commitment to magnify the beauty and character of Hays County.”
Learn more about the conservation easement here.
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