1,200-acre nature preserve to open in Williamson County
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner.
The land is described as "ecologically sensitive" and was given to the nonprofit conservancy "to be used for conservation, research, educational outreach and public recreation," per a Tuesday release. Named the Pecan Springs Karst Preserve, the land sits within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone at the onset of the Texas Hill Country, located five miles east of Jarrell.
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rachael Lindsey) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rachael Lindsey) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rachael Lindsey) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rich Kostecke) 
The Hill Country Conservancy is poised to open a 1,205-acre nature preserve in Williamson County, following a donation from an anonymous landowner. (Courtesy: Rachael Lindsey)
The land features limestone caves and sinkholes and is home to several endangered species, including Salado salamanders, golden-cheeked warblers and tricolored bats.
“Pecan Springs Karst Preserve is by far the largest land donation that Hill Country Conservancy has ever received, and the property is well-suited to our mission to protect the water, wildlands and wonder of the Texas Hill Country,” Kathy Miller, the Hill Country Conservancy CEO, said in the release. “The generosity of the previous landowners and the trust they have placed in Hill Country Conservancy is truly awe inspiring. We also look forward to creating numerous opportunities for the community to enjoy the unique landscape that makes the Hill Country such a magical place.”
The preserve will be open to the public on a limited basis and will offer guided nature hikes, cave talks, bird watching and other public events. Members of the public will first be able to visit the landscape on Sept. 23, observed as National Public Lands Day.
The Hill Country Conservancy added in its release the land conservation is particularly vital, given Williamson County's booming population size and land development.
Williamson County has set aside less than one-third of the amount of protected land in Travis County, the release said. The county also has approximately 12,000 fewer acres conserved than Hays County despite Williamson County covering a larger geographic area, the release added.