Past Projects
Crane Bat Cave Conservation Easement Project
The Crane Bat Cave Conservation Easement Project showcases the EAC’s innovative conservation solutions. In 2020, the City of San Antonio’s Edwards Aquifer Protection Program (EAPP) acquired the 75.28-acre Crane Bat Cave property in northwest Bexar County. The City’s Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEP-HCP) subsequently requested management of the property, establishing a karst preserve for endangered invertebrates.
Because the City is legally unable to hold a conservation easement on its own property, it enlisted the EAC to hold and enforce the conservation easement. In 2023, the EAC officially assumed this role, furthering its mission to protect the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
Dischinger-Brehmer Ranch Project
The Dischinger-Brehmer Ranch Project is a significant achievement for conservation efforts within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. This nearly 1,200-acre ranch in Comal County is now protected from development forever, thanks to conservation-minded landowners and corporate support from Microsoft. This conservation easement ensures the property’s positive impacts on the aquifer and regional ecosystem are maintained in perpetuity.
For more information about this project, check out this news article from The Express-News.
Field Research Park
The City of San Antonio, through the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program which it administers, facilitated the contribution of two tracts of land to the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy. Totaling 150 acres and valued at $5.5 million, the land now termed the Field Research Park provides a hands-on opportunity for the scientists of the EAA and their associates to practice and measure the efficacy of land management techniques designed to increase both the yield and quality of water entering into the Edwards Aquifer.
Medina Tree Conservation Project
The Medina Tree Conservation Project demonstrates a creative collaboration to protect the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and Transition Zone between Medina Lake and San Geronimo Dam. This 40+ acre conservation easement, though small, highlights the effectiveness of partnerships. A developer offsets development impacts by setting aside land under a permanent conservation easement, adhering to San Antonio’s tree ordinance. The EAC holds and enforces this conservation easement, ensuring sensitive recharge lands remain undeveloped—a win-win-win for the developer, the city, and the EAC.