935 Acres of Brazos River and Lake Granbury Protected Forever
Ten minutes north of Granbury on the northern edge of Hood County is an obscure corner of Lake Granbury. An area where the long tail of the lake’s reservoir looks more like the Brazos River than a typical lake. Amidst lake homes, sod farms, and quarries, sits a 935-acre wildlife sanctuary cleverly coined Ark II (Ark I, being Noah’s Ark and its assemblage of Earth’s creatures).
History
The Harold Granek Family Limited Partnership pieced their 935-acre property together through a series of acquisitions between 1989 and 2018. In 2007, an initial 650-acre portion of the property was put in a conservation easement with Connemara Conservancy (CC). In 2019, at the beginning of a new partnership between CC and Texas Land Conservancy (TLC), CC transferred its conservation easement rights to TLC to serve as the permanent conservation easement steward. From there, TLC continued conversations with the landowners to put the remaining 284 acres of Ark II under a conservation easement.
Ecological Richness of the Cross Timbers
This 935-acre swath of dramatic scenery includes oak-juniper woodlands and savanna grasslands that are home to a rich variety of native plants and wildlife. More than 1.8 miles of riparian forest habitat line the frontage of Lake Granbury and the Brazos River.
Hood County is located right in the heart of the Cross Timbers ecoregion. Described by the EPA/TCEQ Ecoregions of Texas Report, the Cross Timbers ecoregion contains irregular plains with some low hills and tablelands. It is a mosaic of forest, woodland, savanna, and prairie. The transitional natural vegetation of little bluestem grassland with scattered blackjack oak and post oak trees is used mostly for rangeland and pastureland, with some areas of woody plant invasion and closed forest.
Habitats throughout the region support rare, threatened, and endangered species such as the Brazos water snake, Brazos heelsplitter, Texas fawnsfoot, Hall’s prairie clover, and Glen Rose Yucca. These plants and animals are all endemic to Texas, meaning they’re found nowhere else in the world. The preservation of open spaces like Ark II plays a crucial role in safeguarding these unique plants and animals, and the ecosystem services that our wild and natural landscapes provide.
Value of Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services benefit our unique and vulnerable species but also provide significant contributions that humans benefit from. From aesthetic value, air quality, and climate regulation to erosion control, flood and storm hazard reduction, and water supply; ecosystem services have demonstrable economic value. According to Texan by Nature’s Return on Conservation, rural green space throughout the Cross Timbers ecoregions provides up to $5,103 per acre in ecosystem services. These measurable benefits further highlight the importance of conservation efforts like those undertaken at Ark II.
A Lasting Gift to Texas
Harold Granek Family Limited Partnership’s generous contributions of donated conservation easements and their commitments to protecting the land, water, and wildlife of Texas establishes a permanent conservation legacy and preserves vital resources that will be benefited by all Texans, critters and people alike.
On behalf of all Texans, we thank the landowners for their vision. We also want to recognize our trusted partners and service providers. Connemara Conservancy, for partnering with TLC to carry its conservation easement legacy forward; Tancig Law for representing the landowners and tackling the difficult transaction details; and North Texas Community Foundation for supporting vital costs necessary for ensuring a sound and resilient transaction.
Help protect more properties like this across the state!
Texas Land Conservancy could not do this important conservation work without our members, partners, and supporters. With your support, we can work with more landowners and protect more land across the state from the negative effects of land fragmentation and poorly-planned development.
