Transcript: Conservation: The Nature Conservancy

Austin Connoisseur
Episode “The Nature Conservancy”

Jeff Francell: There’s so many great places to go here that nobody should ever be bored. Pick a place on a map, if its green it’s probably a park, go check it out. It’s probably got some sort of secret that’s worth finding out. My name is Jeff Francell, and I work for the Nature Conservancy of Texas. The nature conservancy is the largest non profit conservation organization, and were focused on wildlife and unique habitats, and biodiversity, and preserving that for future generations.
The Nature Conservancy has had an extremely long history in Austin. We have been active here since the mid eighties. The first action that the Nature Conservancy was involved in was the Balcones canyon land conservation plan, setting aside 30,000 acres in western Travis County for endangered species, setting aside those lands to allow other lands in the area to be developed. So it was sort of a balance between the environment and development, which that’s a big part of what Austin’s recipe for success is.
I think that the community leaders throughout the last several decades have been visionary. They realize they can’t do it alone, its taken unique partnerships, working with the Nature Conservancy, working with other organizations. It’s really been a commitment of the community to make sure something is spared from the onslaught of bulldozers and houses and shopping centers.
When you look at us, compared to other major cities in the state, were doing really well. In fact if you see the park lands that Dallas and Houston and San Antonio have per capita. That’s a good bit of the reason that we have had the growth that we have had. Because we have this green infrastructure, these parks and places to swim, and run, and hike, it’s attracted people, people from other cities in Texas, people from other states, and the people that get here and learn to appreciate that become committed to protecting those places, and to protecting more of them.
The reason that you have companies and you have jobs coming to Austin is because it’s a great place to live. I have been in Austin for most of the last twenty years. It’s a unique combination of things. It’s a great community. 300 days of sunshine, good clean water, just a great place to live and to raise a family. I have got a three and a five year old girl who are totally thriving. I like to go out to places where we can eat outside. Barton springs road restaurant row, or Polvo's in south Austin.
I have always had an appreciation for the outdoors and open places. I was born in far west Texas and I spent most of my summers out there. It’s the land of wide open spaces, you can drive for 50 miles and not see a subdivision sign or a billboard or a shopping center, still today. And when I was growing up I just appreciated that.
I spent other parts of my life, the rest of the school year in the big city. And just knowing that wide open spaces existed sort of instilled an appreciation of that to me. This made me interested in wildlife, and made me interested in conservation issues. I think though that it was really after coming to work for the Nature Conservancy and realizing that I can have an impact on saving a particular place, that’s when I realized it was the right thing for me.
Over the last ten years I have helped do a few things like that in Travis County and there are a few places that won’t be developed because I played a role in helping protect them and it feels good. If you have never been to Austin there are definitely a few places that should be on your list. First thing that I would do if I had somebody that was in from out of town is take them to Barton springs. That’s Austin. We get so hot here in the summer time, that to have a humongous 1/8th mile long natural swimming pool. It’s a constant 68 degrees; it’s a great place to chill out.
I might suggest that they take a run or a walk on the town lake hike and bike trail. On a Saturday morning, it kind of looks like one of the busiest freeways in town on a Saturday morning. You’ve got hundreds of people per square mile walking up and down the trial, strollers, dogs, bikes, everybody out there kind of getting their exercise in the fresh air.
I probably would hike them up to Mount Bonnel for a sunset, watch the sunset over Balcones escarpment, one of the highest points over Lake Austin. You get a sense of what people who came to this part of the world a few hundred years ago, kind of why they settled here.
I think that the best way that you can make a difference is to use our parks. To get out there and be on the Town Lake Hike and bike trail. Take a hike on the greenbelt. Go to a plays cape with your kids. But use them responsibly. Pick up your trash, stay on the trails, and be courteous to other people. Because people noticed that our trails are used, and so it becomes a no brainer in a city counsel member or mayor or county judge’s mind. Trails and open space is just something that we do here.
A lot of the things that the conservancy does and the city and county here do are for the future. And they may seem expensive or they may seem hard to do today. But twenty years from now nobody’s going to look back and say wow, why did you do that? What a waste of money that was, no way. It’s always going to be valued, and the value will significantly increase over time. My name is Jeff Francell, and I am a connoisseur.