Preserving the Texas Hill Country

Healthy ecosystems don't stop at fence lines. When open space is broken into small, isolated tracts, species lose the connected habitat corridors they need to move, feed, and reproduce. Over the course of five decades, Chris Harte has assembled a contiguous landscape from dozens of separate parcels, growing the ranch from its initial 280-acres in 1972 to over 1,300 acres at its peak. By prioritizing ecologically sensitive areas along creek corridors and adjacent prairies, the ranch created a rare, intact block of Hill Country habitat large enough to support meaningful restoration and wildlife recovery.

Water is one of the most precious resources in Central Texas. Spicewood Ranch helps protect the watershed that feeds the Trinity Aquifer. By safeguarding springs, seeps, and the riparian corridors along two miles of Alligator Creek, the ranch helps support the recharge and movement of water throughout this fragile system and protects the riparian habitat that many plants and animals depend on.