The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan

Case Number: SLS No. 98-024
Title:The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan

Case Files:

Teaching Note: SLS No. 98-025 (forthcoming)

Author: Josh Eagle, Case Writer; Barton H. (“Buzz”) Thompson, Jr., Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law

Abstract: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, two species of birds and six species of cave invertebrates, all residing in Travis County, Texas, were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Various interest groups, including federal and local governmental entities, conservation organizations, developers, and business groups, began working together in an effort to create a regional Habitat Conservation Plan that would protect the listed species while allowing some growth and development to proceed. As a consultant to the Mayor of Austin, a local attorney has been assigned to analyze the various ways in which this plan—which requires acquisition and management of large land areas—could be financed.

Key Words: Endangered Species Act, endangered species, black-capped vireo, golden-cheeked warbler, Karst invertebrates, habitat, protection of endangered species on private land, regional Habitat Conservation Plan, regional land use planning, finance.