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On Saturday, September 11, 2010, FOR San Bernard announced they have enacted their first land conservation easement on the San Bernard River watershed in Southeast Texas. Adjoining an existing easement held by Ducks Unlimited, this new easement results in two contiguous miles of pristine riverbank placed under permanent development restrictions.

 

Part of an original land grant, the easement contains a landmark Sycamore treethat is cited on the original land survey commissioned by Steven F. Austin. This tree marking the intersection of Ft. Bend, Brazoria and Wharton counties still towers over a landscape little changed from those early days.

 

Working closely with Ft. Bend county landowner, Dyer Moore, Ft. Bend County Commissioner Richard Morrison, Brazoria County Commissioner Dude Payne and state and county officials, the easement is the culmination of more than 12 months of extensive effort involving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Ducks Unlimited. As a bonus, it is now planned for the easement to be twice the size as originally plotted with the eventuality of it growing even larger – mostly paid for with SEP money that would have otherwise gone to Harris or other Texas counties.

 

Thomas Valliere, chairman of the F.O.R. environmental committee states “This is an important step in preserving our river. Water quality is the ultimate measure of a river’s health and the key to water quality is watershed management.” Nancy Kanter, FOR President, adds “F.O.R.'s mission to preserve and protect the San Bernard River for future generations is reachable. This is the first step to attain that goal. We are making a difference.”