Post by L Roebuck on Mar 6, 2008 7:50:43 GMT -5
Preserve with endangered species in works near Georgetown
Williamson County also simplifying development process
Melissa Mixon, AMERICAN-STATESMAN
By the end of this summer, Williamson County residents will be able to see salamanders, endangered beetles and songbirds all in one place: the county's newest nature preserve.
It's one of the first signs of a regional conservation plan that county leaders have been working on in recent years, county officials said last week.
County officials purchased the 145-acre preserve west of Georgetown for $2.3 million in February, using money from the county's 2006 bond package. It's not the first preserve in the county — there's the Beck Preserve in Round Rock and another in the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park in Georgetown — but it is the largest public preserve in the county.
The preserve is home to three known endangered species: the Tooth Cave ground beetle, the golden-cheeked warbler songbird and the Bone Cave harvestman spider. For some residents, these names might not be significant. But for developers and county officials who want to build county roads and neighborhoods, they often can mean big delays.
Article
Williamson County also simplifying development process
Melissa Mixon, AMERICAN-STATESMAN
By the end of this summer, Williamson County residents will be able to see salamanders, endangered beetles and songbirds all in one place: the county's newest nature preserve.
It's one of the first signs of a regional conservation plan that county leaders have been working on in recent years, county officials said last week.
County officials purchased the 145-acre preserve west of Georgetown for $2.3 million in February, using money from the county's 2006 bond package. It's not the first preserve in the county — there's the Beck Preserve in Round Rock and another in the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park in Georgetown — but it is the largest public preserve in the county.
The preserve is home to three known endangered species: the Tooth Cave ground beetle, the golden-cheeked warbler songbird and the Bone Cave harvestman spider. For some residents, these names might not be significant. But for developers and county officials who want to build county roads and neighborhoods, they often can mean big delays.
Article