LAND & ECONOMY, 1: How outdoor spaces are good for 
the economy ... coming up on Passport to Texas.

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife 

While conservation and development often appear at 
odds, best practices of each can be mutually reinforcing.

Communities that have green spaces have healthier economies. 
For example, properties adjacent to green spaces, whether that 
be a public park or a working ranch, the value is actually much 
higher than other similar properties. So the tax roles benefit in 
addition to recreation. :20

George Cofer is Execute Director of Hill Country 
Conservancy, a non-profit land trust that connects land 
owners, developers and city and state agencies to ensure 
land is developed with sustainable practices for the 
environment and economy.

We sit down with willing land owners and talk through the 
family vision for their land going forward: how they want to 
derive income from the land, what recreation they want to 
enjoy, And then we also talk about what rights they'd be willing 
to extinguish. So, if they're willing to sign a preservation 
agreement that prohibits subdividing their property, then that 
gives us the basis to an agreement that preserves their rights to 
property owners and also protects the conservation values. :34

On tomorrow's show, learn how Texas's first public beach 
was created with both leisure and money in mind. 

That's our show ... with research and writing help from 
Sarah Loden... For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia 
Nasti. 









Total sound bite time:		 0:54.0
Maximum Script time:		 0:31.0 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25