By Melanie Pavlas
On February 1st 2001, Pines and Prairies Land Trust (PPLT) was officially formed by a small group of local, conservation minded stakeholders as a fledgling Texas land trust serving Bastrop, Caldwell, Fayette and Lee Counties. PPLT’s first conservation easement was donated in 2003 by Erwin Billig (who later donated the property to PPLT). A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust to permanently preserve the property in its current state whether that be wildlife habitat or a working farm. These agreements run with the land, meaning even after the property changes owners the conservation values will be protected. In 2003 PPLT received mitigation funds in partnership with the Trust for Public Land and was able to purchase Yegua Knobbs Preserve the following year. In 2004, the Colorado River Refuge was donated to Pines and Prairies. Other donated easements followed in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012. PPLT purchased a conservation easement in 2017 in our newly expanded service area of Travis County.
Pines and Prairies founding board member Carrie Knox (left) with Bert and Wilda Pecore at the signing of their conservation easement, one of PPLT's first!
While two of PPLT’s founders later served as part-time Executive Directors, it wasn’t until 2012 that PPLT’s Board decided to hire its first full-time ED-me! This was the same year PPLT was first accredited by the Land Trust Alliance.
Earlier this year, an original PPLT supporter told me how proud they are of the organization’s evolution. Coming from someone who has seen our every iteration this is incredible reassurance that we are moving in the right direction. The dedication of each board and staff member to PPLT’s mission is what has kept us moving forward. The changes that occur over any given year are many but seeing all that we have done over 20 years is immense.
Today, I continue to keep the founders’ wishes for the fledgling land trust as a guide for PPLT in its maturity. They were passionate about stewardship and conservation of the unique landscapes of our region including prairies and the piney woods (hence our name)! Research was another priority of our founders and we continue to do incredible amounts of research on our preserves including on the Houston Toad, rare plants and insects and prairie restoration. We partner with state agencies, universities and other organizations to carry out this work. Our founders also were strong advocates for education and community engagement. We strive to share our mission and knowledge with the local community to strengthen relationships and foster an appreciation for the land.
While we have lost some key people over the years, we have gained many new leaders and PPLT’s legacy will live on in perpetuity. We also wouldn’t be here without our supporters: past, present and future. We hope you too feel proud knowing that everything you love about PPLT is made possible by YOU. Thank you!
If you are interested in sharing your own PPLT memory, we’d love to hear from you!
Cheers to another 20 years!
Melanie Pavlas
P.S. Did you know PPLT rolled out a monthly giving program last year?! As a gift to PPLT for its 20 years of service, I am enrolling as the first member of the Prairie Partners Giving Circle! Won’t you join me?
