310 Acres of Working Lands Protected Forever
Over the last decade, Texas has lost over 2 million acres of working lands.
In Bastrop and Caldwell Counties, rapid growth is reshaping the landscape as family ranchlands are divided and sold, putting the livelihoods they support, along with vital habitat and open space, at risk. To help protect what remains, TLC partnered with the landowners of Svoboda Preserve and BarD Ranch to conserve 310 acres of working lands in the region.
Svoboda Preserve
The Svoboda Preserve is a 204-acre ranch in Bastrop County that boasts prime farmland soils, rolling pastureland, and a strong family legacy as a working ranch. Marilyn Svoboda had the passion and foresight to preserve what remains of her family’s agricultural heritage and protect it forever.
On my first visit to the Svoboda Preserve, I spent fifteen minutes watching a skunk wander openly among the towering post oaks, totally unfazed as it gorged on the abundance of insects throughout the pasture. While these fields are managed for livestock grazing, they also serve as an open and wild space for our native wildlife. This balance is what makes working lands so important, supporting both our local communities and the plants and animals that depend on them.
BarD Ranch
The BarD Ranch is a 106-acre property in Caldwell County, thoughtfully pieced together by William and Alice Bard between 1987 and 1990. Today, it serves as their home while continuing to support agricultural practices and provide a haven for local wildlife. On a brisk winter morning, you might spot a group of more than fifteen white-tailed deer bounding across the open pastures or hear a chorus of bird calls rising from the mature post oak woodlands in the northwestern corner and along the southern edge of the property.
The BarD Ranch sits where two landscapes meet, bridging the Southern Post Oak Savannah and the Northern Blackland Prairie. Dry Creek winds along the southern edge of the property, shaded by mature post oaks that form a rich woodland corridor for wildlife. Another stand of post oaks anchors the northwestern corner, while lush savannah grasslands stretch between the forests, dotted with large post oaks, quiet ponds, and the occasional harvester ant mound. Together, these varied habitats create a living mosaic that supports both working agriculture and thriving wildlife.
By permanently protecting Svoboda Preserve and the BarD Ranch, these landscapes will continue to provide clean water, prosperous habitat, and productive working lands for generations to come. In the face of rapid development, their preservation offers hope for the future of Texas’s rural heritage.
Thank you to landowners Marilyn Svoboda and William and Alice Bard for their foresight and prudence to protect the most important resources on their family land. The donation of a conservation easement is one of the single greatest contributions a landowner can make to the people, water, and wildlife of Texas.
Also thank you to Tancig Law for helping to shepherd these two projects to their completion.
Photos by Stephen Ramirez
Help protect more properties like this across the state!
Texas Land Conservancy could not do this important conservation work without our members, partners, and supporters. With your support, we can work with more landowners and protect more land across the state from the negative effects of land fragmentation and poorly-planned development.