WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, ENVIRONMENT AND LANDOWNERS BENEFIT

EcoLab program brings ecological research and tax benefits together for the good of Texas

Richard Garriott may be best known as an explorer of other worlds - a god among video gamers, he was the world's first second-generation space traveler and sixth private astronaut. But Garriott is also a lifelong environmental advocate and conservation activist here on Earth. So when he bought some beautiful, wild Central Texas land connected to the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, Garriott knew he wanted to do more to protect the property than simply let it be.

"I believe the spirit of conservation is really high among most people," Garriott says. "But I also think most people don't know the legal requirements and don't understand the issues around conservation, what defines good stewardship and land management." Likewise, very few people know about government programs that reward landowners for being good land stewards, and even fewer understand the details.

With this in mind, Garriott contacted conservation law firm Braun & Associates, where attorney Cassie Gresham introduced him to the Texas EcoLab program. The program, developed by and offered through Braun, connects conservation-minded landowners with university ecological researchers. The landowners agree to let their property be used primarily for research for two years, at which point their land can transition into wildlife management appraisal. The EcoLab program advances significant ecological research while providing landowners with substantial - and prompt - property tax savings.

Story continued at braunassociateslaw.com/successstories/Braun_EcoLab.pdf.