Conservation organizations operating in and around the Guadalupe River Basin of Texas recently formed a historic partnership to conserve wetlands and wildlife in the Guadalupe River system. Formed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), this partnership includes the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust (GBR Trust), the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), the San Antonio Bay Foundation (SABAY), and Ducks Unlimited. The partnership represents a broad array of supporters who are committed to protecting the river and its associated habitats.

"Conservation is most effective when supported by diverse partnerships," said Steve Jester, executive director of the GBR Trust. "While each organization in the new agreement has a different focus, each values the water, wetlands, and associated habitats of the Guadalupe River system, particularly those located in counties along the Texas coast."

The GBR Trust and DU have already found a way to put this new partnership to work for wetland conservation. A large part of the GBR Trust's work in conserving the resources of the Guadalupe River system involves the use of perpetual conservation easements. Landowners who wish to permanently conserve habitat on their property through a donated conservation easement typically incur a number of costs associated with the transaction. DU has agreed to consider reimbursing landowners for some of the costs associated with donating conservation easements to the GBR Trust in areas where DU is actively working on habitat restoration and conservation. In return, DU will seek to leverage the value of donated conservation easements to obtain matching grants to restore and enhance more wetland habitat.