A home for all of us : a Blue-Green Infrastructure Network for Hays County, Texas

Green infrastructure networks (GINs) are “a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services” (Benedict & McMahon, 2006). The Austin-Round Rock, Texas Metropolitan Area has been the fastest growing area of the United States since 2011 (+29.8% since 2010) (Keemahill & Huber, 2019). Within the Austin-San Antonio corridor, Hays County just south of Austin is expected to experience the most growth (+204.92%) over the next fifty years. This projection prompts the need for a proactive planning strategy that promotes the protection of open space. GINs can serve as a smart growth planning tool that not only conserves nature, but also preserves a community’s heritage and sense of place. Land conservation can be completed equitably through GINs that yield direct benefits to citizens in addition to increased protection received from climate change regulation.

This study explored land best suited for conservation within the county based on the work that has already commenced through the Hays County Regional Habitat Conservation Plan (RHCP) adopted in 2013. While the inception of the RHCP has been an important step in protecting the endangered species of Setophaga chrysoparia; [former family classification: Dendroica] (golden-cheeked warbler) and vulnerable species of Vireo atricapilla (black-capped vireo), implementation remains an ongoing challenge.

Since land used in the RHCP is prioritized for species protection, equitable public access to these natural spaces is significantly limited. Perhaps the most missing element from the RHCP is the lack of systematic site selection methodology and regional vision for the RHCP preserve system. Given these concerns, Hays County should plan their RHCP preserves using a GIN framework to strengthen species conservation and gene flow throughout the region. Moreover, Hays County should incorporate future open space areas into a collective GIN to expand on the original goals outlined in the RHCP. Together, areas dedicated towards species conservation can work with public-access areas to limit sprawl development and improve ecosystem services for a growing populate. In this analysis two networks were created to determine areas most suitable for conservation based on a set of environmental criteria: 1) a Blue and Green Infrastructure Network for general-purpose land conservation and 2) a Warbler and Vireo Infrastructure Network for the specific protection of species outlined in the RHCP. Together, these strategies can assist interested parties in determining a holistic vision for Hays County in the twenty-first century and provide planners with a framework for developing their own long-range vision for conservation planning for threatened species and communities, alike.