Bayou Land Conservancy steps up to help community avert pipeline impacts
The conservancy has helped preserve a popular regional park featuring trails, boardwalks and 41 native tree species.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Saving Land magazine.
When a natural gas pipeline threatened the 64-acre Lake Creek Preserve in Montgomery, Texas, the accredited Bayou Land Conservancy stepped up to represent its community and the land.
Lake Creek Preserve was donated to Montgomery County and placed under conservation easement with the conservancy in 2009. Since then, the preserve — a favorite spot for birdwatchers — has become a popular regional park featuring trails, boardwalks and 41 native tree species.
“We heard from many people in the community that the pipeline construction and easement would be a permanent scar on the preserve and impact the experience that people expect and love when they visit,” said Jill Boullion, Bayou Land Conservancy executive director.
Between May and October 2023, Boullion and Becky Martinez, the conservancy’s conservation director, met every three to four weeks with county officials and representatives from the pipeline’s right-of-way company. Their discussions focused on minimizing surface impacts and how to compensate for those impacts. Throughout the process, Bayou Land Conservancy and the county commissioner emphasized how beloved Lake Creek Preserve is in the community.
As a result, Montgomery County and Blackfin Pipeline agreed to construct the portion of the natural gas pipeline that crosses Lake Creek Preserve through an underground boring process, lessening impacts to the surface and not creating a permanent, above-ground pipeline easement. The 193-mile intrastate pipeline will transport up to 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from Colorado County to Jasper County in East Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2024.
“Lake Creek isn’t a large preserve, but it’s truly a gem with amazing natural diversity and beautiful views of the creek,” Boullion said. “We’re grateful for the support of Montgomery County and to Blackfin for really listening to our concerns and agreeing to eliminate surface impacts to a very special place in our community.”