SUBMITTED

With a majority vote by the Hays County Commissioners Court, the Nature Conservancy, in partnership with Hays County, is now free to move forward with a planned acquisition of more than 530 acres of the historic El Rancho Cima. The acquisition is slated to officially close on Nov. 22 and represents a $13 million effort to safeguard an iconic piece of the Texas Hill Country.

The area supports a number of wildlife, aquatic and rare plant species that are threatened by accelerating developm...