This story has been updated.
Environmental advocates who last year protested a Florida developer’s bid to trade 63 acres of federally protected land — home to an endangered species — for 144 acres of unprotected land thought they won when the proposal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was withdrawn.
However, developer Starwood Land has returned with an updated proposal requesting to instead swap its 144 acres of unprotected land for 30 acres of federally protected land, notice of which was published in the federal register earlier this week.
Despite Starwood Land decreasing it acreage request by a little more than half, advocates still aren’t game.
The protected land sought by the developer is part of the 768-acre Cibolo Canyons Conservation Easement, which was put in place in 2005 to help protect the golden-cheeked warbler, a federally protected songbird that breeds solely in Central Texas. The easement is located on the North Side of San Antonio and is overlooked by the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
While adding 144 acres to the easement might sound appealing, environmentalists and neighbors of the easement argue the 30 acres of currently protected land is prime habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler, whereas the 144 acres of unprotected land is subpar land the tiny songbird would not prefer.
“They would still be carving up the easement,” said Diane Temple, a resident who lives on the edge of the easement. “They’re destroying part of the boundary that was set by the federal government to protect all of these acres for the warbler. We’re not happy that they’ve decided that this is a great solution. We’re not happy about it.”
In their renewed application, which Starwood Land filed under the name TF Cibolo Canyons LP, the developer says the land swap would not have significant environmental effects, establish a precedent for similar future actions or have significant impacts on a species listed on the fish and wildlife service’s list of endangered or threatened tpecies.
According to the federal register’s summary of the request, the developer hopes to build a new residential and multifamily development on the 30 acres.
“The 144 acres being added to the preserve has sufficient habitat to support warblers periodically, while the 30 acres being removed does not contain warbler habitat and, therefore, does not support warblers,” the register states.
Bexar Audubon Society President Britt Coleman said he’s not sure where Starwood Land is getting its information that the golden-cheeked warbler doesn’t nest in the 30 acres. The habitat the warbler needs is very specific: old-growth, mixed-forest ash juniper and oak trees, he said.
“The golden-cheeked prefers to be on the interior of their habitat for the protection of their young,” he said. “The reason they need old growth is they use a combination of the strips of bark that get peeled from the old ash junipers and spider webs to make their nests. The oaks provide food; there’s more insect and caterpillar growth on old oak. That combo provides food and materials for them.”
Coleman said last year that golden-cheeked warblers require roughly 70% to 90% canopy cover, dense woodlands and lots of insects to thrive. Starwood Land’s 144 acres is “scrub oak” with very little canopy coverage, likely only about 20%, he said at that time. On Friday, he told the San Antonio Report he doesn’t know why that would have changed within the last year.
The conservation easement was also supposed to be “in perpetuity” — which nearby homebuyers and environmentalists took to mean “forever,” Coleman and Temple both said.
“A land swap like this has never been done before,” Coleman said. “If that’s not a precedent, I don’t know what is.”
Starwood Land CEO Mike Moser told the San Antonio Report on Monday that the company sees this land swap as a “win-win,” since it allows the preserve to be expanded while also allowing the development of less land. Starwood Land plans to have a public meeting in San Antonio within the next few weeks in which the developer would provide the information it gave to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he said.
Moser said the 30 acres are preferable for the company to develop because they are contiguous to its existing developments in the area and are therefore less impactful on the environment, whereas the 144 acres are not. He added if Starwood Land is not able to secure the land swap, they may instead develop the 144 acres of unprotected land.
“If forced to, the 144 acres is developable, and we would,” Moser said. “Our plans will involve all the entitlements that we’re entitled to do, and may include development of that site, yes.”
The public has 30 days to submit their comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That comment period closes Feb. 16. Anyone who wishes to submit a comment on the proposed land swap can do so here.
This story has been updated to include comment from Starwood Land CEO Mike Moser.
