AUSTIN, Texas — More than 50 years after Jordan Scott’s family first began to acquire vast property in the Travis County Hill Country, Scott’s mom, Nayda, made the largest land donation in the area’s history.
Turning down tens of millions from developers to leave a legacy, RGK Ranch, which sits between Hamilton Pool Road and Highway 71, will now serve as a 1,507-acre public park in late 2025.
“We were able to bring the price of the land down to where the county could afford it but also meet the needs of Travis County, where they stated we need more parks,” Scott said.
In a state where 93% of the land is privately owned, as per the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, balancing price and preservation becomes complicated. Suzanne Scott, state director of The Nature Conservancy, says an increased emphasis on land funds and bonds, like in this scenario, has helped create more opportunities for acquisition.
“The stars aligned, and we had a wonderful family that saw the benefits,” Scott said. “We want more and more landowners to think about this option as they think about the future of their families and how that land can continue to give back to the people of Texas.”
For Jordan Scott and his family, whose story started in Los Angeles and ended in Austin, providing a place to enjoy nature is true generational wealth.
“I think the county is going to find, the people of Central Texas are going to find, this is truly an amazing space and unlike any other park in Central Texas,” Scott said.