New Orleans, Louisiana. BCT, a land and cultural heritage conservancy, announced today that it has entered into agreements to sell its real estate holdings, mineral and timber business, and conservation program operations in the United States. While the exact financial details are confidential, analysts conservatively estimate the transaction to be valued in excess of $250M.

“For nearly 50 years, we have championed the worthy causes of wildlife habitat conservation, sustainable forestry, and protection of Native American heritage sites,” said Sylvain Martel, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “What started as the protection of a handful of historic family lands blossomed into an industry leading organization known for innovative solutions that make environmental and economic sense for tens of thousands of acres across Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Our best practices have been shared and embraced globally. We have a reached a point where the growth and tremendous scale of operations has exceeded our original mission. The time has come for our capable partners in the U.S. Government and the NGOs to take the helm as they have the right resources and economies of scale to take these programs to the next level.”

Director At-Large Robert Brevelle has been selected to lead this effort.

“Robert has over 20 years of M&A, venture capital, and conservation experience,” said Sylvain. “The board has always benefited from his sound financial and legal leadership, and his track record in business speaks for itself, especially with deals of this size and complexity. Robert also happens to be the president of the Louisiana historical society and a councilman of a Native American tribe. His cross-section of skills and experiences are uniquely suited for this.”

As part of the agreements, hundreds of property leases, timber management contracts, mineral leases, hunting leases, servitudes, federal and state programs, and grants will have to be reviewed and novated.

“We look forward to working with many of the same government and nonprofit partners that have been at our side for decades,” said Robert. “Our goal is to provide for a seamless transition, and to ensure our landowners needs are met. In many cases, we have worked with 3 to 4 generations of these families dating back to the days of the Evangeline Trust. At its core, this is a family business based on conservation, preservation, education, and stewardship.”

The transition is scheduled to take one year. Organizations involved include the Nature Conservancy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, utility and railroad corporations, the U.S. Army, and various other related organizations.