Recognizing land stewards

Ron Gard has been managing his Prairie Rose Ranch, in Miller Grove, for fish and other wildlife for years. Four years ago, Ray Sasser, the late Dallas Morning News door writer, nominated Gard for a 2023 Lone Star Land Steward Ecoregion Award. This year, Gard was notified the ranch would be recognized.

“I was real happy about that,” Gard said. “It’s mostly what I do — make the place good for the wildlife. This year, Texas Parks and Wildlife came and took a look and later informed me.”

Prairie Rose Ranch was recognized for conservation efforts in the Post Oak Savannah region of the state. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s description said Prairie Rose Ranch was selected this year for its excellent outreach to new anglers, veterans’ groups and youth, encouraging them to become involved in the outdoors primarily through fishing and fly-fishing.

Gard, who was the 2019 recipient of the Dallas Coastal Conservation Association Sportsman of the Year award, and his family have also undertaken a large brush management project focused on removing eastern red cedar from his woodlands of post oaks. He has also converted more than 80 acres of former improved pasture back to native grasslands in the Pastures for Upland Birds program. Lakes and water control efforts have resulted in excellent bass and crappie fishing, along with waterfowl hunting.

Launched in 1996, Lone Star Land Steward Awards applaud private landowners in Texas for exemplary contributions to land, water and wildlife stewardship.

“In a state like Texas, where private own ers hold 95 percent of the land, landowners play a crucial role in conservation and stewardship efforts,” said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz. “That’s why it’s so important we take this opportunity each year to celebrate those creating a legacy of land stewardship.”

Other awards:

Special Recognition: Cibolo Center for Conservation, Boerne

Tucked along a rapidly urbanizing stretch of I-10 northwest of San Antonio, Cibolo Center for Conservation offers two campuses encompassing more than 160 acres. The Cibolo Nature Center offers miles of trails through an array of ecosystems while helping preserve the important Cibolo Creek watershed.

Blackland Prairie: Kocurek Farm, Weimar

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