texas land conservancy SPRING/SUMMER 2015
THE
PARTNERSHIPS ISSUE
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRAIRIE BRINGING BACK THE GREAT PLAINS A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF
CELEBRATING URBAN TRAILS
texas land conservancy SPRING/SUMMER 2015
COVER STORY
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRAIRIE Building Community at Kachina The blackland prairie ecosystem is rapidly disappearing all across Texas. In fact, today, only 1% of the original prairie (1,000 acres) is still intact. As development and farming pressures encroach, one small piece of prairie has found new life in Ennis, TX. With help from our partners, the City of Ennis, the Ennis Garden Club, and the Indian Trail Chapter of Master Naturalists, we have been restoring Kachina Prairie back to a functional ecosystem. Learn how a community has taken a small-town prairie and turned it into a world-class example of conservation at work on page 10.
ON THE FRONT
Jim Patak wields his weed whacker during a work day at Kachina in March.
ON THE BACK
Goofing o at the end of our partner hike at Sandylands Ranch with members of the Alamo Chapter of the Sierra Club.
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FEATURES
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“All prairies are special. To walk on one that is truly a native prairie is just fantastic.”
- Peggy Bailey TLC Volunteer & Member
MAXIMILIAN QUÉRIPEL
14 BRINGING BACK THE GREAT PLAINS.........................12 Restoring a Disappearing Resource
CELEBRATING URBAN TRAILS ......................................14 Getting our Hands Dirty at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DEPARTMENTS
President Travis Phillips, Austin
FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ................................................5
Past-President P.Michael Jung, Dallas
WHAT WE’RE READING .......................................................................6
Vice President Earl Matthew, Rockport Treasurer Wayne Graham, Austin Secretary Pat Y. Spillman, Jr., Houston Michael Grimes, Austin Jason Hill, Austin Adam Jochelson, Dallas Larry Autrey, Fort Worth Eileen McKee, Dallas Janell Morgan, Dallas Robert J. O’Kennon, Fort Worth Merrit Westcott, Houston
STAFF Executive Director Mark Steinbach, Ph.D. Stewardship Director Daniel Dietz Stewardship Director Leigh Steumke Development Director Rachael Garbowski Director of Partnerships & Outreach Ashley Lovell, Ph.D.
Growing a Conservation Community
Riparian Restoration on Texas Farms & Ranches
BOARD PROFILE ......................................................................................7 Meet Larry Autrey: Rancher, Business Leader, Conservationist
WALKING THE WALK ..........................................................................14 Dansko Days with Whole Earth Provision Co.
GIVING THANKS......................................................................................15 Thank you for supporting TLC this Spring!
OUR MISSION:
TEXAS LAND CONSERVANCY PROTECTS THE ICONIC LANDSCAPES OF TEXAS FOR PRESENT & FUTURE GENERATIONS.
This magazine is a benefit to TLC members. To become a member please visit our website: texaslandconservancy.org/support-tlc/donate
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From our Executive Director
GROWING OUR CONSERVATION COMMUNITY
PROMOTING PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS TEXAS Welcome to the redesigned Texas Land Conservancy newsletter. Along with the new style, we will be dedicating each issue to a theme. This issue is focused on our partnerships. For over 30 years, Texas Land Conservancy has worked to conserve special places and make a lasting impact for future generations, but this work is not ours alone. Our partnerships - whether with private landowners, foundations, school groups, cities, or the public at large are vital for continued success. One of the things that sets TLC apart is being a statewide organization; which means that we have a very diverse portfolio of projects. This affords us a chance to engage a wide variety of constituents to achieve our goals.
One of the best examples of this is our Oak Cliff Nature Preserve in Dallas. This 120-acre hidden gem is open to the public and hosts over 8 miles of hike and bike trails, but it is our partnership with the Dallas Off Road Bike Club (DORBA) and countless volunteers that keep it going on a daily basis. Managing a large nature preserve That is why these types of projects and partnerships are takes continuous care for things like litter clean-up and so important and provide opportunities for the next trail maintenance. generation to gain the love and respect for land that we all share. Likewise the feature property on the cover, Kachina Prairie, is a unique partnership with the City of Ennis that has been protected with a TLC conservation easement for over 20 years. This piece of blackland prairie has long held a special place in the hearts of many in the Ennis Garden Club, but recently has really taken on a life of its own as the Indian Trail Master Naturalist Chapter is taking charge of the restoration. We are extremely pleased to see this small but precious ecosystem get the attention it deserves. As I look to the future, one of my greatest concerns is our loss of connection to the land. Texas is so rapidly urbanizing that the lands we love are disappearing faster than predicted. Even more worrisome, our children will have no understanding of nature. If they can’t appreciate it, they won’t be able to advocate for it.
Please remember the simplest partnership is as easy as telling a neighbor about our work and spreading the message of conservation. We are pleased to call you not only friend but also a partner of TLC. Thank you for championing our mission.
Mark Steinbach, Ph.D EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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What We’re Reading
GREEN READS
Stewarding our Rivers
With full-blown Texas summer
by Daniel Dietz
quickly approaching, many of us are reaching for our next great story for pool and lake-side reading. Check out these suggestions from our staff, and get your read on!
Non-Fiction
Mark’s Pick
A true classic Aldo Leopold offers a stunning tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect the world we love.
Fiction
Ashley’s Pick
Hayduke is ready to fight the power: taking on the strip miners, clear-cutters, & the highway, dam, and bridge builders threatening the natural habitat.
Science Fiction
Rachael’s Pick
Preservation, science, diversity of species: these are truly universal concerns. While the odds may be against us, just DON’T PANIC!
Do you have a GreenRead to share? Email us your suggestion at info@texaslandconservancy.org or share it on Instagram or Facebook with #GREENSUMMERREADING
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A Review of Riparian Restoration on Farms and Ranches in Texas
Riparian areas are the strips of
a combination of natural succession and proper management to revive distressed streambanks) and active restoration (planting grasses and trees and potentially armoring some banks) are discussed in detail.
land found on the edges of rivers and streams. They have vegetation and wildlife that are distinct from the surrounding uplands. A healthy Along the way, the importance of soil riparian area is crucial for maintaintypes, livestock management, buffer ing good water quality and aquatic width, feral hog control, monitoring, habitat in the waterways they envelope. species selection, and setting realistic Texas A&M recently published goals are described. “Riparian Restoration on Farms and Riparian systems are the Ranches in Texas”; available in print key connection between for $3.00 or available for free as an electronic download from the upland grasslands and www.agrilifebookstore.org.
forests and the rivers and streams which are the lifeblood of the state.
The publication manages to cover a lot of ground in its brief space and can serve as a good primer on a Texas A&M University rather complex subject. The Riparian Restoration language is precise without being on Farms and Ranches in Texas overly technical and should appeal to a wide range of audiences. It is not detailed enough for landowners who are seeking a step by The book begins by defining what a riparian area is and making a case for step guide, but does a good job of providing on overview of the issues why their proper stewardship is that they will need to keep in mind important to wildlife, water quality, and protecting the property values of when planning management. those who own them. Some of the The publication has many strengths. riparian stresses outlined include: lack A recommended species checklist of adequate stream buffers, improper lists not only what plants are best at grazing techniques, and feral hogs. bank stabilization, but also whether The characteristics of, and the benefits that landowners reap from healthy riparian areas are described in detail. An assessment checklist is included so that landowners can determine if their riparian area is healthy, at-risk, or unhealthy.
they are good for wildlife, livestock forage, and whether they do better in the wet areas next to the creek or whether they should be planted in uplands.
Overall, this publication is worthy of your time if you are managing riparian areas. No matter what your The rest of the book is dedicated to current knowledge level is, there is discussing the restoration process. Both passive restoration (allowing for something to be learned.
Board Profile
Conservation, a Family Business Meet Larry Autrey: Rancher, Business Leader, Conservationist
What is the biggest conservation challenge in We are thrilled to announce that Larry Autrey has joined Texas right now? We are facing two big conservation challenges at the the TLC Board of Directors. Mr. Autrey is the Managing Partner of Whitley Penn in Fort Worth. He has more than moment. First, as we attract more people to live and 25 years of tax, advisory and business valuation experience work in the state, we use more and more of the available land. We are taking a risk unless we focused on public and private clients. He holds degrees in conserve more land than we develop. finance and accounting both from Texas Tech University. Larry owns a 600-acre ranch in North Texas and The second challenge is water. With the rain this frequently takes his two sons quail hunting on the spring, I am hopeful our aquifers are filling up fast as weekends. He sat down with Ashley Lovell to discuss his we never know when the next rain may fall. We have goals as a TLC Board Member, his perspective on conservation in Texas, and his vision for the future of TLC. to focus on conservation as we grow so we aren’t limited by water availability in the future. Interview by Ashley Lovell
What is your environmental ethic? We should try to make anything we interact with better than when we began the interaction. As the population of the world and our state continues to grow, protecting the environment gets harder and harder. Therefore, we have to work harder at it.
How can TLC help address these challenges? TLC is doing what is needed: encouraging land and water conservation. As we partner with other land trusts we can help address these challenges at a landscape scale. We should focus our efforts on watershed, aquifer and other water related areas first as those efforts will have major benefits for the next I owe my future grandkids the ability to find native grasses, large green spaces and wild animals to hunt as I did generation. growing up. The best example in my life is the quail. I love quail and I love bird hunting, but quail are nearly extinct in North Texas. My sons and I envision hunting quail on our ranch in Jack County someday. The first step in this is conservation!
I owe my future grandkids the ability to find native grasses, large green spaces and wild animals to hunt as I did growing up. Larry Autrey
Texas Land Conservancy Board Member
What are some of your goals as a TLC board member? My goals are to learn more about what TLC has already done for conservation in Texas, and to use my knowledge and skills to help the organization grow and become more recognizable. The only thing that prevents us from holding more conservation easements is that not enough people know what we do.
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Our Neighborhood Prairie BUILDING COMMUNITY AT KACHINA
Story by Ashley Lovell
THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE IS AN ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEM. It was once part of a vast tallgrass prairie that stretched from the Texas-Oklahoma border through the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and into south Texas. After decades of heavy farming and fragmentation from suburban development, there are only 1,000 acres of blackland prairie left in our fair state. Kachina Prairie in Ellis County contains 30 acres of restored blackland prairie, (1% of the total remaining prairie) home to red tailed hawks, blue herons, frogs, turtles, blue bonnets, indian blankets, swallow-tailed butterflies, and many other species.
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On a bright, sunny morning last March, I pulled up to Kachina Prairie and the smell of hot coffee and warm kolaches drifted through my open window. Stepping out of the car, I was greeted by Peggy Bailey, an Indian Trail Master Naturalist, who has worked at Kachina as a volunteer for the past few years. With her were members of the Ennis Garden Club and other members of the Indian Trails Chapter including Chris Cook, Linda Almes, Jim Patak, Celia Yowell, and Anne Anderson. As we meandered through the prairie that morning, we stopped about every 30-seconds to marvel at the spring blooms peeking out of the perennial grasses. The prairie is full of life. The healthy, functioning prairie ecosystem at Kachina would not exist without the dedicated efforts of volunteers from the City of Ennis, the Ennis Garden Club, the Indian Trails Chapter of Master Naturalists. the Ellis County Nature Society, Native American Seed, and many others,. With their help, TLC has been protecting and restoring this prairie since 1985.
Kachina Prairie was really at a tipping point before more extensive management began a few years ago. We could see that it was a prairie that had been in good condition, but we could also see that brush encroachment and invasive species were beginning to substantially degrade it. It feels good to have changed the trajectory of the prairie, pushing the land back toward health. Daniel Dietz
TLC Stewardship Director
Caring for the prairie takes dedication and cooperation. Over the past few decades, the prairie was overrun by shrubs and woody species, which out-compete many of the native prairie grasses and plants. Recently, we have worked with our partners to restore Kachina to a vibrant prairie ecosystem. The Indian Trail Chapter of Master Naturalists work closely with the Ennis Garden Club and TLC to remove woody species and shrubs. The Ennis Garden Club provides funding, the City of Ennis mows open walking paths, TLC provides herbicide, the and the Master Naturalists do much of the manual labor. We have also conducted prescribed burns on the prairie that help to clear out woody species. These burns were only possible with help from the City of Ennis, the fire department, and other volunteers.
Indian Trails Master Naturalists and Ennis Garden Club members at a work day at Kachina Prairie in March, 2015
In 2015, for the first time in many years, Kachina was included in the Ennis Blue Bonnet Trails Festival. During the third weekend in April over 100 people visited the prairie. Daniel Dietz, our TLC Stewardship Director, and a few Master Naturalists led guided wildflower walks around Kachina for the public. This kind of shared outreach is essential for the future of the prairie. With many partners, we can share the story of Kachina prairie with many different people. As we look forward to the future, we asked some of our partners how we can keep the prairie healthy. Peggy Bailey said, “Partnerships are the key to continued success at Kachina Prairie. These relationships are strengthened all the time as we work together. The key to keeping Kachina healthy is to keep those partnerships vibrant.” Daniel Dietz said, “(Kachina) is special because it is a partnership that really works. Take away just one of these partners and the entire effort would have collapsed in on itself. The environmental community always talks of forming partnerships, but it is so rare when they work completely like they are supposed to work. The amount of sustained effort that each of these partners has had to make is inspiring.” Here at TLC, we are extremely grateful to our partners who have helped us bring this prairie back to health. We look forward to many more years partnering for the prairie’s sake.
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H
EALTHY PRAIRIES are diverse ecological communities often with 200 or more plant species.
Create a checklist and use it as you walk the property, taking notes of things occurring on site. Use this information to define your objectives.
Fire can also be an effective tool for prairie management. Throughout Texas there are Prescribed Burn Associations that have formed to act as clearing houses of resources, knowledge and A prairie by nature is an ever changing Some example checklist items include: expertise for its members. landscape with grasses and forbs as are invasive species present, are they increasing or decreasing in numbers Seeding, the third common the dominant vegetation and a or impacted area? Does there appear management technique has a number noticeable lack of woody plant to be a balance of grasses and forbs? of methods you can choose from species. Do you see evidence of various including broadcasting, seed balls, In Texas the four big prairie grasswildlife species? seed hay, seed drill, live plants, and es are big bluestem (Andropogon root balls. When choosing seed it Surveying and learning about a prairie gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum is best to select native, non-cultivar will take some time. Due to the nutans), switchgrass (Panicum seed from within 150 miles of the prairie’s constantly changing nature, virgatum), and little bluestem management site. surveying is best done at a couple (Schizachyrium scoparium). These warm season grasses are found in all different points throughout the year. TAKE NOTES types of prairies throughout the state How can you tell why the diversity growing in a variety of soils and are “One mistake commonly made by within a square meter improved? an excellent resource for wildlife. prairie managers is that they form a Was it because you conducted a mental picture of what they think their prescribed burn? Or was it because it Prairies were shaped by natural prairie should look like and then try to was just a great weather year? disturbances, especially fire and make it look that way each year. grazing. Management techniques One way to learn if your management that mimic these processes will have One of the best things about is working is to create study plots the greatest chance of maintaining a prairies is their variability. throughout the prairie - areas where thriving natural community. Being able to see something diff erent you implemented a management Successful management plans have technique versus areas you did not. each time you visit a prairie is a better the following characteristics: well Doing so will help minimize defined goals and objectives, a good goal than trying to make it look unknown variables and allow you to survey of the current conditions, the always the same.” Chris Helzer evaluate the effectiveness of the techuse of adaptive management, and taking notes to see if the management Prairie Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy nique you used, ultimately allowing you to efficiently use your resources is working. ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT and not waste time and money on Simply put, adaptive management techniques that aren’t working. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES is doing something, seeing if it When defining goals for your works and keeping or changing the Don’t forget to take notes, keep track of management plan it’s good to have techniques and outcomes, document method you used. Common prairie an overall broad reaching vision. management techniques are grazing the time of year, the weather, change For example, “I want an ecologically or mowing in the absence of grazers, in species composition and anything healthy prairie that supports lots of prescribed burns, and seeding with a else that will help you move forward native wildlife species”. To achieve local and native seed source. Keep in with your adaptive management plan. this goal break it down into mind that one technique alone may manageable chunks. Establish 4-5 not be the solution but rather when TOOLS FOR LANDOWNERS objectives with quantitative used in conjunction with other measurements that support your goal. Natural Resources techniques may yield the desired results. SURVEY Surveying your prairie will help to develop your objectives. Take time to walk the prairie and try to get an overall feel for what’s going on.
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Local Natural Resources Conservation Service professionals are available to help determine appropriate stocking rates of cattle (a measure of grazing intensity) for private landowners.
Conservation Service (NRCS) www.nrcs.usda.gov
Prescribed Burn Associations (PBA) www.texasagriculture.gov
Bringing Back the Great Plains Restoring a Disappearing Resource Illustration by Maximilian QuĂŠripel
Spring/Summer 2015 13 Story by Leigh Stuemke
CELEBRATING URBAN TRAILS GETTING OUR HANDS DIRTY AT OAK CLIFF NATURE PRESERVE
June 6, 2015 was National Trails Day, the country’s largest celebration of trails. America’s 200,000 miles of trails give us access to the natural world for recreation, education, exploration, solitude, inspiration, and much more. Here in Texas, we have thousands of miles of trails to choose from - in urban, suburban and rural natural areas alike. 12
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We celebrated National Trails Day by hosting a work day and nature hike at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve (OCNP). The preserve features over 7 miles of hike and bike trails in urban Dallas, a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the metroplex. National Trails Day is designed to highlight the valuable work thousands of volunteers do each year to take care of America’s trails. Trails do not just magically appear for our enjoyment.Their construction and maintenance takes hours of dedicated planning and labor. We celebrated the tireless efforts of our partners and volunteers on June 6th by showering them with goodies: breakfast from Whole Foods, snacks from KIND Bars, and a cool and refreshing, postwork-day treat from PopStar Popsicles. Our friends at Kurgo sent us some dog-friendly swag in honor of National Trails Day, including water bowls, pet first-aid kits, and a rocking Kurgo doggie-backpack! During the day we had help from many partners at OCNP, including the Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association (DORBA), Sync Yoga, and the North Texas Master Naturalists. DORBA has been in charge of trail maintenance at the preserve for many years, and they helped with a lot of the work that we did on June 6th: clearing branches, moving
rocks, and making sure the bike paths were safe and accessible. With all the rain we’ve had this spring, a lot of work was needed! We recently formed a new partnership with the North Texas Master Naturalists group, who have been excellent advocates for OCNP in their neighborhood. They helped to remove invasive species, particularly privet, at OCNP. Working with special tools that can take out the root systems, they attacked a lot of the problematic plants at the preserve.
A big, huge THANK YOU to all of our generous donors for National Trails Day!
After the work day we celebrated with popsicles and took a group photo with all the volunteers. As we stood around the entrance - sweaty, tired, and covered in bug-spray, I was struck by the diversity of people who came out to volunteer. Young and old, dog-owners, bird-watchers, mountain bikers, hikers, artists, we all came together to celebrate this little piece of urban nature. By working together we can achieve so much more than we could alone. Our partnerships, with local businesses and community partners, are essential tools to help us to protect the land you love all over Texas.
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Walking the Walk
State-wide Partnerships Promote Shopping for a Purpose Meet the people behind our Dansko Days Partnership. Bert Peeples is the Outreach Coordinator at Whole Earth Provision Company where he has been employed since 1980. Adam and Bianca Schiffman are Business Managers for Dansko Footwear, who have committed to giving 5% of sales from every pair of their shoes sold at Whole Earth during Dansko Days to benefit Texas Land Conservancy. This past fall and spring, we celebrated Dansko Days and doubled our check amount the second time around! Read on to learn more about two awesome companies that give back to the community and why conservation matters to them. How did you first became involved with Whole Earth Provision Co.?
Bert: I was a browser and customer of the first Whole Earth store down near the UT campus in the early ‘70s. When I met one of the owners while negotiating a camping purchase for the Travis County MHMR Center’s new camping therapy program, I made note to contact him years later. In 1980, I returned from a stint in Colorado and needed a job, it was to Whole Earth I went first.
Describe your role at Whole Earth and what you enjoy about working there.
Being in community outreach for Whole Earth, I am often in the pleasant position of helping the community with donations for so many worthy causes around the state of Texas. My job is community facing so that point to be introduced into our process of evaluating how best to utilize the amount of philanthropy we can afford to do. Why does conservation matter to you?
Because I see how the geography around me is filling up with people and our ‘progress’ and it seems clear to me that preserving our planet or our state is something to which each of us contributes. May we leave this place
better than we found it. What inspires Whole Earth to give back to the environment?
Whole Earth is going on 45 years old and we now have children and grandchildren running around our stores and it’s for them that we have to preserve what we can of the world we came into.
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How did you first became involved with Dansko?
Adam: Bianca and I both got our start selling Dansko footwear at a local retailer in Austin, TX. In 2006 I was offered an apprenticeship with the longstanding Texas Sales Rep. I’ve been working on the wholesale side ever since. Describe your role at Dansko and what you enjoy about working there.
In 2012 Bianca and I began managing our own 4 state territory as Sales Representatives. In a nutshell, we interact with folks along the entire transaction chain from factory to foot. Working for Dansko is a labor of love. The husband and wife duo that founded the company are still intimately involved and they’ve fostered a family atmosphere that is simply awesome to be a part of. Why does conservation matter to you?
Being a good steward is tantamount to being a good Texan. I’m trying to set a good example for my 5 year old. What inspires Dansko to give back to the environment?
Dansko strives towards a goal of leaving the world a better place then we found it. It’s not just a part of our ethos - Dansko gives employees paid time off to volunteer in the community around our home in West Grove, PA.
Giving Thanks
Texans Gave Big to Conservation This Spring - Thank You to All Who Donated!
With your help, we raised over $10,000 during Austin’s Give 5% for Mother Earth Day campaign. We partnered with Shoal Creek Conservancy, Austin Parks Foundation, the Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund, and Hill Country Conservancy to raise funds for conservation in Central Texas. Thank you for your support!
You might have also seen us at Earth Day Texas, a festival and symposium for environmental issues in Dallas from April 24-26. This year the event had over 20,000 attendees. You also helped to raise over $2,000 for TLC during Amplify Austin on April 5th. This annual day of giving benefits all non-profits in the Austin area. We loved sharing our stories on social media leading up to the event.
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P.O. Box 162481 Austin, TX 78716 512.301.6363 www.texaslandconservancy.org
Nonprofit Org US POSTAGE PAID Austin, Texas Permit No. 258
There are two things that interest me; the relation of people to each other and the relation of people to the land.
Aldo Leopold
BENJAMIN ARSEGUEL