Texas Wildlife - Hunters' Dream Season - September 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER 2021

Hunters’ Dream Season

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS SARAH BIEDENHARN

Texas Wildlife Association Mission Statement Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

W

e made it to September! The days are starting to shorten and we all have high hopes of cooler temps, bag limits and evenings around a campfire. While we look forward to resuming all the traditional events and activities that come with fall, I can’t help but reflect and be grateful to finally feel as though we are closing the door on the pandemic. In my opinion, the Texas Wildlife Association 36th Annual Convention in July was an excellent way to celebrate that.

I’m incredibly grateful to the many people involved in making it such a huge success.

First off, thanks to all of you who made it to the J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The energy in that ballroom was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I hope you all left feeling as fired up about our mission as I did.

I’d also like to give a big shout out to our hard-working TWA staff and volunteers who once again knocked it out of the park and put together a record-breaking event.

And Convention would be impossible without the generosity of our sponsors, auction donors and exhibitors, so thank you!

We hosted the Annual Membership and Director’s Meeting and elected new officers and directors. I want to personally thank each of them for their continued dedication to TWA. I am looking forward to working closely with the other officers, Vice President Jonathan Letz, Treasurer Nyle Maxwell and Second Vice President for Programs Louis Harveson over the next two years.

We were also joined by some big names in wildlife conservation like Steven Rinella who spoke at the TWA Foundation lunch on Friday. Longtime friend and Director of TWA, the Honorable Susan Combs, gave a powerful keynote during the General Session and Awards Luncheon.

Our 8th Annual Private Land Summit was another great success with a banner list of presenters and panelists discussing how private landowners can play a role in getting more individuals and families outside—an important and timely topic following the public’s piqued interest in the outdoors in the wake of the pandemic. The discussion continued Saturday morning as one of several educational seminars. A big thank you to the presenters that came and shared their expertise on a wide range of topics.

Above all else, it was just great to get everyone back in the same room and celebrate the many successes TWA has achieved over the past two years. In many ways, we are entering a new era for TWA. Not only are we welcoming a new CEO in the near future, but we are embarking on many initiatives like Conservation Legacy 2.0, a Membership Strategic Plan and an expanded Adult Mentored Hunt Program.

Thanks to all of you, TWA is well positioned to take on these endeavors that I believe will have an exponential impact on our land, water and wildlife in Texas.

OFFICERS Sarah Biedenharn, President, San Antonio Jonathan Letz, Vice President, Comfort Dr. Louis Harveson, Second Vice President for Programs, Alpine Nyle Maxwell, Treasurer, Georgetown For a complete list of TWA Directors, go to www.texas-wildlife.org

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES Administration & Operation David Brimager, Interim Chief Executive Officer Quita Hill, Director of Finance and Operations Cynthia Moncrief, Office Administrator

Outreach & Member Services Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator Mimi Sams, Engagement Coordinator

Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs Kassi Scheffer-Geeslin, Director of Youth Education Elanor Dean, Education Program Specialist Gwen Eishen, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Adrienne Paquette, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Elisa Velador, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Ali Kuehn, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Brittani Dafft, L.A.N.D.S. Educator & CL Program Assistant Marla Wolf, Curriculum Writer Iliana Peña, Director of Conservation Programs Courtney Brittain, Website Consultant COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bryan Jones, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Nicklow, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Sherry Herrington, TYHP Administrative Assistant Kara Starr, Texas Big Game Awards Program Coordinator

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

Texas Wildlife Association

TEXAS WILDLIFE is published monthly by the Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. E-mail address: twa@texas-wildlife.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) was organized in 1985 for the purpose of serving as an advocate for the benefit of wildlife and for the rights of wildlife managers, landowners and hunters in educational, scientific, political, regulatory and legislative arenas. TEXAS WILDLIFE is the official TWA publication and has widespread circulation throughout Texas and the United States. All rights reserved. No parts of these magazines may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the publisher. Copyrighted 2021 Texas Wildlife Association. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Texas Wildlife Association. Similarities between the name Texas Wildlife Association and those of advertisers or state agencies are coincidental, and do not indicate mutual affiliation, unless clearly noted. TWA reserves the right to refuse advertising.

4 TEXAS WILDLIFE

SEPTEMBER 2021

6644 FM 1102 New Braunfels, TX 78132 www.texas-wildlife.org (210) 826-2904 FAX (210) 826-4933 (800) 839-9453 (TEX-WILD)

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER VOLUME 37

H

8 Dove Season

NUMBER 5

H

2021

24 Law of the Land Oil & Gas

Hunting's Social Event

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

14 Pachanga On

26 Waters and Wildlife

by MARY O. PARKER

Recipes and Tips for the After-Party

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

34 WildLife 2021

16 TWAF

TWAF Luncheon Featuring Steven Rinella

by MEG GUERRA

17 Lessons From Leopold Easy Conservation

by STEVE NELLE

18 Guns & Shooting Take A Rest

by LUKE CLAYTON

20 Pond Management

36 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 48 48 49 50 51

8TH ANNUAL PRIVATE LANDS SUMMIT THANK YOU TO OUR WILDLIFE 2021 SPONSORS JOINT MEMBERSHIP AND DIRECTORS MEETING ELECTED OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS THANK YOU TO WILDLIFE 2021 EXHIBITORS STATEWIDE TEXAS BIG GAME AWARDS TWA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARDS WILDLIFE 2021 GENERAL SESSION RAY MURSKI FRIEND OF WILDLIFE AWARD CHARLY McTEE OUTDOOR MEDIA AWARD SAM BEASOM CONSERVATION LEADER AWARD TWA LIFE MEMBER AND TWAPAC RECEPTION WILDLIFE 2021 AUCTION SUCCESS

54 Outdoor Traditions

The Value of a Pond

Through The Looking Glass

by BILLY HIGGINBOTHAM, PH.D.

by SALLIE LEWIS

22 Borderlands News

Finding Common Ground

by BILLY TARRANT, STACEY DEWALD and LOUIS HARVESON

Magazine Staff

Photo by Hector Astorga

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER 2021

Texas dove hunters are waking up to another great season…chock-full of doves.

Landowners have carefully prepared and selected the best fields for friends and families to unite in their annual quest for fast-flying feathers, camaraderie and, of course, great food. Dove season is one of the most anticipated social events on Texas hunters’ calendars, where young hunters take their first shots and experienced hunters proudly take their limits. Read more in Lorie A. Woodward’s “Dove Season: Hunting’s Social Event,” starting on page 8.

MAGAZINE CORPS David Brimager, Interim Executive Editor Kim Rothe, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

On the Cover

Hunters’ Dream Season

Photo by Hector Astorga

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

5

TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2021-2022 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

SEPTEMBER 4 TYHP Huntmaster Training & Refresher Course 2021, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Pleasant Hill and Rocky Community Center, Hye, TX. For more information and to register, visit https://www.texas-wildlife. org/resources/events/tyhphuntmaster-training-2021-hye.

SEPTEMBER 25 Small Acreage Big Opportunity Workshop, Nacogdoches, TX. For more information and to register, visit https://www.texas-wildlife.org/ program-areas/small-acreagebig-opportunity.

OCTOBER 21-24 Texas Master Naturalist 2021 Annual Meeting, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott Irving, TX. For more information or to register, visit https://txmn.tamu.edu/eventscalendar/texas-master-naturalist2021-annual-meeting/.

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 30 Small Acreage Big Opportunity Workshop, Allen, TX. For more information and to register, visit https://www.texas-wildlife.org/ program-areas/small-acreagebig-opportunity.

SEPTEMBER 17-18 TYHP Huntmaster Training 2021, Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Mason, TX. For more information and to register, visit https://www.texas-wildlife. org/resources/events/tyhphuntmaster-training-2021-mason2.

OCTOBER 7 Fort Worth James Green Wildlife & Conservation Initiative, Auction and Dinner. For more information and to register, visit https://twafoundation. org/james-green-wildlifeconservation-initiative-2021/.

TEXAS WILDLIFE

C O N S E R VAT I O N L E G A C Y Y O U T H P R O G R A M M I N G VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGES ONLINE AT www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/category/youth for specifics and registration information.

YOUTH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS: • Youth Videoconferences are live interactive presentations featuring Texas wildlife species. Offered throughout the semester, classes connect via videoconference equipment or Zoom.

• On-demand Webinars are recorded interactive presentations about natural resources and wildlife conservation topics and are available anytime on the TWA website.

WILDLIFE BY DESIGN ACROSS TEXAS CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS: • (Virtual) Wildlife by Design Across Texas is for schools outside of the areas served by TWA educators (DFW area, Greater Houston area, South Texas and West Texas). Programs are offered on a set schedule and registration is required in advance.

Critter Connections are now available in a read-along format. Recordings of past issues are available online and are created for each new issue.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

SEPTEMBER 2021

Photo by Hector Astorga

DOVE SEASON

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

SEPTEMBER 2021

DOVE SEASON Hunting's Social Event

Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD

I

n Texas, the opening of dove season, is arguably the social event of the state's hunting calendar.

“Dove hunting is a social event,” said Craig Wilson, owner of Wilson Whitetail & Wingshooting Ranch near Pearsall. “It works for any size group, almost anyone can do it and it's affordable.”

He continued, “Plus, there are a lot of opportunities to shoot— and it's just f-u-n, fun.”

The combination of those factors make dove hunting an outstanding avenue for introducing novices of all ages to the hunting tradition.

“In the dove field, people don't have to be quiet, people don't have to be still, they can stand next to their friends, family or hunting mentor, so they don't have to try to figure it out on their own,” said Justin Dreibelbis, Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director at the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department. “Because dove hunters usually get to take more than one shot, there's not as much pressure and processing the harvest isn't intimidating.”

Even children who are too young to safely handle a shotgun can be part of the action. They can retrieve birds, picnic in the shade, stand with their favorite adult in the field, or practice for future hunts by learning to manage a bb gun.

“Dove hunting is quick-paced, action-packed and fun—it's a great way to get kids hooked on hunting,” said Ben Taylor, who co-owns Executive Outfitting, which operates out of Brownwood.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER While friends and family are integral to the official kick-off of the fall and winter hunting season, doves are the guests of honor. In Texas, the feathered guests include Mourning Doves and White-winged Doves.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

9

DOVE SEASON

Photo by Russell A. Graves

“Texans make up about one-third of the nation's dove hunters, and we harvest about one-third of all the Mourning Doves taken and 90 percent of the white-wings,” said Owen Fitzsimmons, TPWD's Webless Migratory Birds Program Leader. “It's not an exaggeration to say there is no place like Texas for dove hunting.”

Doves are classified as migratory, but because they are so widely distributed across North America their migration strategies can vary a lot depending on latitude, weather and available resources. If doves have adequate food, water and shelter from dropping winter temperatures or live in a warm climate with mild winters, they may not migrate. The farther north the birds live, the more likely migration is and the greater distance they'll likely travel during their seasonal journey.

According to Fitzsimmons, most of the birds that hunters harvest in early September are local birds. By the third week of September, the birds that are going to move are moving, so the percentage of migratory birds in a hunter's bag increases.

“Everything on the Central Flyway funnels through Texas,” Fitzsimmons said. “The central U.S. has the highest concentration of doves, so Texas is uniquely situated to be the nation's dove hunting honey hole.”

Both Mourning Doves and white-wings are highly adaptable generalists. They, like all animals, need food, which is primarily hard seeds, shelter and water, but unlike many species, doves quickly adapt to what's available.

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In fact, Mourning Doves are North America's most widespread bird species. They can be found from the East Coast to the West Coast and from Central America to Canada. While Mourning Doves prefer to nest in dense foliage of a tree, shrub or vine, they will nest on the ground or in man-made structures such as eaves, gutters and abandoned equipment.

White-winged Doves are equally adaptable. Until 30 years ago, the Rio Grande Valley served as the northern border of their range. Today, white-wings can be found permanently residing throughout Texas and as far north as Colorado and Nebraska; vagrant birds have been spotted in New York and Canada. It is estimated that 80 percent of the white-wings now living outside the Rio Grande Valley live in urban areas.

No one knows exactly why, but theories abound. One supposition, according to Fitzsimons, maintains that once the white-wings left their traditional southern range, they embraced the cities because they found everything they needed. Parks and yards provided trees for roosting and nesting, food was widely available from bird feeders as were landscape and native plants that delivered fruit and berries. Water was also easy to come by.

“In northern cities, it appears that the buildings and concrete also provide a buffer against the cold and keep the temperatures manageable for the white-wings,” Fitzsimons said.

Doves, which live 1 1/2 – 2 years on average, survive as a species by reproducing quickly. While doves have been observed

breeding in every month of the year, the normal breeding season runs from February through July, with 80 percent of the breeding occurring in May and June.

Instead of wasting energy on construction, dove nests are notoriously flimsy. Nesting females lay two eggs per clutch. Four to six weeks elapse between the adult pairs courting and the young doves fledging the nest as independent adults. Females often begin building a new nest before the current brood leaves the existing nest.

“When it comes to doves, population dips generally aren't troublesome,” Fitzsimons said. “All it takes is one good year—and they bounce right back.”

Winter Storm Uri, last February's deep freeze, left its mark on Texas doves. TPWD staff who have been in field banding doves are reporting a high incidence of frostbitten birds that are missing toes or beak tips. According to Fitzsimmons, such findings aren't rare in northern climes but they are very uncommon in Texas.

Overall, though, Winter Storm Uri, isn't anticipated to have an impact on this season's dove hunting statewide.

“We received scattered reports of dove kills, but nothing massive or widespread,” Fitzsimmons said. “When the population

DOVE SEASON 2021-2022 REGULAR SEASON North Zone: Sept. 1–Nov. 12 and Dec. 17–Jan. 2 Central Zone: Sept. 1–Oct. 31 and Dec. 17–Jan. 14 South Zone: Sept. 14–Oct. 31 and Dec. 17–Jan. 21 SPECIAL WHITE-WINGED DOVE DAYS South Zone: Sept. 3-5 and Sept. 10-12 Texas Parks and Wildlife added two additional Special White-winged Dove Days this year. Now hunters in the South Zone will be able to hunt doves every weekend in September, which is the peak month for dove harvest across the state.

Photo by Greg Simons

DOVE SEASON

in Texas numbers in the tens of millions, the impact will be negligible, although there may be small pockets in the state that were harder hit.”

Overall, the outlook for the 2021-22 season, based on preliminary estimates, appears to be strong, especially in South Texas, Fitzsimmons said.

Statewide mourning dove abundance estimates are just below average at around 24 million, while statewide white-wing populations are slightly above average at around 12 million.

“At the regional level, it looks like South Texas may be in for a really good September,” Fitzsimmons said. “Estimates for both white-wing and Mourning Doves are nearly double the long-term average while the rest of the state is sitting at average or just below.”

While Fitzsimmons admitted that pre-season forecasts are always tough because conditions can change drastically between mid-June and opening day in September and spring abundance estimates don’t necessarily translate into what hunters will see in September, he is anticipating “an average to good season overall this year, and an excellent season in the South Zone.”

With that said, habitat conditions and weather events can play a really big part in driving dove distribution coming into September. Widespread rains throughout May and again in July resulted in good range conditions across much of the state.

“If conditions hold it may be tough to concentrate birds in some areas due to the amount of water and forage across the landscape, but we are heading into the hottest and driest part of the year so as things dry out we could be looking at great hunting conditions by Sept. 1,” he said.

FIELD OF DREAMS While dove hunting's fun, low-pressure vibe makes it an ideal introduction to hunting, hosts can take some steps to ensure their celebration of the season delivers a good experience for all involved.

Choosing a good field is the first step to ensure a supply of birds. An ideal dove field contains food, water and shelter or easy accessibility to it all.

“Doves will fly 2-7 miles from their roosts to feed and water, so if your field doesn't have it all it's important to know what's in the area in that radius,” Fitzsimmons said.

When it comes to feeding, doves are attracted to agricultural fields with fallen grain such as sorghum, sunflowers or wheat or native pastures with a buffet of seed-bearing forbs such as croton, annual sunflower, pigweed, ragweed, partridge peas and seed-bearing grasses including panicgrasses, bristlegrasses, and paspalum species. Urban-dwelling white-wings can be plentiful in ag fields on the periphery of sprawling cities.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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DOVE SEASON

While white-wings will perch to feed, Mourning Doves eat directly from the ground. Unlike many birds, Mourning Doves do not scratch for feed, so they require plenty of bare ground.

Doves also water twice a day. Again, they need bare ground to access the water, so it's important to keep banks of ponds or approaches to other water sources such as livestock trough overflows clear of excess vegetation.

Once doves discover a field that meets their needs, they will continue to return until they move out of the area, unless they are spooked. To avoid this, professional outfitters such as Taylor

and Wilson, who constantly entertain large groups throughout the season, lease multiple properties and rotate hunts through them based on daily scouting.

“We never hunt a place on back-to-back days; we won't go back for at least four days to keep the birds coming in,” said Taylor, noting his team regularly hosts hunts ranging from 25 guests to 125 guests throughout the season on properties in Brown and Coleman counties.

Of course, even the most perfect dove field carries no guarantee. On any given day, the doves may not show up.

TPWD'S PUBLIC DOVE HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES Open Season for Public Dove Hunters Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photo by JUSTIN DREIBELBIS/TPWD

Because hunters and anglers fund the majority of conservation in America, recruiting new enthusiasts into the tradition is imperative.

In Texas, where more than 94 percent of the land is privately owned, access to hunting can be a challenge; therefore, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has made providing public opportunities a priority.

“In my job, I am working to ensure that anyone who wants to hunt is never stopped because they don't have anywhere to go,” said Justin Dreibelbis, Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Because dove hunting provides a fun, affordable and easy entry point to hunting, TPWD includes doves in its mix of public game offerings. For the cost of a hunting license plus a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit, Texans can access public lands such as state parks and wildlife management areas as well as private lands leased by the department specifically for dove hunting.

For the 2021-2022 season, TPWD has leased more than 100 dove and small game leases encompassing about 40,000 acres.

While the leases are located throughout the state, department staff focuses on properties that are in easy driving distance of major metro areas or are located on major thoroughfares.

“We get more bang for the buck with properties that can be accessed by more people,” Dreibelbis said.

With the purchase of their annual public hunting permit, hunters receive their public hunting booklet in the mail prior

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to the season opening. It includes regulations and maps to the publicly accessible land.

The dove leases are walk-in. Before arriving at the public dove fields, hunters should download TPWD's “My Texas Hunt Harvest” app. The app, which has been field tested for the past three seasons, provides maps, and the portal for the required registration at the field and post-hunt bird harvest records.

“The app was designed to operate despite intermittent cell service,” Dreibelbis said.

Maps can be downloaded into phones. Registration and harvest information will be saved in the device's memory, even if there is no cell service. The information will be uploaded once cell service resumes.

TPWD continues to seek out suitable leases. Staff acquire properties through mid-June prior to the start of the September season. After mid-June, they begin searching out properties for the following season, so landowners interested in leasing their land can contact the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program throughout the year. (TPWD Public Hunting staff can be reached at (512) 389-450395 or by email at hunt@tpwd.texas.gov.)

Two years ago, in response to hunters' requests, TPWD began offering premium dove hunts. The hunts, funded through the Migratory Game Bird Endorsement/Stamp Fund, are part of the annual draw system. For an additional $10, hunters can register for one-day dove hunts hosted by select hunting guides. In 2020, TPWD offered 200 permits.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Dreibelbis, noting 220 permits will be available in 2021-22.

Hunting parties can include up to three wingshooters. When selecting potential hunts, the applicants indicate the number of potential guests.

“In a private lands state, it can be challenging for hunters, especially new ones, to gain access, but we're working hard to provide as many hunting opportunities as we can,” Dreibelbis said.

Wilson, who has been in the outfitting business for 25 years, contends with the wild card of wildlife by controlling what he can—the food, the lodging and his team's attitudes, behavior and service—and managing expectations about what he can't.

“Before our clients ever set foot in the field, they've been told what to expect in the field, including the fact that sometimes doves just don't fly,” Wilson said. “By making sure everyone understands the realities of the day's hunting based on current conditions—and having everything else in place—people can still have a good experience even on a slow day.”

He continued, “In the end, 99.9 percent of people acknowledge they want to have a good experience.”

Nothing ruins a good day in the field like an accident or a near miss. Safety is priority one. A dove field has a carrying capacity for shooters just like a pasture has for cattle.

To keep people safe, don't overcrowd the field, regardless of its size. For instance, each season, Taylor leases 30-40 properties ranging in size from 25 acres to 125 acres; he matches the size of the property to the size of the group.

In his operation, the guides station the hunters at appropriate intervals instead of allowing them to wander through the field and choose their locations haphazardly. For hunters to be set up facing one another across a field, there must be at least 100 yards between them.

If hunters are lined up around the field's perimeter, no one is set up in the center of the field. The only time people enter the field is to retrieve birds, and they are instructed to return to the perimeter as soon as they recover the bird.

In addition to spacing people properly, it's important to remind guests, particularly to first-timers, to pay attention at all times to their surroundings, their hunting companions, and their muzzle positions.

“Hunting with my long-time hunting buddies is a completely different experience than me hunting with an inexperienced hunter who I am trying to help,” Dreibelbis said. “Regardless of the experience level, though, a quick safety reminder on muzzle position and shooting lanes is always a good way to start the hunt.

Some common instructions include: “Make sure you know where your muzzle is pointed. Don't point at anything you don't intend to shoot. Don't shoot below tree level—you don't who or what might be there.”

Because it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of fastflying birds and shotgun blasts, it can be helpful to put a firsttimer close to an experienced hunter. If someone's excitement overshadows their caution, a mentor can help gently rein them in. A grin and a soft spoken, “Don't forget what you're doing here,” may be enough to refocus them on safety without embarrassing them.

As part of their duties, guides working for Wilson and Taylor regularly circle around to each hunter to ensure that everyone is comfortable, safe and having a good time. It gives inexperienced clients a chance to ask questions and resolve any issues and serves as a subtle reminder of the seriousness of the pursuit amidst the fun.

Photo by Greg Simons

DOVE SEASON

“We don't want anyone on our hunts to feel uncomfortable about anything,” Wilson said.

While an adult beverage in the field is tempting in the heat, firearms and alcohol can be a deadly combination. Plus, alcohol is dehydrating—and September afternoons in Texas are hot.

From a safety standpoint, it's best to sip adult libations after the guns are back in their cases.

At Executive Outfitters, alcohol is prohibited in the field; as part of their regular check-ins, guides deliver water and Gatorade to the hunters. And once hunters bag their limits, they are rotated out of the field into the shade for refreshments and other hunters who may be standing in less productive spots are moved into the high-opportunity areas. At Wilson Whitetail & Wingshooting Ranch, the team shreds the perimeter of their fields to keep guests from standing waist-deep in chiggerinfested grass.

Adequate hydration, plentiful snacks, readily available sunscreen and insect repellant and appropriate equipment such as stools and are a few of the other little touches that can add up to a great experience. And, as it's been said before, a good experience with family and friends, regardless of how many doves are bagged, is what keeps people coming back for more.

Of course, being a Texan raises the odds of having a great time and getting a limit of doves.

“No other state has better dove hunting than Texas—and even a bad year in Texas is a good year compared to the rest of the country,” Fitzsimons said.

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Pachanga On

Recipes and Tips for the After-Party Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photos by KRISTIN PARMA

D

ove, a versatile, dark meat with a flavor reminiscent of beef, is a small package with big flavor.

“Once you realize that game because of its leanness can't be cooked like other meats, then a world of possibilities opens up to you,” said Kristin Brooke Parma, TWA Membership Coordinator. “You can adapt almost any recipe to game and likely have folks enjoy it.”

In recent years, Parma's skills as a wild game cook have grown alongside her passion thanks to the mentorship of Chef Jesse Griffiths. Griffiths owns Austin's Dai Due and the New School of Traditional Cookery, where Parma also works as a guide. Griffiths, a Texas leader in the field to table movement, continues to lend his talents to TWA's popular Hunt to Table Dinners.

Like steak and most game, doves are at their best when cooked rare to medium rare. Because of their size, it is easy to overcook

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doves and turn them into “dove jerky.” While doves are delicious grilled and fried, Parma suggests searing them because the technique gives cooks the greatest control.

If the dove breasts have been refrigerated, first allow them to come to room temperature, and then season them with salt and pepper. Next, drop them in a sizzling pool of butter waiting in the bottom of a favorite cast iron pan. Sear 1-2 minutes on each side. Allow to rest.

“When I work with dove, I want the dove flavor to be the star in the show,” Parma said.

To that end, she eschews overpowering flavors and concentrates on complementary flavors that elevate the dove.

She turns to beef recipes for inspiration. Like beef, doves pair well with mushrooms and red wine as well as butter- or oilbased herb sauces. One of her favorites is chimichurri, an oilbased Brazilian sauce featuring fresh garlic, parsley, cilantro and sometimes other tender herbs such as oregano or mint.

During the season, Parma and her husband often go dove hunting after work. Supper that night is whatever they harvest that afternoon.

“We enjoy eating dove in their season,” Parma said.

Sometimes they breast the birds, while other times they pluck them, depending on how they will prepare them. They also save the hearts as nibbles.

Because the couple likes the immediate connection to the land, the harvest and the food, the Parmas generally do not freeze any birds. For those who want to enjoy the high-flying steak nuggets later, she suggested purchasing a vacuum packer to keep the meat freezer burn-free. To maximize flexibility, package the dove in 2-3 bird serving sizes.

“Cooking is my love language. If I adore you, I want to feed you,” Parma said. “I'm not five-star chef, but I get excited to share food with my people.”

According to Parma, September is the perfect time to break bread because they can share the bounty of their garden, their foraging and their dove hunting bags, if nature and luck allow.

By design, the post-hunt dinner isn't elaborate.

“Because I'm hunting too, I aim for simple, but elevated,” Parma said.

She builds her menu around garden-fresh salsas and sauces and field favorites such mesquite bean jelly or prickly pear mint juleps. A good cocktail is always part of the mix.

“For me this gathering is less about the menu and more about sharing a meal that comes from the land in more ways than one—and keeping us connected to one another,” Parma said.

PAC H A N GA O N

FROM KRISTIN'S KITCHEN

SPICY CHIVE CHIMICHURRI DOVE & ROASTED SEASONAL VEGETABLES Kristin Brooke Parma Ingredients • 2-3 dove per person, halved or breasted out • ½ bunch of Italian parsley • ½ bunch of cilantro • Handful of chives, roughly chopped • 1 serrano pepper, with seeds • 2-3 cloves of roasted garlic • Dash of sea salt • Dash of black pepper • ¼ cup red wine vinegar • ½ cup of oil, I use olive • Butter, as needed • Serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables: carrots, potatoes, onions, asparagus Method Add ingredients (except dove) to a food processer and pulse until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle; this is the authentic way to make chimichurri. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate up to three days. Salt and pepper the dove generously. In a cast iron skillet with a touch of butter, pan sear in batches the dove on both sides, about 1-2 minutes each side, until they have some color. Let the dove rest before slicing and serving with chimichurri slathered on top. Serve with roasted seasonal vegetables of choice.

PRICKLY PEAR MINT JULEP Refreshingly easy cocktail for entertaining Ingredients • 2 ounces bourbon • ½ ounce *prickly pear simple syrup • Mint leaves • Topo Chico (optional) Method Muddle mint leaves and prickly pear simple syrup in a cocktail glass, add crushed ice. Pour in the bourbon, stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint. For a lighter option finish with sparkling water such as Topo Chico *For simple syrup, combine prickly pear juice and sugar. Reduce over low heat. Stirring periodically.

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TEXAS WIL DLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION

Texas Wildlife Association Foundation Luncheon Featuring Steven Rinella-MeatEater Article by MEG GUERRA Photos by DAVID SMITH

Steven Rinella was the guest speaker at the 13th Annual TWAF Luncheon.

O

n Friday, July 16, the Texas Wildlife Association Foundation (TWAF) hosted its 13th Annual Convention Luncheon at the J.W. Marriott San Antonio Resort and Spa. Guest speaker at the event was Steven Rinella, host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of seven books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler. Rinella entertained the large crowd by sharing his personal experiences as a hunter and outdoorsman and talked about important issues affecting the hunter conservationist and the future of our hunting heritage. He also touched on serious issues currently affecting Texas hunters, such as chronic wasting disease and its potential impacts on the hunting industry.

Rinella is a strong advocate for the importance of teaching kids about wildlife and land conservation, and the role of the hunter.

“I don’t want kids to grow up with this idea somehow that their presence in it (nature) is unwelcome,” he said. “I want them to feel like they’re a player on the landscape. The outdoors, and nature is “a legitimate arena for them to have opinions on…”

In addition to Rinella’s presentation, TWAF President Steve C. Lewis, as a Trustees of the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation, announced a $2 million dollar grant by the foundation to support Conservation Legacy 2.0. With this magnanimous gift, Conservation Legacy 2.0 will be the future of

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SEPTEMBER 2021

TWAF President Steve C. Lewis announced a generous grant from the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation.

Steven Rinella with Nancy and Nyle Maxwell.

conservation education for years to come and will secure TWA’s reputation of being the leader of youth and adult conservation education in Texas.

TWAF extends a Texas-sized thank you to all of its dedicated and loyal supporters. We hope to exceed your expectations in the coming year. www.twafoundation.org

BY STEVE NELLE

We lost the Flambeau as a logical consequence of the fallacy that conservation can be achieved easily. It cannot. ~Aldo Leopold, 1947.

I

n this essay written near the end of his life, Leopold laments the loss of the Flambeau River when economic opportunity took precedence over the value of a natural free-flowing river.

Unrestrained logging and the dairy industry's rapid growth had already taken a heavy toll on the once great forests along the Flambeau.

Then, in Leopold’s day, a series of hydroelectric dams threatened the character of the river itself. Leopold and his allies lost their battle to block the damming of the river's last remaining stretch. It was a bitter reminder that big wins for conservation are not easily achieved, and losses are often far reaching and sometimes irreversible.

Leopold was not against logging, dairy farming or rural electrification, but he urged people to consider that economic progress was not always the right move.

Leopold knew that economics was important, but he argued that it should not be the sole factor in making natural resource decisions.

We face the same dilemmas today, not only for public projects but also in the legislative and bureaucratic arena where laws are enacted and where conservation policy is decided. Good conservation and economic opportunity sometimes fit together nicely, but not always. Sometimes battles must be fought, and sometimes economic opportunity favoring one segment of

society must be sacrificed for the greater lasting good.

Sometimes the solution entails negotiated compromise with both sides sacrificing some of what is important to them. Other times, compromise in not acceptable. Some issues are worth fighting for and require rolling up the sleeves, and doing the hard work of changing minds and gaining popular and political support.

The pressures we face today are substantially greater than those faced

by Leopold. There are now over twice as many people in the United States as in in Leopold’s day. The Texas situation is even more serious with four times more people now than in 1947 but with the same total land mass and water supply.

As our population grows and as cities and towns sprawl into the countryside, there will be more and more new roads, pipelines, powerlines, energy production, water and sewage treatment, landfills, commercial development and other kinds of infrastructure. These things take a toll ecologically, aesthetically and culturally just as the hydroelectric dams did in Leopold’s day.

How much are we willing to lose? Is unrestrained economic development worth the cost it extracts on the natural world? These are questions that we must face as Texas conservationists.

Conflicts in natural resource management are inevitable.

Disagreements between conservation and economics are not black and white and not easily reconciled. Real conservation solutions are seldom simple or straightforward and often require sacrifice and pitched battles. It does cost

Photo Courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation and University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives

Easy Conservation

something and it can be painful in the short term. But the conservationist takes the long, studied look and considers what is better in the long run.

What is better for Texas now and in the long run is clean, abundant water used carefully and with restraint, intact watersheds, productive and sustainable agriculture, an abundance and diversity of healthy native wildlife, and people who understand and appreciate nature.

Life teaches us that nothing good comes easy. Work, sacrifice and endurance are requirements of successful living. These qualities are nowhere more apparent than in agriculture, conservation and wildlife management.

Providing food, water, outdoor recreation, fish and wildlife habitat and other vital needs is more challenging than ever, especially in certain places. Are these forms of “natural infrastructure” any less vital that urban and economic infrastructure? We think not. Let us muster all the strength, creativity and determination we can to retain what is special about Texas.

As TWA Vice President Emeritus David K. Langford often says, “Failure is not an option.”

Note from author Steve Nelle: I am grateful to Dr. Curt Meine, Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, for sharing the context of the Flambeau River situation during Leopold’s time. Dr. Meine is author of Aldo Leopold, His Life and Work, the only comprehensive biography of Leopold. For the serious student of Leopold, it is recommended reading.

WRITER’S NOTE: Aldo Leopold (1887—1948) is considered the father of modern wildlife management. More importantly, he developed and described many of the concepts of conservation, ecology and stewardship of natural resources. Leopold was an amazingly astute observer of the land and man’s relationship to the land. His writings have endured the test of time and have proven to be remarkably prophetic and relevant to today’s issues. This bimonthly column will feature thought-provoking philosophies of Aldo Leopold, as well as commentary.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

GUNS & SHOOTING

Take A Rest Article and photo by LUKE CLAYTON

This state-of-the-art Kopfjager Tripod rifle rest makes shooting in the field almost as accurate as shooting at the range using sandbags.

M

ost shooters understand the necessity of a solid rest when sighting in their rifles.

Accuracy, whether with a rocket headed for Mars or a bullet heading to a target at 100 yards, depends largely upon a solid “launch pad.” Most of us who shoot and depend upon our rifles to cleanly and efficiently harvest game go to great lengths to achieve that minute-of-angle-accuracy at the range;

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but, when in the field, we sometimes neglect to follow the basic rules that will ensure our bullet finds its mark.

I remember well the basics of rifle shooting my Marine shooting instructors so gently engrained in my brain, sometimes with a gentle push of my back with a combat boot to ensure I was in the proper prone shooting position. The fact is that when shooting without some sort of “rest” such as a bipod or shooting sticks, the closer the rife is to the ground, the better one’s ability is to shoot accurately.

The offhand or standing position, even when using a sling to better brace the rifle, is the “shakiest” of all shooting positions.

The sitting position with elbows tucked beside the knees is much more stable, especially when compared to the kneeling position.

The steadiest position of all is the prone position with the rifle inches from the ground. But in real world hunting situations, how often can a hunter actually use this most steady of all shooting positions? Not very often!

Through the years, I have come to depend upon some sort of rest to stabilize my rifle during the shot. When I was younger, I would find a tree trunk or anything solid to brace my rifle against before making the shot but I soon learned that finding that natural rest was not always possible.

Hunters today can choose from a smorgasbord of very stable adjustable tripod style rests. Accuracy when shooting from these tripods often equals that of shooting over sandbags at the rifle range.

Granted, when hunting deer, wild hogs or exotics from a blind with windows which are often designed to double as a quick shooting bench, there is no need for a tripod rest or any rest for that matter. But for all other shooting situations, the more stable that “launching platform,” the greater the chance for an accurate shot.

When in actual hunting situations, we often must take the shot we are presented with and that might include leaning against a pin oak tree trunk and taking aim at a fox squirrel sitting tight in the upper branches or shooting a running wild hog offhand in thick cover.

The best advice this old shooter can give is to use the most stable rest available at the moment, and remember to practice good shooting habits. Take a deep breath, exhale and begin a gentle but steady trigger pull. These learned habits that will become reflex actions through practice will put meat in your freezer and antlers on the wall.

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19

TEXAS WILDLIFE

POND MANAGEMENT

The Value of a Pond Article and photo by DR. BILLY HIGGINBOTHAM, Professor Emeritus, The Texas A&M University System

Y

ou have read this statement from me before: “Acre for acre, there is no better value-added amenity on your property than a pond.”

I believe this is true (my strong bias towards our wildlife resources aside).

Let’s take a closer look at the value a pond offers.

1. I can remember my former TAMU Wildlife and Fisheries Department Head Bob Brown’s words as if he spoke them yesterday: “The most important nutrient for wildlife is water.” Through the years, that statement has re-played in my mind so often that I can only remark that truer words have never been spoken.

For terrestrial-dwelling wildlife as well as many water dwellers, a source of drinking water is the key to survival. For other wildlife, including fish, water is their habitat.

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Not many largemouth bass can make it under the shade of a mesquite tree!

Think about the vegetative community that develops soon after a pond is constructed. The community provides almost instantaneous diversity that can directly enhance wildlife diversity, too. Many of the shoreline plants serve as food, habitat and security cover for wildlife, while the true aquatic vegetation community in the pond itself provides cover, serves as food and/or harbors food items for many fish and wildlife species.

Lastly, if your rural property is enrolled in the Wildlife Tax Valuation Appraisal Option, constructing that pond can constitute as one of the qualifying management practices as "supplemental supplies of water".

2. Fire Protection is a major concern for rural-dwelling Texans. It is becoming

SEPTEMBER 2021

increasingly common to see “dry fire hydrants” installed in many ponds to provide additional sources of water should fire break out. They provide pretty cheap insurance when you compare the cost to the damage that can result from a lightning strike, natural gas explosion or a pan of hot grease on the stove top.

3. Recreation is often an afterthought when a pond is constructed. While most ponds were/are constructed for livestock watering, most all of them are also suitable for fish.

Depending on pond size and water quality, species composition varies.

A well-maintained farm pond stocked and managed properly can provide untold hours of recreation for family and friends as well as provide plenty of the main ingredient for fish fries!

4. Enhanced property value is also a product of constructing surface water impoundments on your rural property. A Texas Real Estate Center study found that constructing a pond adds $4,500 in value for each surface acre of water. Other studies have suggested that the property value increases 5-15 percent or may simply be commensurate with the cost of the pond. Lastly, realtors often mention the increased marketability of a property with surface water compared to similar properties missing this amenity.

So, are you interested in building a pond? Your first stop should be the Natural Resources Conservation Service that serves es your county.

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21

TEXAS WILDLIFE

B ORDERL ANDS NEWS BORDERLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY

Finding Common Ground A Conservation Vision for the Big Bend Region

Photo by Ben Masters

Article by BILLY TARRANT, STACEY DEWALD and LOUIS HARVESON

The diverse topography of Texas’ Big Bend region is home to a plethora of flora and fauna, such as the desert bighorn sheep pictured here in the sky islands of Brewster County.

T

he Borderlands Research Institute has been a prominent partner in the Respect Big Bend (RBB) coalition since the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation initiated the effort in 2019. This large-scale conservation undertaking has brought together scientists, landowners, community members, conservation organizations and energy industry members with the goal of balancing future energy development with values that make this region of the state special.

The RBB coalition's mission is to “inspire and empower stakeholders to conserve the unique resources and protect the iconic communities of the Big Bend Region of Texas while developing energy

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responsibly.” The RBB initiative is also supported by the Still Water Foundation, Meadows Foundation, and Permian Basin Area Foundation.

This region is unique in biodiversity, demographics, and communities. From desert scrub and grasslands to high elevation sky islands, the Trans-Pecos supports more than 2,000 plant species, 500 bird species, 170 reptile and amphibian species and 120 mammal species.

While large in area, most of the TransPecos is small in population, with many of the least populated counties in the country. The incredibly intact landscape, along with a diverse topography, provides breathtaking viewsheds and some of the darkest skies in North America. Throw in several small communities like Alpine,

SEPTEMBER 2021

Marfa, and Fort Davis, and one can understand why this area is an ideal place to live and a destination for hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

However, this relatively pristine region adjoins one of the most energy-intensive places on the planet. The Permian Basin has been recognized as one of the most productive oil and gas plays in the world, but the Trans-Pecos is also valued for its solar and wind potential as well.

The question on the table is: How can we conserve the unique natural and cultural resources of the Trans-Pecos, and still see the economic benefits that energy development can bring to landowners and communities?

To better understand and prepare for potential energy development in

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

the Big Bend region, the RBB team incorporated the Development by Design process. This method, created

by The Nature Conservancy, starts with creating a conservation vision, which can also capture important cultural and social values.

Utilizing the best available science, future development is projected and compared to the values. The resulting spatial tool can estimate possible conflicts, and appropriate mitigation actions can be implemented to minimize negative impacts and encourage responsible development.

It was important that local stakeholders be involved in the RBB process.

Therefore, the coalition established the Tri-County Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), which consists of 14 individuals from Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.

This important group includes ranchers, conservation partners, community members and community leaders.

Additionally, three industry partners provided guidance throughout the process.

Over the last 2 ½ years, the SAG has met 14 times to provide valuable direction to the RBB coalition as they have worked to incorporate important data into the tool.

The Stakeholder Advisory Group identified seven important values that represent why this region is unique: • Ranching Heritage and Private Property Rights • Vistas, Dark Skies, Remoteness and Quietness • Sky Islands, Water, and Grasslands • Wildlife and Migratory Corridors • Tourism and Hunting • Community, Safety, Quality of Life • Culture, Music, and Art While no particular value was prioritized more than another, the SAG

identified the region’s historic ranching heritage as the defining feature that supports the other important values of the Tri-County region. These vast, intact properties contribute immensely to the area’s scenic vistas, dark skies, clean water, wildlife habitat and other unique traits.

Utilizing comparable spatial data, RBB coalition scientists mapped the values as recognized by the SAG. They also projected potential future energy development and compared where forecasted development would occur in areas with high cumulative values.

Although little oil and gas development is projected for the Tri-County area in the next 30 years, areas of the Trans-Pecos have potential for this type of development.

Additionally, much of West Texas, within and beyond the Tri-County area, has high potential for wind or solar development.

Many of these suitable areas also have high conservation value as well. While wind and solar development requires a lot of land per unit of energy produced, there is considerably more flexibility when it comes to siting new infrastructure.

Ultimately, this effort produced a conservation decision support tool. It maintains all relevant data and serves as a resource for those with an interest in potential energy development.

Based on the results of this process, the SAG formulated four recommendations: • Obtain stakeholder input to avoid the negative impacts of energy development. This process engaged stakeholders, identified important resources, and provided a vision for balancing future development with cherished values. This RBB process could be replicated in other areas to ensure that the potential negative impacts of energy development are minimized.

• Establish the Center for Land Stewardship and Community Engagement at the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University. This center would serve to provide technical resources and function as a conservation convener for community members, landowners and energy operators in Far West Texas. The center would also help ensure the long-term viability and functionality of the RBB initiative.

• Support programs to keep large tracts of land intact, and preserve the values that they provide to all the citizens of the state. Large, intact working lands are critical for maintaining most of the region's recognized values.

Voluntary initiatives and incentives that minimize fragmentation, encourage conservation and enhance productivity would assist private landowners as they steward these values.

• Restore land disturbed by energy development. The land's natural resource values should be restored by energy operators to their original condition as rapidly as possible after disturbance.

Doing so will reduce water pollution and wind erosion, restore habitat and improve Texas’ ranching and hunting heritage as well as the land's environmental health.

The RBB coalition is now forming the Center for Land Stewardship and Community Engagement as well as planning future engagement activities in other Trans-Pecos regions.

For more information about the RBB coalition and access to the complete Tri-County report, visit respectbigbend.org.

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23

Oil & Gas

BY LORIE A. WOODWARD

This is the fifth installment in a six-part series on key laws that Texas landowners need to know. The series is prepared in partnership with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, who authored Owning Your Piece of Texas: Key Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know. The handbook is available as a free, downloadable PDF file at (https:// a g r i l i fe c d n .t a mu . e du /t e x a s a g l aw/ files/2019/05/Owning-Your-Piece-ofTexas.pdf). Hard copies may be purchased by contacting the author.

B

ecause the vast majority of oil and gas development in Texas occurs on private land, it is vital landowners understand the basics of oil and gas law—and its implications for their operations.

“Minerals are a separate property interest,” said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, an attorney with expertise in agricultural law who serves as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. “Because of the way Texas oil and gas law works, there are huge implications for Texas landowners, whether they own the minerals beneath their property or not.”

THE MINERAL ESTATE VS. THE SURFACE ESTATE The mineral estate can be severed from the surface estate and divided between as many third parties as desired.

Under Texas law, certain substances including oil, gas, salt, sulphur and uranium are deemed part of the mineral

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estate as a matter of law. In every case, they are considered part of the mineral estate unless the parties involved have expressly agreed otherwise.

When it comes to oil and gas, typically the lease should only cover oil, gas and their constituent hydrocarbon elements.

The lessee may also want the right to substances produced in connection with the hydrocarbon stream such as sulphur.

Other substances, such as building stone, limestone, caliche, surface, shale, sand, gravel, groundwater and “near surface” deposits of lignite, coal and iron ore, are held by a matter of law to be part of the surface estate.

For other substances on which courts have not yet ruled as being either a mineral substance or a surface substance, Texas courts apply one of two tests determine to which estate the substance belongs. The test used depends on the date of the mineral and surface estates were severed.

For severances occurring before June 8, 1983, the courts apply the “surface destruction test.” This test provides that substances for which surface destruction is required in order to extract the substances are part of the surface estate.

For severances occurring after this date, the court moved to the “ordinary meaning test.” Under this approach, a substance is considered part of the mineral estate if the substance is within the ordinary and natural meaning of the word mineral.

As a side note, while the Texas Supreme Court has not expressly ruled on the issue, it's understood that both wind and solar rights are part of the surface estate.

SEPTEMBER 2021

THE MINERAL ESTATE'S RIGHTS Mineral ownership in Texas includes five rights often referred to as the “bundle of sticks.”

The bundle of sticks includes: the right to develop the minerals, which is generally transferred to an oil and gas company through a lease; the right to lease the minerals known as the executive right; the right to receive bonus payments, which is an upfront payment akin to a signing bonus for professional athletes; the right to receive royalty payments, which are periodic payments made by the oil and gas company for the ongoing use of the mineral estate and production therefrom; and the right to receive delay payments, which are once-common, now-rare yearly payments made during the lease's primary term before drilling has started.

Each stick in the bundle constitutes one right. The mineral owner may hold all of the sticks in the bundle himself or herself, or the owner may wish to grant certain rights to be held by others.

Furthermore, an owner may grant some portion of each stick to be held by another, resulting in multiple ownerships of a right. An owner may also transfer a certain right such as the right to negotiate to a single person. This can make mineral ownership extremely complicated because frequently divisions of ownership and rights do occur—and have occurred through history.

THE IMPLIED RIGHT TO USE THE SURFACE Under Texas law, the mineral owner, or the lessee to whom the right to explore

L AW O F T H E L A N D

has been granted, has an implied right to use the surface estate. Because it is an implied right, it is deemed an automatic part of every oil and gas lease and applies on every Texas property, unless it is expressly modified in writing or excluded from the written agreement by the parties.

“This particular law catches a lot of people by surprise, especially those who have purchased land where the minerals have been severed from the surface,” Lashmet said.

To contend with this issue, Texas law regards mineral estate as dominant to the surface estate when it comes to the extraction of minerals such as oil and gas.

In other words, the surface estate must sometimes “serve” the mineral estate by allowing access and the use of certain resources that technically belong to the surface estate owner.

“If people aren't aware of this law and purchase a property with no minerals attached, it's possible that one day they'll get a knock on their door and be met with by an oil company representative who is ready to build a five-acre pad, lay in all the gathering lines and cut in all the roads,” Lashmet said. “At that point, technically under the law, the company has the right to use the surface and there may be very little the surface owners can do to protect their land.”

This implied right allows a mineral owner to use as much of the surface estate as reasonably necessary to explore, develop, drill, produce, market, transport and store the minerals from the land.

There is no corresponding obligation to compensate the surface owner, although Lashmet noted that many companies are willing to work with surface owners to reach agreements and offer at least some form of damage payment.

The courts have interpreted “reasonable use” as allowing the mineral owner or the mineral lessee to enter the property covered by the mineral lease, explore for gas and oil using seismic trucks and other means, construct well sites and allrelated infrastructure on the property at the location of the mineral owner's choosing. Mineral lessees can also extract

caliche, soil or other natural materials for building roads, construct impoundment and draw from surface and groundwater supplies among other things.

“Reasonable use is expansive and far-reaching,” Lashmet said. “In cases where minerals are separated from the surface, it behooves surface owners to determine whether or not they own even a tiny fraction of the mineral interests and/or get to know the mineral owners, if possible.”

By knowing the mineral owners, savvy surface owners may be able to convince the mineral owners to help negotiate terms in an oil and gas lease to protect the land. Or, at a minimum, the mineral owners might be willing to notify the surface owners when oil and gas leases are being negotiated, so the surface owner can attempt to negotiate a surface use agreement.

“While a surface use agreement is the primary protection available for the land's surface, an energy company is not legally required to grant one,” Lashmet said. “This doesn't mean a company won't provide a surface use agreement, but it means the company doesn't have to.”

Although reasonable use is broad, there are five limits: contractual limitations to which the mineral owner agrees; reasonableness is required, so mineral owner and operator must not cause unnecessary damage or make unreasonable use of surface substances; negligence is not allowed, therefore surface owners have a remedy against a mineral lessee who acts negligently; the Common Courtesy Act requires oil and gas owners to give surface owners notice in writing 15 days prior to entering a property to drill or reenter a plugged or abandoned well; and the “accommodation doctrine,” which protects a surface owner's existing uses by requiring a mineral lessee accommodate them if certain conditions are met.

EXPERT ADVICE Implied rights, such as the right for mineral owners to reasonably use the surface, are just one of the complicating factors shaping oil and gas law.

“Oil and gas law is as much knowing and understanding what is not written as knowing and understanding what is written,” Lashmet said.

The lease's term is one area that is not as straightforward as it might seem. It's common for a lease to specify a threeyear term. Landowners might sign the lease assuming they are in a business relationship with the company for 36 months, but an additional phrase such as “for as long after as production and payment continues,” can extend the lease indefinitely.

“Depending on the language, the lease could be three years, 30 years or forever,” Lashmet said. “Once land is leased the impact from oil and gas exploration can be ongoing and lengthy.”

The oil and gas payment structure is another set of arcane guidelines that can stump laymen or attorneys with other areas of specialization. In addition to a bonus payment that is very similar to a signing bonus for professional athletes, mineral owners can expect to receive a royalty payment.

The amount of money a mineral owner actually receives depends on the language in the lease agreement and the deductions that petroleum companies are allowed to charge. Under certain royalty clause language, petroleum companies can take deductions for things such as shipping, compression and a host of other services that mineral owners might assume the company would absorb as a cost of doing business.

“From beginning to end, oil and gas law is a very complicated legal area,” Lashmet said. “Working with an experienced oil and gas attorney—someone who knows the industry, the law and all its implications—is the best way for landowners to maximize their financial gain and surface protection.”

DISCLAIMER This column is for educational purposes only, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and is not a substitute for competent legal advice by an attorney licensed in Texas or any other state. The information provided is merely provided for informational purposes.

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25

Beavers are very beneficial to the landscape as well as for us. Their dams will help stop or control flood events, recycle nutrients into the ecosystem, remove sedimentation from our water supply, and produce cleaner water for our use.

WATERS AND WILDLIFE Article by MARY O. PARKER Photos by JEFF PARKER / EXPLOREINFOCUS.COM

Water is the driver of Nature. ~Leonardo da Vinci YOUR TANK ECOSYSTEM Fly over Texas and you’ll see lots of sparkling diamonds down below. Of course, what you see aren’t actually jewels, but they are precious. Those are small water bodies. Texas has more than 1.2 million of these small ponds filled with that magic elixir of life, more than any other state.

For over a century, man-made ponds—called “tanks” in Lone Star speak—have transformed thousands of acres of harsh terrain into habitat friendly to livestock. Most tanks are dug into the ground and cover less than a half-acre. And, because of Texas water law, the majority max out at 200-acre-feet of water.

(An acre-foot is the volume of water it takes to fill an acre with a foot of water.)

Man-made water sources have been here since before we called these lands Texas, but their numbers rose substantially in the 1930s. Back then, Dust-Bowl clouds carried more dirt than precipitation. That meant not only dying livestock but soil with little life to offer.

With the 1935 creation of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)—the precursor to today’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)—the government began encouraging ranchers to install tanks not only as dependable water sources but also

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SEPTEMBER 2021

to help minimize the damage of chronic grazing, especially that done by cattle. Unlike our wild and wily Longhorn, domestic cattle stay within a mile of their water sources. By building water sources with cattle behavior in mind—rather than leaving the job to nature—ranchers gained more control over the land's health.

In his book, Adventures with a Texas Naturalist, renowned storyteller and nature lover Roy Bedicheck wrote, “What an ecological revolution has been set in motion by the introduction of water into this spot of…soil!” Indeed! While supporting livestock the small ponds support a plethora of other life as well.

Because it doesn’t flow, the water within a tank is called “lentic.” Lentic waters provide the environment to support unique aquatic communities.

The shallow waters of ponds allow sunlight to reach into the water so that aquatic plants and algae can utilize photosynthesis to make their own food. Even tanks cleared of vegetation contain free-floating organisms that engage in photosynthesis.

Some, like certain species of plankton, are microscopic. We tend to think of plankton as an ocean-bound organism, but it actually makes up the majority of living matter in ponds.

Plankton serve as a key food source and also provide oxygen for insects and fish and account for half of all photosynthesis done on Earth.

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Unlike photosynthesizers, animals cannot make their own food. Some, like pond snails, eat plants, while others, such as fish, dine on other pond dwellers.

Then there are the branchiopods, which include tiny crustaceans such as fairy, clam and tadpole shrimp. Omnivorous fairy shrimp are filter feeders that use their waving legs to ladle up algae, bacteria and micro invertebrates. Clam shrimp feed on plankton and detritus, while tadpole shrimp dine on algae, amphibian eggs, tadpoles, insect larvae and even fairy shrimp.

Detritus also sustains bacteria and fungi, which decompose non-living matter down into simple molecules that support plants and algae. In this way, scavengers and decomposers recycle energy back into the ecosystem for other pond life—and tank visitors—to use.

Submerged portions of aquatic plants provide habitats for micro invertebrates, such as microscopic water fleas, that lay near the base of the pond food chain. In addition, macro invertebrates, insects we see with the naked eye, also utilize the submerged portions of aquatic plants. One type, scuds (also called “sideswimmers”) are a common pond crustacean that measures about 3/4-inch long and feeds on decaying portions of plants.

The floating leaves of water-bound flora such as spatterdock not only give invertebrates hiding places, but they also supply platforms upon which butterflies and frogs can rest in the sun.

Beavers and muskrats eat its rhizomes as well as those of similar plants. Fish, wading birds, turtles and frogs forage from the insect buffets located under the plant’s floating pads.

Often you can find spider lilies at the water’s edge where they grow so they can keep their “feet” wet. Spider lilies provide macro and micro invertebrates with shelter and sustenance.

Pollinating bird species, such as hummingbirds, as well as bees and butterflies, rely on the plant’s pollen and nectar. Its bulbous roots aid in stabilizing water banks and reducing erosion.

Horsetail make a favorite hangout for damselflies and dragonflies. You can often find the odonates perching and courting within the hollow reeds. Due to the cover they provide, the tall perennials also attract waterfowl such as wood ducks.

With that said, consider limiting horsetail and other tall vegetation to just one or two edges of your tank. This action will keep the plant from taking over the pond (which it likes to do), while still lending some protective cover to waterfowl. Keeping two other edges clear increases the chances of attracting a wider variety of wildlife. Turkeys, for example, prefer cleared edges because heavy vegetation offers predators a place to hide.

Clear heavy brush if it surrounds your tank, but keep some woody plants nearby so that deer and other mammals can find cover as they ease their way to the water for a drink. And, no matter what wildlife you may want to attract, keep trees off the banks. Roots contribute to erosion and can breakdown earthen banks. Especially keep water-hungry trees like tamarisk away from your water source. (Better yet: keep them off your land.)

These invasive plants, also called “salt cedar,” gulp an average of 100 gallons of precious water per day.

Consider your tank with an eye on animal access. Deer appreciate the same gentle slope leading into the water that cows

Waterfowl seek tall grasses along the water’s edge for cover. Wood ducks prefer nesting over water so that the babies have a soft landing when they leave the nest.

Crawfish food is largely partially decomposed materials and soft tissue plants. Thus, their feeding helps to limit growths of soft tissue plants and supports the general processes of decomposition in small waterways.

The dragonfly (pictured here) is more robust, typically larger, than the damselfly. It lands with its wings spread out. Damselflies are daintier, typically smaller and usually land with their wings over the abdomen.

Spider lilies are a boon to many wildlife species. Pollinating bird species such as hummingbirds, as well as bees and butterflies rely on their pollen and sweet nectar. Their bulbous roots aid in stabilizing water banks and reducing erosion, and also provide valuable habitat for beneficial macroinvertebrates.

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do so a 2 ½ foot horizontal run for each foot of vertical drop works well.

Open space at the perimeter which consists of gravel and/or sand tends to attract doves. Other birds, such as nighthawks, drink on the wing. So, too, do bats. Because bats munch on mosquitos and other flying insects, many folks install bat boxes next to water sources; however, when doing so take note of structures and vegetation that might get in their way when scooping up supper.

WHAT MIGHT YOUR TANK SUPPORT? Even if you built your tank or pond for livestock or family recreation, chances are it supports wildlife as well. Keep reading to learn about a few of the critters that utilize Texas water holes.

Wood Ducks With their intricate plumage and jewel-like coloring, having a male wood duck in your tank makes for a beautiful sight. Often, too, he won’t be alone; there’s usually a female duck there, too.

While females don’t have the same showy looks at the males, observing the pair together is fun.

Chances are, too, that the female was born nearby as females generally return to nest within two miles of where they were born. The pair will build a cavity nest together, aiming for a tree that’s near the water.

Baby wood ducks are precocial, which means they fend for themselves at birth. Because of this and their nutritional needs, it’s important that the ducklings hatch near the water.

Young wood ducks subsist primarily on invertebrates—lots of them! With maturity, their diet grows more plant-centric and they forage for both aquatic vegetation and mast from the forest floor.

Crawfish Whether you call them crawdads, crayfish or crawfish, you’re talking about the most abundant freshwater invertebrate in Texas. Texas provides home to 43 different species, nine of which

Spadderdock provides unique habitats for a variety of macro invertebrates. In addition, fish, wading birds, turtles and frogs forage from the spatterdock buffet.

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Red-eared sliders dine primarily on aquatic plants and will only resort to “meat”—in their case that means worms, insects, snails, tadpoles, frogs and very small fish—if plants aren’t available. They hold the “slider” moniker because of how quickly they slide from their sunny basking places into the water when disturbed.

the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) includes on its list of “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”

The crustaceans help keep aquatic ecosystems healthy.

They eat partially decomposed materials and soft tissue plants, helping to keep water-bound plants in check. In fact, as scavengers, crawdads will eat just about anything they can find, dead or alive. They also do more than make great étouffée for us humans; many tank dwellers and pond visitors will scarf them up.

As they grow, crawfish shed their exoskeletons, molting at least 10 times their first year alone. After that, it’s two to three times annually. Prior to shedding, a new soft shell forms beneath the harder old one. The animal extracts calcium from the old shell for safe-keeping, storing it as “stones.” When molting begins, the stones release calcium.

Beavers Beavers aren’t a common resident of man-made ponds.

Occasionally, though, they do claim one as home, especially when there’s a source of incoming fresh water.

Whether you consider beavers a blessing or curse is based on your stewardship goals. Through that lens, beavers can be construed as both beneficial and destructive. Their "dual nature" and the fur trade help explain why by the end of the 19th century the aquatic rodents came close to extinction in East Texas.

According to TPWD, as unpopular as beavers are with many property owners, their activity is often good for the land. Their dams help stop or control flood events, recycle nutrients into the ecosystem, remove sedimentation from our water supply, and produce cleaner water for our use.

The areas around the ponds become much more fertile and productive due to the nutrients the ponds collect. This can lead to a much higher diversity of plants and animals using those areas.

Aquatic plants are central to the beaver's diet and this helps keep aquatic plants in check. Unfortunately, however, tree bark is also a favorite food of theirs; the girdling of trees is the primary reason for the animal’s unpopularity.

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You can, however, get the benefits of beavers without losing trees near your tank by wrapping trunks in hardware cloth. If it reaches 3 1/2 to 4 feet high, the tree should be safe as beavers are poor climbers.

Odonates Texas is home to 157 species of dragonflies and 77 species of damselflies.

There are lots of differences between the two types of insects beginning with what you can easily observe. Dragonflies are more robust, typically larger, and land with their wings spread out. Damselflies are daintier and usually land with their wings over the abdomen.

Like many insect species, odonates have an aquatic immature stage. Time spent as a nymph can last up to four years. The actual time depends on the species, the latitude and how much the water-bound insect has to eat.

During both nymph and adult stages, odonates serve as important predators of mosquitoes and black flies. Such biting flies can have major population explosions, especially after heavy rains, and odonates help keep the pests in check.

Odonates also end up as meals for feeding fish and other pond-dwelling animals.

Because of their role as both predator and prey, odonates are an important link in the freshwater community.

Frogs First, you see a plethora of little blobs wiggling in the water. Before you know it they sprout legs. At this point, these critters are no longer tadpoles but metamorphs.

During metamorphosis, these animals completely change their morphology.

They transition from a vegetarian tadpole to an insectivorous metamorph.

Not only do the amphibians rearrange and change their digestive tracts, but they also undergo changes in the shape and size of their heads, grow limbs and lose tails.

The frog’s lifecycle has four stages, the first of which is the egg. When they hatch, they’re tadpoles—that is, water-dwellers with gills. Next comes the fascinating metamorph stage. Once metamorphs lose their tails and gills, they’re officially grown up.

Texas has 43 species of anurans (frogs and toads). Anurans serve as an integral cog in the riparian ecosystem, serving as both predator and prey within the food web.

The absence of anurans from a system means something is or will be out of balance. Water quality unsuitable for anurans to live in may in turn be unsuitable for other animals (like us) to live in or drink.

Red-eared Sliders Red-eared sliders have poor hearing but are very sensitive to vibrations, which makes it difficult to sneak up on them. They hold the “slider” moniker because of how quickly they slide from their sunny basking places into the water when disturbed.

The heat-loving animals really love soaking up the sun. When temperatures fall below 50 degrees, they go into brumation, the reptile version of hibernation.

Turtles get a bad rap for eating a lot more fish than they actually do. Truth

is, adult turtles dine primarily on aquatic plants and will only resort to “meat”— in their case that means worms, insects, snails, tadpoles, frogs and very small fish—if plants aren’t available.

Young turtles, however, do need live meals to fuel the metabolism that drives their rapid growth. Babies and juveniles eat minnow-sized fish, insects and other invertebrates.

Females nest in early summer, burying 4-25 eggs in a sunny location. In about 2 ½ months, 1 1/4-inch baby sliders emerge, using an egg tooth, which falls out about an hour after birth, to break through the leathery shell. It’ll be at least two years before they’re ready to mate.

Like all turtles, the red-eared slider’s shell is actually made up of its ribs joined together and covered with a thin layer of skin. Each of the ribs is made of jigsawlike sections called scutes, which grow at the edges. This allows the turtle to increase in size without outgrowing its shell.

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WILDLIFE 2021

WILDLIFE 2021 All Convention photos by David Smith

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8TH ANNUAL PRIVATE LANDS SUMMIT Article by Lorie A. Woodward In Texas, the demand for access to nature and outdoor recreation outstrips the state’s supply of public land and creates an opportunity for creative, enterprising landowners.

“Population growth, urbanization and access to the outdoors is a familiar, foundational problem,” said CEO David Yeates opening the 8th Private Lands Summit held on Thursday, July 15 in San Antonio. “Today, we are going to highlight issues, opportunities and help define what success looks like for some landowners who have successfully opened their gates.”

The issue explored during the “Open Gates” summit boils down to supply and demand.

Supply? Texas is 95 percent privately owned. Of the 171 million acres that comprise its land mass, 141 million are privately owned working lands while just 1.4 million acres are public access, government-owned land.

Demand? Texas is gaining population faster than any other state in the nation. From 2000–2019, the state’s population grew from 20.9 million to 29 million; a growth rate of 15.3 percent. By 2050, demographers predict the state’s population could grow to 55 million and 60 million by 2055.

The daylong seminar featured speakers who tackled the issue from a wide range of perspectives and covered a wide range of subjects.

Hunting and Private Lands in Texas Justin Dreibelbis, Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director Hunting is one activity that can be enjoyed across the generations. Texas, unlike some states, has enjoyed a slow upward trend in hunting license sales, but the

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number of hunters as a percentage of the population is decreasing. TPWD is an active participant in R3 (Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation) targeted to hunters.

“If we all agree hunting and recruiting the next generation of hunters is crucial to our heritage and the state’s ongoing conservation effort, the question becomes where do we put them? How do we help landowners open the gates?”

Recruit, Retain and Reactive (R3) Hunters in Texas Panel Discussion moderated by Dreibelbis featuring Josh Crumpton, Spoke Hollow Outfitters Bryan Jones, Texas Youth Hunting Program John Mott, Any Kid Can Hunt Ranch The panelists shared their experiences with mentored hunting, both youth and adult. While youth hunts generally require a larger support staff and focus on providing young people a “first-time connection” experience, the adult mentored hunts emphasize the post-harvest and food aspects of hunting. Adults, once they gain the confidence and skills, can immediately take to the field and become conservation advocates.

In their collective experience, the novice hunters need access to affordable, fairly priced hunts so they can continue to build their skills after their initial experiences.

Texas Outdoor Recreation Economy John Sheppherd, Executive Director Texas Foundation for Conservation Texas has become an urban state and the Texas Legislature’s composition reflects that reality.

WILDLIFE 2021

“Face it, the vast majority of Texas legislators don’t value green spaces, pristine water and wildlife and fisheries resources like we do, so to get their attention we need to focus on the outdoor recreation economy.”

According to Sheppherd, one of TPWD’s main missions is economic development. The state’s outdoor recreation economy is estimated at $36 billion/year and is responsible for more than 327,000 direct jobs, more than the oil and gas industry.

The Great Outdoors: Not Just a Walk in the Park Rodney Franklin, Division Director Texas State Parks Demand for and use of Texas State Parks has been increasing over time but surged dramatically during the pandemic. This year’s park visitations are on pace to outstrip the record year of 2017; and because of repairs, temporary closures due to COVID, and transfers of historic sites to the Texas Historic Commission, the record-setting pace is occurring on fewer parks.

For the first time in 20 years, a new park is slated to open.

“Opening a park every 20 years is not going to meet the demand for the outdoors nor is it adequate to help make those crucial connections to nature that turn Texans into conservationists.”

Benefits Beyond Dollars: Why Landowners Open Their Gates Panel Discussion moderated by Dr. Maureen Frank Assistant Wildlife Specialist, Texas A&M University, AgriLife Extension featuring Don Kirchoff Kirchoff Farms Kathy Mueller, McKenna Ranch Don Schaezler, Warbler Woods Because keeping working lands working is an expensive proposition, landowners often open their gates to generate additional income, but keep them open for more intangible reasons.

Kirchoff Farms is a former row crop farm that has been

converted back to native prairie and serves as an informal education center and preserve. McKenna Ranch, located near the entrance of the Devils River State Natural Area, is a Christian camp in June and the rest of the year offers cabins, activities and, in the fall,

hunting. Warbler Woods is a birdcentric preserve that includes 41 of Texas’ 56 warbler species on its sighted list.

Different business models, different parts of the state and some lean, tight years in the operation, but they all persevere. Why?

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While the money earned from their endeavors helps fund their own conservation efforts, they are motivated by their opportunity to share their piece of the outdoors.

As Barnhart said of their ranch, “It is so beautiful and so peaceful that it is a shame to keep it just between us. We found we enjoyed it even more when people came to visit.”

Advertising Your Property: Online Marketing Opportunities Panel Discussion moderated by TWA President Tom Vandivier featuring John Bostros, River Access and Conservation Areas Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Allison Ryan, Explore Ranches and Mason Smith, Hipcamp

As Kathy Mueller said, “I love our ranch, I love this hard, beautiful life--and I want to share what I love.”

Monetizing Outdoor Recreation Trends to Increase Revenue on Farms and Ranches Panel Discussion moderated by Shelly Plante, Nature Tourism Manager, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department featuring Jimmy Dreiss, Flat Rock Ranch; Claire Barnhart, Barnhart Q5 Ranch and Nature Retreat; April Sansom, Selah/Bamberger Ranch Preserve While hunting revenue is the primary reason that many people open their gates, other landowners have sought out additional income streams.

At Flat Rock Ranch near Comfort, the Dreiss family has installed 31 miles of mountain bike trails and host both bike and trail running races. The Barnhart family embarked on a 10-year plan to reclaim their ranch from the encroaching brush and now offers weekend getaways in three cabins marketed on Air BnB. J David Bamberger restored a ranch that he dubbed “Selah,” near Johnson City and over time has created a hub of conservation education for Austin and San Antonio school children and the general public.

Each of the operations started small. The owners learned as they went and changed their plans and offerings to meet evolving situations.

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Marketing the opportunities available on individual ranches can be a start-up challenge. As demand for the outdoors has increased so have businesses that specialize in connecting consumers to opportunities.

Explore Ranches, founded by three Texas multi-generation ranch owners, and Hipcamp are two such businesses. Explore Ranches offers curated, turnkey, private ranch experiences for families and small groups, while Hipcamp is a global listing service where landowners can offer everything from rustic dry camping to RVs sites and cabins.

Since its founding in 2013, Hipcamp has gotten 3 million guests outdoors.

As a completely different strategy, TPWD operates a lease program for landowners who have river access in Texas. The goal is giving float fishermen and paddlers a safe, private place to put in and take out their watercrafts.

In each case, the businesses and organizations began to create additional income streams for landowners, provide additional access to wild places for the public and in doing so create the next generation of conservationists.

What’s My Liability? A Look at the Texas Recreational Use Statute Brent Hamilton, Attorney, Brady and Hamilton LLP The threat of liability keeps gates across Texas closed because “with access comes risk.” In the Lone Star State, two laws: the AgriTourism Act and the Texas Recreational Use Landowner Liability Act, offer protections for landowners engaging in the business of outdoor recreation.

To assure full protection, Hamilton suggested obtaining the liability insurance required, putting all of the necessary warnings in place along with collecting written waivers, so that the laws can be invoked if necessary.

To further protect themselves, landowners should find a trusted insurance agent and attorney to review their specific situation to ensure that they are covered to the full extent.

Thank You to our WildLife 2021 Convention Sponsors!

(Sponsors as of July 1, 2021)

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

Title Sponsor of the Texas Big Game Awards Statewide Banquet

Title Sponsor of the TWA Family Breakfast

BRONZE

1602 13th Street Lubbock, Texas 79401 806.771.1850

Title Sponsor of 805 E. 32nd St., Ste. 200 Wildlifebhlawgroup.com Education Seminars Austin, Texas 78705 512.474.9875

Title Sponsor of Lanyards

Title Sponsor of the Youth Range Riders Program

Title Sponsor of Convention Refreshments

Title Sponsor of Convention Printing

WILDLIFE 2021

JOINT MEMBERSHIP AND DIRECTORS MEETING Article by Lorie A. Woodward

On Friday, July 16, TWA’s officers, directors, staff and members gathered for the Annual TWA Joint Membership and Directors Meeting.

President Tom Vandivier called the meeting to order and those present elected a new slate of officers as well as three new and 55 re-nominated directors bringing the total number of directors to 198. Attendees also heard remarks from the entire officer team as well as eight program and committee reports delivered by 18 people.

The 2021-2022 officer team, which includes: President Sarah Nunley Biedenharn of San Antonio, Vice President Jonathan Letz of Comfort, Second Vice President Dr. Louis Harveson of Alpine, and Treasurer Nyle Maxwell of Georgetown, was elected unanimously by acclamation.

After inducting the new officer team, Past President Vandivier thanked the TWA membership for the opportunity to serve and expressed his gratitude to his fellow officers, directors, the staff and his wife Sonya and their family for their support during his term.

Together, he said, they had tackled and surmounted the tremendous, unexpected obstacles created by the COVID-19 Pandemic. During the last year, the team of staff, officers and

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volunteers successfully held an online Convention, transitioned to virtual events and education programming, moved into a new headquarters building and kept the organization financially strong in a year where the economy and therefore philanthropic giving was uncertain.

“We came through COVID with flying colors thanks to the creativity, hard work and generosity of innumerable people,” Vandivier said.

“I am happy to report that TWA is strong, and the future is bright.”

Vandivier and the rest of the officer team also lauded CEO David Yeates’ seven-year tenure. Several months ago, Yeates tendered his resignation effective immediately after the convention to pursue other professional opportunities.

Yeates said, “Everything that has been accomplished during my time at TWA has been a collaborative effort between outstanding staff, dedicated officers and directors and inspired volunteers. TWA operates as a huge machine with many cogs, all of which are essential. I am proud to have been a part and will always be a TWA supporter.”

Meeting Highlights CL 2.0: Two years ago, staff and volunteers undertook an extensive

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review of Conservation Legacy, TWA’s education programs. The effort culminated in a strategic plan dubbed CL 2.0 that expands the program’s reach and impact.

Steve Lewis, through the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation, donated $2 million in the name of TWA’s first President McLean Bowman for the program expansion. Neal Wilkins, CEO of the East Foundation, announced that the East Foundation will join this new era of Conservation Legacy as a “Mission Partner,” by creating a sister education program that expands the foundation’s conservation education efforts in South Texas.

Membership: Under the leadership of the Dallas-based consulting firm Dini Spheris, TWA has embarked on an extensive review of its membership program with the goal of recruiting, retaining and better serving its members. The process is ongoing and members should expect to receive an email survey, which will help shape the final strategic plan and recommendations later this year.

Hunting Heritage: Using the Texas Youth Hunting Program as a model, the Hunting Heritage program is expanding to include adult mentored hunting opportunities. The goal is to help create field-ready participants who can immediately take part in and advocate for hunting.

Plant Your Legacy Campaign: TWA’s new headquarters in New Braunfels brings the opportunity to restore 4.5 acres as a native prairie and in the process create an outdoor “living” classroom.

The plan includes: prairie restoration, native landscaping, an amphitheater and a rainwater collection system.

TWAF in partnership with Conservation Legacy has launched a campaign to raise about $900,000 to fund the effort.

WILDLIFE 2021

TWA ELECTS OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Officers Sarah Biedenharn President, San Antonio Jonathan Letz Vice President, Comfort Dr. Louis Harveson Second Vice President for Programs Alpine Nyle Maxwell Treasurer, Georgetown Newly-Elected Directors Terms Expiring 2024 Heath Grigg Roger Parker Joe Patterson

Keith Lake Spencer Lewis Ben Love Russell Marshall Con Mims Rick Nauert William Osborn John Park Jay Robertson Wallace Rogers IV Michael Sasser Tim Taylor Jim Thompson

James Uhl Crystal Watts David Watts Rex Webb Jeff White Craig Williams Brad Wolfe New Directors Emeritus J. David Anderson Susan Combs Joseph Fitzsimons Tom Vandivier Bill Wilson

Re-Elected Directors Terms Expiring 2024 John Baker Connard Barker James Barrow Kenneth Bell Albert Biedenharn Sarah Biedenharn Al Bisby Craig Bowen Ruben Cantu William Carrington Chuck Cashdollar Ken Cearley Deborah Clark Vannie Collins Kevin Comisky Matthew Cooley Keith Crawford Dave DeLaney Parley Dixon Steve Dutton Jonny Fitzsimons Fay Fitzsimons Walker Chuck Greco Jeff Hanselka Rebecca Heildelberg Rod Hench Mark Hiler Peter John Holt Anson Howard Karl Kinsel Dan Kinsel Brad Knolle Bill Knolle Jim Kolkhorst Bart Koontz

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THANK YOU TO WILDLIFE 2021 EXHIBITORS!

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STATEWIDE TEXAS BIG GAME AWARDS CELEBRATION Article by David Brimager Photos by David Smith On Friday night, during WildLife 2021, the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA) celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a statewide awards ceremony recognizing the top hunters and landowners from across the state. The celebration was proudly sponsored by Nyle Maxwell Family of Dealerships. With an excellent system of private land ownership, technical resources from a great state wildlife agency and a dedicated group of hunters who continue to fund much of the conservation work that occurs in the state, our Texas wildlife resources are in great hands.

The 2020-2021 Texas hunting season was an exciting one for the TBGA program as we awarded over 1,100 total entries. There were also three Texas Slam awards recognized this past season. The Texas Big Game Awards is a free program, and could not operate without the generous funding support of our sponsors. Statewide Sponsors include Hixon Land and Cattle Co., Carters Country Outdoor Stores and Shiner Beer.

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Our Texas Regional Sponsors include Lee Hoffpauir Outdoor Superstore, Game Guard, Leupold, Yeti Coolers, Skull Hooker, Western River Game Calls, Cyclops Lights, Cold Steel Knives, Kendra Scott Jewelry, NAP Archery, Walkers Game Ear, Stealth Cam, Kahr Arms and Muddy Hunting Products.

During the TBGA celebration, TWA also recognized and thanked its friends at Capital Farm Credit. Since 2010, TWA and the TBGA are proud to partner with Capital Farm Credit as the Official Platinum Sponsor of the TWA annual convention as well as TBGA’s Landowner Category. Just this season alone, TWA recognized over 500 landowners for their support of creating quality habitat and wildlife in Texas. TBGA also thanked Big & J Feeds for their title sponsorship of the Low Fence Whitetail Category this season.

WILDLIFE 2021

2021 TWA VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR Article by David Brimager Photos by David Smith Each year, the Texas Wildlife Association staff recognizes someone from one of the three areas of our mission. This year, TWA recognized a volunteer from both the Texas Youth Hunting Program as well as Conservation Legacy program.

Volunteers of the Year Texas Youth Hunting Program

Gary and Kathy Glass accept the TWA Volunteer of the Year Award from TWA CEO David Yeates at WildLife 2021.

Our 2021 TWA Volunteers of the Year representing the Texas Youth Hunting Program are Gary and Kathy Glass. Gary and Kathy have been TYHP volunteers for 13 years and Area Coordinators for 9 years.

As Area Coordinators, they were responsible for an area of the state that includes over 20 counties. In the 2019-2020 season, Kathy and Gary were involved in 12 hunts as Lead Huntmasters, cook or guide. And, in the 2020-2021 season, they were involved in five hunts. To put that into perspective, that is almost every weekend of the hunting season in 2019-2020.

Gary and Kathy run excellent hunts and they are involved from the very beginning of the new hunter recruiting process. Both Gary and Kathy are longtime Hunter Education instructors. They hold some of the

largest Hunter Education classes in the state. Both have had numerous classes over a hundred students.

They are legends in the Concho valley; it is likely that if you took Hunter Education in the last 15 years in the San Angelo and surrounding counties, Gary and Kathy were your instructors. Based on the points awarded by TPWD Gary’s next level of recognition is the Hunter Education Hall of Fame and Kathy is only two levels away from her Hall of Fame Award. The Hall of Fame is the highest level of recognition offered

by TPWD Hunter Education.

For the past five years, every June, Kathy has also run the “Bring Your Daughter to the Range” event, a Kathy Glass initiative. Since its beginning, it has never had less than 100 young women in attendance.

Congratulations Kathy and Gary as the 2021 TYHP Volunteers of the Year!

Volunteers of the Year Conservation Legacy

(L-R) Iliana Peña, Mary Pearl Meuth, Tamara Trail and Kassi Scheffer. Meuth and Trail were named TWA Volunteers of the Year at WildLife 2021.

This year, the CL program had two people who stood out and have shown true dedication, a real commitment of their valuable time and a willingness to share their knowledge and experience to the benefit of this organization. The first awardee

was Tamara Trail, a landowner and conservation advocate. Tamara’s work experience ranges from endangered species issues and hands-on range management to program development and nonprofit management.

She gained her appreciation for conservation education while working for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. She then joined the staff of the Texas Wildlife Association and spearheaded the development of its Conservation Legacy program.

Tamara served as the Vice President of Conservation Legacy until 2008 and then transitioned her support as a consultant, allowing her the time to raise her family and engage with other organizations.

The second awardee was Mary Pearl Meuth, a passionate steward of the land. Mary Pearl worked briefly for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bell County prior to joining TWA in 2011 as the first L.A.N.D.S. Educator. Based in the Houston area, Mary Pearl was instrumental in developing the Wildlife by Design program, our bird Discovery Trunk and one-day teacher workshops. She also served the Brenham Community as the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Educator.

She is currently serving as Program Coordinator for the Texas Master Naturalist Program. Along with coordinating the over 8,000 statewide Master Naturalist volunteers, Mary Pearl and State Master Naturalist Coordinator Michelle Haggerty compiled edited and publishing the Texas Master Naturalist Statewide Curriculum which contains 24 units including subjects such as geology, ornithology and wetland ecology.

We cannot thank them enough for making the future of Conservation Legacy a passion project.

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WILDLIFE 2021

Newly-elected TWA President Sarah Biedenharn addressed the crowd at the General Session and Awards Luncheon during WildLife 2021.

WILDLIFE 2021 GENERAL SESSION Article by Lorie A. Woodward In her first “State of the Union” address, during the WildLife 2021 General Session and Awards Luncheon, TWA President Sarah Nunley Biedenharn highlighted the “opportunity of convergence.”

Despite the uncertainty of the past 18 months, TWA continued to move forward. Conservation Legacy underwent an extensive strategic planning process that culminated in a $2 million grant from the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation to support CL 2.0 and a “Mission Partnership” with the East Foundation that committed to creating a sister conservation education program in South Texas.

TWA is currently undergoing a similar review of its membership efforts.

As a result, big changes are in store for Conservation Legacy, the organization’s education efforts, and TWA’s approach to recruiting, retaining, serving and engaging its members.

In the world at large, the pandemic prompted a wide resurging interest in the outdoors. TWA recently received a significant donation to help expand its fledgling Adult Mentored Hunting Program.

“The most exciting thing to me is the way it is all converging and is aligned to magnify progress, expansion and impact,” Biedenharn said.

For instance, Conservation Legacy is both a contributor to and beneficiary of the way TWA grows its membership base. Some people learn about

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TWA through Conservation Legacy education and outreach and become members because of the contact. As the numbers of members increase, so do their contributions of time and money. These contributions then support more programming in Conservation Legacy and beyond, so the cycle becomes self-perpetuating.

“TWA is at a pivotal point in our history,” Biedenharn said. “Our challenge is to do even more of what we’re doing.”

As part of the CL 2.0 effort TWA’s message regarding the public importance of private land stewardship will be refined.

“Millennials are hyper-focused on sustainability,” Biedenharn, self-identified as a millennial, said. “What is more sustainable than private land stewards caring for our natural resources?”

In addition, Biedenharn, who has been described as “a bridge between old and new Texas,” has created the Junior TWA Leadership Advisory Board. This small, invited group will bring the next generation’s perspective to bear on issues.

Chronic Wasting Disease will continue to require vigilance, preparation, engagement and advocacy.

“It is incumbent on TWA to help create the framework to protect our wildlife resources,” Biedenharn said, challenging members to prepare for a long but necessary fight.

WILDLIFE 2021

TWA Director Susan Combs, a long-time public servant who most recently served as Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget at the U.S. Department of the Interior, delivered the keynote address at the General Session and Awards Luncheon during WildLife 2021.

Biedenharn, the youngest TWA President to date, said when she received the invitation to serve on TWA’s Officer Team several years ago, she considered the opportunity carefully and deliberately.

She began coming to TWA conventions as a child, participated in TBGA and considers her time with the South Texas Buckskin Brigade as life changing.

Her family, friends and mentors shaped her ultimate decision by reminding her of the characteristics of good leaders.

“Good leaders don’t have to be the smartest and most accomplished people in the room,” she said. “A leader’s job is to bring her perspective and honor the perspectives of others. In many ways, my perspective, is a product of all of TWA’s hard work. I look forward to great things ahead for TWA.” Following Biedenharn’s speech, TWA Director Susan Combs, a long-time public servant who most recently served as Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget at the U.S. Department of the Interior, delivered the keynote address.

During her tenure at the Department of Interior, she was charged with a massive reorganization of a federal agency nicknamed the “Department of Everything Else.” When she arrived, she found 11 bureaus, seven offices with innumerable programs and 574 Native American Indian tribes. Each entity tended to operate in “a silo.”

Problems ranged from turf battles and noncommunication between bureaus to computer and radio systems that would not communicate with each other.

“Less just say it was complex--and ‘entertaining,’” Combs quipped.

With the goal of “allowing people on the outside to find people on the inside,” she tackled and eventually simplified the complexity.

TWA Officer Louis Harveson, CEO David Yeates and Past President J. David Anderson welcomed the crowd of wildlife enthusiasts during the WildLife 2021 General Session and applauded efforts of leaders, members and staff in their past and onging conservation advocacy efforts.

In the process, she learned the importance of data for landowners when dealing with any arm of the Department of Interior.

“Know everything you can about your piece of property,” Combs said. “Solid, irrefutable data is a key component to convincing federal agents that you are indeed the best steward of your property and your natural resources if you ever find yourself in a regulatory situation.”

Data can be self-collected including information gathered using GPS as you traverse your land, long-term records of vegetation, rainfall and temperatures, wildlife population surveys and harvest data, and livestock density records.

“Gather everything that can help paint a picture of the land’s history and its use,” Combs said.

She also suggested “hardening up” data by requesting it from trusted third party sources such as NRCS, AgriLife, Texas Parks and Wildlife or even graduate students and research scientists from regional universities.

“Objective third-party information about your property and the area is valuable, so be willing to work with other agencies,” Combs said.

Participants in the oil and gas industry and the livestock industry should expect additional scrutiny in the not-so-distant future.

“When they think of livestock they think of methane production,” Combs said.

If landowners find themselves facing a regulatory challenge, her suggestion is to start local and try to work it out “at home.”

“Avoid the temptation to jump the chain of command and start at the top,” Combs said. “The higher you go the more complex the process gets. At the local level, you will find people who want to help you solve problems.

Again, data will help you convince them that you are the best steward for those resources.”

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2021 TWA AWARD RECIPIENTS

Ellen Carter was awarded the Ray Murski Friend of Wildlife Award at the WildLife 2021 General Session and Awards Luncheon.

Travis Carter (l), grandson of Ellen Carter, accepted the award on her behalf from TWA officer Dr. Louis Harveson.

Ray Murski Friend of Wildlife Award The Ray Murski Friend of Wildlife Award, the highest honor TWA bestows on members, is given to a TWA member who has made outstanding contributions to the Association and to wildlife habitat conservation. This year’s recipient is Ellen Carter.

Ellen Carter, and her late husband Bill, have been partnering with TWA for over 30 years. Their story is one of love, service, stewardship, and philanthropy. Ellen and Bill first met in New Jersey, got married and moved to Houston. They began servicing and building guns out of their garage. Eventually they bought a small property for a gun club, which later became Carter’s Country.

Together, the Carter family has expanded Carter’s Country to four beautiful retail stores with a total of

50,000 square feet, a warehouse and distribution center, a full-service gun repair shop, a public shooting facility (shooting range Houston) adjacent to the North Houston store, and commercial hunting and guiding operations in three main hunting areas of Texas and Colorado.

Through their successes, the Carter’s have maintained their values and their appreciation for Texas’ youth and wildlife. In the early years, Ellen and Bill supported TWA by donating guns for various fundraisers. As they learned more about TWA, their support continued to grow.

When TWA launched the Texas Big Game Awards in 1991 to celebrate hunters and their quarry, they needed a sponsor. Ellen and Bill Carter stepped up in a big way.

They were one of the original three who helped launch Texas Big Game Awards across the state.

In 2001, Ellen and Bill wanted to change how they supported TWA and the youth that they served. They launched the Texas Big Game Awards Scholarship Program and have served as the title sponsor since the beginning. Since its inception in 1991, the program has distributed more than 275 scholarships with a total value exceeding half a million dollars to college students pursuing degrees in agriculture or natural resource related majors.

As landowners, Ellen and her family take stewardship seriously. As a testament to that, their beloved Sombrerito Ranch advertises their deer as “100 Percent Native, No Breeders, No Introduced Genetics, No DMP, All Natural.”

In reference to Ellen and Bill, TWA Vice President Emeritus David K. Langford once wrote, “Every act of generosity, of which there were many, can be traced to two good hearts. I wish the world was full of Bills and Ellens, because it would be a much better place.”

Charly McTee Outdoor Media Award The Charly McTee Outdoor Media Award is given to a person in media who has made outstanding contributions in their field and shares the philosophies of TWA. This year’s recipient is Shannon Tompkins.

Tompkins has been communicating about natural resource conservation issues for more than 40 years.

Tompkins landed his first job working for United Press International and then later at the Houston Post where he focused on outdoor recreation stories.

After six years at the Beaumont Enterprise, Thompkins was recruited by the Houston Chronicle where his column was syndicated across the state and country.

After 29 years with the Chronicle, Tompkins retired in fall 2019. Tompkins provided in-depth stories on the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping and stories of conservation and private land stewardship. Although hired as an outdoor writer, Thompkins was always

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Shannon Tompkins(l) was awarded the Charly McTee Outdoor Media Award at the WildLife 2021 General Session and Awards Luncheon. TWA officer Dr. Louis Harveson presented the award.

WILDLIFE 2021

drawn to a deeper level of stories that focused on conservation and policy, not just the standard “hook and bullet” stories that were some common in that era. Stories on the Texas Wildlife Act that transferred regulatory responsibility from counties to the state, and stories that exposed issues surrounding the commercial redfish trade and gill netting.

In his 40-year career, Tompkins covered between 150-180 TPW Commission meetings. Former TPW Commission Chair Reed Morian recently quipped, “I always knew if the Commission decisions were sound by reading Tompkins’s column the next morning!”

In Tompkins’ final column “Reflections on Texas, the Outdoors and 40 Years of Writing and Photography,” he wrote: “I have caught a lot of fish, hunted a lot of covers, and paddled magnificent places such as the Devils River.

But I’ve also held live ocelots and Attwater PrairieChickens in my arms, and placed my hands upon red wolves and tried to tell their stories and the stories of the people who worked in service to those creatures and so many others. Spending time with and learning from the scores of scientists, guides, field technicians and other sources has been a highlight. I never could have done my job without their time, knowledge, patience and trust.”

The family of the late Dr. Bob Dittmar accepted the Sam Beason Conservation Leadership Award.

Sam Beasom Conservation Leadership Award The Sam Beasom Conservation Leader Award is given to a member of the professional conservation community who has made an outstanding contribution to the conservation of Texas wildlife and shares the philosophies of TWA. This year, it is awarded posthumously to Dr. Bob Dittmar.

On August 8, 2020, three of the best wildlife professionals in Texas died in a helicopter accident. Those individuals were Dr. Bob Dittmar, Dewey Stockbridge and Brandon White. TWA honors all of them by presenting the Sam Beason

Conservation Leadership Award to the late Dr. Dittmar.

He was a husband, a father, grandfather, friend, Aggie, veterinarian, wildlife biologist, teacher and outdoorsman, conservationist, Christian and “super” TWA volunteer. Dr. Dittmar grew up on the land. He was a fifthgeneration Texas rancher who gave his life to service and conserving the natural resources of this great State. Dr. Dittmar attended Texas A&M University and graduated with his DVM in 1979. Dr. Dittmar bought the Kerrville Veterinary Clinic in Kerrville in 1982. He sold the practice after almost 10 years but continued working at the clinic.

Bob’s second career was with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, when he became the first state wildlife veterinarian in 2014. In that capacity, he worked with landowners, hunters, and biologists in the conservation of native wildlife.

All of us are indebted to Dr. Dittmar, as he was at the helm when CWD was discovered in Texas.

Even before his time with TPWD, he actively volunteered with TPWD on legacy conservation projects like restoring pronghorns, mule deer, and desert bighorn sheep to their native habitats. Dr. Dittmar cherished those captures, spending time with his colleagues and teaching the next generation of wildlife biologists.

Prior to his service with TPWD, Dr. Dittmar was actively engaged with TWA. He gave numerous field necropsies and participated in TWA workshops, seminars, youth hunting programs, Brigades and our Conservation Legacy programs.

He served as director of the Texas Wildlife Association for more than 10 years, including serving on the Executive Committee for more than years. Dr. Dittmar also served on the on the White-tailed Deer Advisory Committee, Wildlife Health Working Group, Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, institutional animal care and use committee for the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, animal translocation projects and the Texas Animal Health Commission.

Dr. Dittmar’s legacy to the conservation community is unparalleled, but his true legacy is with the family that he and his wife, Bernadine, raised.

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TWA LIFE MEMBER AND TWAPAC RECEPTION

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WILDLIFE 2021

WILDLIFE 2021 AUCTION SUCCESS Article by David Brimager A record crowd gathered on Saturday night of TWA’s 36th annual convention to help raise funds in support of TWA’s mission. A big thank you to all

the buyers, donors and bidders for making this year a resounding success! Thanks as well to auctioneer Terry Reagan and his team.

Special Thanks to the WildLife 2021 Convention Committee Tucker Biedenharn, Chairman Ross Studer, Co-Chairman Clark Cadwallader Randy Cadwallader Mark Connally Sterling Curry Hunter Hawkins

Will Hughes Chris Kleberg Tucker Knight Spencer Lewis Patrick McNamara Carrie Neuvar Wallace Rogers IV

Brian Smith Chase Studer Louie Swope Ryan Swope William Thompson

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Through The Looking Glass Article and photo by SALLIE LEWIS

I

like to think that every outdoorsman and outdoorswoman needs a trusted set of binoculars. Last year on my 32nd birthday, my dad gave me his vintage 1960s Leitz® glasses which were passed down to him by his father years before.

My love of the outdoors started early in life thanks in large part to my dad and my late grandfather. I was just 12 years old when my grandparents introduced me to southern Africa. Today, I can still vividly remember riding on the back of their diesel-powered Toyota Land

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Cruiser pickup as we wandered over wooded savannas and grassy plains in the Tanzanian Selous Game Reserve.

From treading through thick brush to picnicking beneath the shade of a miombo tree that trip forever changed my appreciation for the world—and the wild things that roam it.

Years earlier in 1984, my dad took his old Leitz binoculars on safari in Botswana.

Imagining all the life he’s witnessed through its lenses makes them even more meaningful to me.

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Growing up, my dad generously shared his love of hunting and fishing with his family. Together with my siblings, we spent summer days reeling in redfish off the Texas coast and hunting in the Hill Country on frosty winter mornings. I can still feel my heart pounding in my chest when I think back on old memories hunting dove, deer, and turkey together.

Today, I am making new memories from my adopted home in Fredericksburg.

With binoculars in hand, I’ve seen Sandhill Cranes migrating high overhead and spotted newborn fawns on wobbly legs. This spring, I awoke one morning to a group of gobblers outside my window.

Slipping through the back door, I tiptoed outside and brought the binoculars to my eyes, watching in awe as the turkeys’ tail feathers splayed like golden fans beneath the sun.

A few weeks later, I witnessed another breathtaking site. One afternoon just before dusk, I noticed a large, rather unusual mound on my lawn. From the living room window, I reached for my binoculars and saw large amber eyes aglow in the sun and long apricot ears pinned onto the body. For a split second, I locked eyes with the rabbit—which was larger and calmer than any I’d seen before—and marveled at the miracles that are all around.

Though it’s been well over a year now since I turned 32, those old Leitz binoculars are the gift that keeps on giving. With lenses in tow, I am armed and ready to catch a glimpse of life’s raw, extraordinary beauty.

And that is the greatest gift of all.