Volunteers – Selah’s Invaluable Asset

Volunteer – A person who undertakes some task of service of his own free will . . . to offer oneself willingly.

To me, this Webster Dictionary definition doesn’t go far enough to define a volunteer. It doesn’t mention they work without financial reward, nor the fact that personal expense usually is involved, and that time for family is given up. It doesn’t describe the person’s qualities, their personality and character. It doesn’t do justice to the volunteers I’ve known. It doesn’t say they are America’s unsung heroes.

I contend that America cannot function successfully without volunteers! So much is given to our society by volunteers, that is accepted by our society, but not recognized by our society.

We see organizations functioning, serving us: such as hospitals, hospice, Salvation Army, parks, conservation and environmental groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, schools and many, many more. All of which could not do what they do, what we respect them for – without volunteers.

Here at Selah, our volunteers range from 18 to 80! We could not function successfully without them. They serve as teachers, trail guides, food servers, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Native Plant specialists, engineers, carpenters, animal rehabilitators, first aid givers, truck and trailer drivers, tree and flower planters, interpreters, rock and stone movers, trail builders, dish washers, house cleaners and on and on and frankly, just about anything that needs doing.

These are members of an Austin organization called The Trailtamers. We’re just one of the places they give time to. Sometimes turning out twenty-five members. They, at their own expense, spend a week in some national park across America. Photograph taken by J. David.

Joanna Rees, volunteer, a gardener at her own home near Austin, spent the day “stepping up” seedlings from four inch to one gallon containers. Photograph taken by J. David.

Steven Fulton, Ranch Biologist, with volunteers, Joanna Rees, Sarah Pierce, Tyler Porterfield. They had spent the day working around the greenhouse. Photograph taken by J. David.

On a Sunday evening in November we had a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner party at my ranch house arranged by Colleen Gardner, our Executive Director. Every volunteer got a big hug from Colleen! Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Lynda and Dave DeGroot, long time volunteers. They exchanged their wedding vows here on Selah a number of years ago. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Three volunteers with diverse skills were at the party. Kathy Wilson, Linda Vincent and Susan Hamm. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Marsha May, a full time biologist at Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, has volunteered here for many years organizing birders from all parts of Texas to do our three annual bird counts. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

David Matthews, a teacher at Small Middle School in Austin, with his wife Rita. David volunteers at Selah and has brought hundreds of his students to Selah for overnight learning. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

We have a tendency to think that members of a Board of Directors are big mucky mucks that live in big houses and are a part of our economic system isolated from the masses ~ not true, as you see here at a board meeting held at the ranch house, Sunday November 15, 2009. Board members, too, are unpaid volunteers who give their personal time and particular expertise to give direction and oversight to the Preserve. It is required by law to have a Board of Directors, a majority of whom cannot be related to me. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

After our meeting, the Board visited the homes of Preserve employees to get familiar with these assets that are on the Preserve’s balance sheet and to meet the families who carry out our mission. This is the home of our Ranch Operations Manager Scott and Melissa Grote and their two children Grey and Willow. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Another view of the Grote house. Photograph taken by J. David.

The newest home was built in 2009 for Justin and Stephanie Duke. Justin Duke is our Ranch Steward. This is the only house on Selah equipped with a rainwater collection system. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Another view of the Duke house. Photograph taken by J. David.

Our Ranch Biologist Steven and Amanda Fulton and their son Aiden live here. This location gives Steven access to the greenhouse and the shop. Steven is not only a biologist, but also a horticulturist and a skilled carpenter. Amanda teaches biology in the Blanco Schools. Photograph taken by J. David.

In the past ten months of writing this blog, you have seen the many education programs we do for kids and adults. Won’t you please support this with a yearend tax deductible contribution? We are a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. You can send your contributions to: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 2341 Blue Ridge Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636.

The Observatory

Four hundred years ago Galileo, for the first time ever, looked at the sky through a telescope. Now in 2009 the world is celebrating the International Year of Astronomy. Here at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, we too are celebrating the opening of our own observatory looking at the night sky with an instrument so much more powerful than Galileo could ever have imagined.

Pictured are long time personal friends and supporters of the Preserve, Kerby and Judy Confer. They donated the observatory which was originally constructed on their Blanco County ranch. The Confers live in Baltimore, Maryland. After witnessing our school program with volunteers from the Austin Astronomical Society, the Confers saw that the observatory would serve a much better service to society here at Selah than on their ranch where it was used by them infrequently. Now because of their generosity we have added the night sky as an additional classroom. Thus, Awakening and Nourishing a Passion for Learning. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Here on “Majic Springs”, the Confer’s Blanco County ranch, is Justin Duke of BRP, Arlyn Cook, one of our volunteers, Steven Fulton our Ranch Biologist inside the dome and Ken Voss, Majic Springs Ranch Manager. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

The observatory has been unbolted from the cement slab and the telescope removed. Steven Fulton guides the dome onto our trailer. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Arlyn Cook, one of our volunteers, who is a retired industrial engineer, handled the disconnection of the solar powered electrical system. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

The solar panel keeps two batteries charged. It supplies enough energy to open the dome and operate the Celestron 1400 telescope which is computer programmed to track various planets and stars. Arlyn, Justin and Steven along with, back to camera, volunteer Dana Spontak. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

I’m sure that passing cars wondered just what was Steven hauling on State Highway 290. The dome was securely strapped to our trailer and no mishaps occurred. Majic Springs is only 15 miles from Selah. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

It’s arrival at the ranch created a lot of curiousity. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

There was a lot of time and construction involved in preparation for the dome’s arrival. The PVC tube had to be perfectly level as it would support the telescope. Here, Steven and Scott Grote, Ranch Operations Manger, are adjusting the PVC tube. The metal box holds the batteries which power the scope. It will be anchored into the cement. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Here on the ranch, I have a reputation for insisting that gates and posts, tree corrals and such be level. Sometimes walking up to a project during construction and eye balling something and commenting – “It’s not level.” Here Steven and I are “eye balling” whether it’s level or not. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

“Eye balling” is not enough. So here I am using a level. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

The site was chosen by the Astronomy Club volunteers which required some leveling and tree removal. Selah is ideal for sky watching as we are far from the light pollution of Austin and San Antonio. Futhermore, the hills shield any local light. Pictured are volunteer Arlyn Cook, Scott Grote, volunteer Dana Spontak and Justin Duke of BRP. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

The cement arrives. Leroy Petri, Ranch Engineer, directs the cement while seasonal ranch employees, Raul and Maestro, spread the mix while Steven Fulton and Scott Grote level the cement out. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

The solar panel has to be adjusted so that it receives the most sunlight. Here, Steven Fulton and Scott Grote check it out. Photograph taken by J. David.

Dana Spontak, a volunteer, helped build the cedar post steps that provide easy and safe access to the observatory. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Herve LaPuente, a member the Austin Astronomy Club who has been volunteering here by providing night sky education programs for our overnight students. Herve (pronounced Err-vey) is excited and so enthusiastic about the observatory and the powerful Celestron 1400 scope. The telescope has to be programmed. It must be in a certain alignment with the North Star and once this is accomplished just a push of programmed buttons will turn the scope to Jupiter, the Moon, Saturn or any number of things in the night sky. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Chris Johnson took this long exposure picture by the light of the full moon, November 1, 2009, during our yearly volunteer appreciation party. Notice the sky, the stars and the streak of the meteor/satellite/airplane at the lower right of center. Chris has been volunteering with us for years, both as a photographer and computer expert. He’s invaluable. Photograph taken by Chris Johnson.

It’s confession time for me. I don’t know how to turn a computer on. I write this blog, Lois Sturm, my right arm, types it and also takes pictures and sends it to Chris who posts it each Sunday night. Here’s my testimony. Most non-profits cannot survive without volunteers. The good work and good deeds in America don’t get done by government. It’s the hundreds of thousands of people, who are givers not takers that contribute their individual talents and time to causes they believe in that make organizations like ours successful. All the money in the world cannot buy passion.

Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve receiving our observatory coincides with 2009 being celebrated as the International Year of Astronomy. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 has a website where you can find more information and pictures of the universe. Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve will continue in Galileo’s steps opening other’s eyes to what is a part of their world.

In the past ten months of writing this blog, you have seen the many education programs we do for kids and adults. Won’t you please support this with a yearend tax deductible contribution? We are a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. You can send your contributions to: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 2341 Blue Ridge Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636.

“Water Workshop – How to Have Water Without Drilling a Well!”

The story of the restoration of Selah, Bamberger Ranch is a story about the most pressing issue facing Texans as well as the world - WATER!

Forty years ago I was fortunate to have met and hired Leroy Petri to help me. He was born here in the Hill Country where his German father taught him how to do just about everything necessary on a ranch. Little did I know at the time about the geology of the ranch, about the fact that the entire ranch was straddled by a “perched or local” aquifer that had gone dry. I had no plan back then to use the ranch for education, for what we now call People Ranching. Leroy’s work and advice proved invaluable and most dramatic was the return of seeps, springs and even creeks. There are many of the practices we put into place that are shown in detail in this week’s blog that anyone can do, some without any cost at all – just your own labor!

The workshop begins with Ranch Biologist, Steven Fulton, pointing out specific soils that will hold water. You will need to identify these if you’re going to build a pond or dam for a lake. Notice the rain machine in the back left of the picture that demonstrates the necessity to have good grass cover. Without good grass cover, none of the water projects that follow are possible. Once again, note that all workshops are outside and site specific. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Leroy Petri, Ranch Engineer, on the dam at Madrone Lake, explaining dam construction. He has a unique draw down tube that maintains a constant level in the lake. The exception to this is of course during a drought which continues on today. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Here Leroy discusses how to construct and where to use concrete to build a pond. Leroy and my youngest son, Doug, built this in the early 1970’s. It was our first swimming pool! You don’t see it, but the dam is eight foot deep. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

To move around to the various sites we use the Blue Bonnet. Justin Duke drives so that Steven and Leroy can talk and answer questions while on the way to the next site. There are coffee and restroom stops along the way. Photograph taken by J. David.

Here Colleen Gardner leads a discussion about rainwater collection. Colleen Gardner is the Preserve’s Executive Director. Her new home has no water well and all their needs are met through rainwater collection. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Here Leroy shows off his “Aggie Roof.” A 400 square foot guzzler that collects 220 gallons of water in a one inch rain and delivers it into a 500 gallon concrete storage tank. The guzzler is made of 100 percent recycled materials! Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

The concrete storage tank delivers the water to a watering trough that has a float valve to keep the trough at a constant level. There are big rocks and bare limbs sticking out of the trough for birds to land on. Supplemental water for wildlife is one very good practice for achieving the wildlife exemption. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Here is another example of Leroy’s ingenuity – a ground guzzler. Notice the depression or grass covered ditch. These ditches come in from both directions and collect water from eight acres. In the right foreground is a black water trough which sends the water a hundred yards to a collection cistern. I’ve seen, in a heavy rain, thousands of gallons collected. The fencing keeps livestock from the immediate area and thus the water cleaner. This all can be built for very little expense. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

It’s not real clear, but coming out from the stones notice a one inch PVC pipe. This comes from a 100 foot French drain and except during drought it delivers a quart every two minutes. This is 7.5 gallons an hour or 180 gallons in a 24 hour period. Enough to support a family! The drain also goes under the road shown in the next picture and into a water trough for wildlife and in our case domestic livestock. How is this possible? Check the next picture. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Here Leroy is standing in front of the area under which he has installed the French drain. Notice there are no trees or shrubs. This tells you that the area is too damp for them to grow there. Also, notice the grasses, mostly Lindheimer Muly and Bushy Blue Stem. Both are good indicators of water near the surface. I remember when I was involved with this workshop when at the site an older lady, I’d guess 65 or more, commented, “Why this is falling off a log simple. I can’t wait to get home to do it!” Once again, not much expense. The water is potable. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Here Leroy is showing a very low volume spring where water seeps out of a rock shelf about five foot wide. It doesn’t look like much water until he makes a small clay berm that makes all the seep gather together and is measured just a bit shy of one gallon per minute. That’s 1400 gallons every 24 hours! If you put up storage tanks, you’ll have all the water you need. Leroy shows you how to build a casement around this seep. Another very easy and very low cost way to have water without drilling a well! Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

I read a very interesting and enlightening book, When The Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pierce. You should get it $12.00 at Amazon. From reading this book, my mind wondered if some of that things former civilizations did thousands of years ago might not be something we could do today. Forty years ago there was no water on this ranch. Seven wells drilled 500 foot to o avail – dry holes. Today on Selah’s 5,500 acres there are no functioning water wells. All our water coming from the various practices you’ve witnessed on this blog . . . taking a tip from those people from our past, we initiated a program called “A Plan for the Future – Maximizing Rainfall Retention on Bamberger Ranch.” It calls for 28 miles of stone berms on the slopes of the hills and 12 miles of “Water Pans.” A former Texas Water Board official after hearing my plan said, “David, anything you do to slow down the runoff of water is good.”

Leroy on the slope of the hill showing the stone berms to Water Workshop guests. One said, “This is equivalent to the great Wall of China!” We only have one and a half mile completed, but follow on and witness the results. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

We did use our bulldozer to scrape the 6 to 8 inch deep “pans.” Because the grades were uneven, we constructed stone berms across the pan every 30 foot. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

When we finally got some rain, the pans performed preventing runoff. Photograph taken by J. David.

On the very flat hilltops we dozed this ditch in a great circle. Photograph taken by Susan Sander.

Even though we have good grass cover on the flat hilltops a typical Hill Country rain can drop 2 or 3 inches very quickly. You will have runoff. This “pan” collected 15 inches of water. It held the water until it ever so slowly leaked into our “perched aquifer.” In 48 hours it was all absorbed. Photograph taken by J. David.

Now look at what happens 125 feet below the Water Pans. Here Justin Duke demonstrates our water feature. He has opened a spigot which comes from Leroy’s cased off spring. Forty-eight hours after the rain captured by the pans and berms, one and a half gallon per minute was produced. When our cisterns are full this water shifts to the stone water feature which then waters livestock and wildlife. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

The next session of our Texas legislature will be dominated by water issues. They will be trying to reconcile water needs of the various stakeholders. This has been debated and studied for years and years to no avail. Now it has become evident to all that water must be shared and conserved. There will be some serious adapting for everyone when these issues are settled. We ranch land owners doing some of the practices you have just witnessed can contribute so very much to the solutions, all the while insuring better and adequate water for ourselves and the natural world.

If you would like to join in helping us to continue our projects, you can send your contribution which is tax deductible to the extent of the law. We are a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. Please share your year end giving with us. You can send your contributions to: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 2341 Blue Ridge Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636.

People Ranching – Continues

It was in the mid1990’s that we really got big into People Ranching. I can assure you that ranching people requires more preparation and more planning than traditional cattle ranching.

As the economics of cattle ranching began to fade away and with generation changes and so did attitudes and interest in the environment, in conservation and in endangered species issues change, I found that the effort and experience gained here had unknowingly positioned Selah as a place to demonstrate just what can be achieved with habitat restoration. We were constantly being asked to speak to groups as well as requests to visit, especially after articles began showing up in newspapers, magazines and on television.

One day after I put had an exhausting two days, more or less showing off Selah to individuals, couples and groups who were eager to hear the gospel of conservation from me, Margaret said, “David, you’re wearing yourself out. You’ve had ten different guests; you’ve spent hours and hours with them. You can’t keep this up.” I replied, “People either own ranches and or have just bought land and they are searching for answers. I’m eager to help them.” “But you can’t keep this up. Why not just tell everyone that calls you’re going to hold a public tour this Saturday and for $5.00 per person you’ll show them what you’ve done, how you did it and answer questions. Tell them to be at the front gate at 9 a.m.” I’m supposed to be the businessman, but I never thought of this! Well, come Saturday morning I loaded bales of hay on a trailer thinking that maybe 10 or 15 people might be at the gate. Was I surprised – there was a crowd! We had two-way radios and I called for help and another trailer. I really don’t remember exactly how many people were there that day, it was more than 50, but this is when People Ranching began.

I’ve never inherited any money – what I did inherit, mostly from my mother Hester, was a love and respect for the natural world. In 1980, she died and I built, Hes’ Country Store, which came to be the first “infrastructure” that facilitated People Ranching. It was a gathering place, a place to sit and talk, a place to have a drink or to eat one’s lunch. A place to pause and reflect – Selah – places that can serve this purpose can be patios with picnic tables, or perhaps primitive seating along a trail or at some viewshed. To go into People Ranching you must develop some “infrastructure” and you must like people as a rancher likes his cows.

There is much more infrastructure we built that followed Hes’ Country Store and I’ll talk more in future postings on this blog, but I do add this admonishment: “Never initiate an action you are unable to sustain.”

Please bear with me. You can see a glimpse of Hes’ Country Store in the picture, but what today’s blog is about is People Ranching. Notice the tree planted with the corral protecting it. One treasured memory I have as a small boy is being with my mom many times planting trees, mostly Apple. Later she called me ‘Johnny Appleseed.’ Photograph taken by J. David.

What I’m doing across from Hes’ Country Store is building a forest! Our goal is to have at least one tree or shrub in our “forest” of every species that grows naturally in Blanco County. We’re now at 42 with many more to go and to grow. Some of the early introductions are 15 feet tall. Photograph taken by J. David.

Here now is People Ranching – Our Tree and Shrub Workshop. This was held October 17, 2009. There are many useful tips we’ve learned from planting more than 3,500 trees these past 40 years. We start with selecting the tree in a nursery, to digging a square hole! There is much more, but one thing is certain: A tree planted in the Hill Country must be protected from wild animals and livestock or you will lose it. In this workshop, you will learn to use a “key” that will help you identify a tree you may never have seen before! Here in the “forest” you will take, at the end of the day, your final exam. I will not live to see our forest reach full maturity, but I have the joy and pleasure of building and planting it. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

It was such a treat for all our adult students to have Jim Rhoades, our “Tree Aggie,” and his son, “Little Tree,” with us this day. Jim has a degree in Urban Forestry from Texas A&M. For 25 years, he helped me and taught me and others so very much about trees. He added so much to this workshop. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Our classroom for all of the workshops is the entire 5500 acres! We use the “Bluebonnet” to move you from one site to another. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

There is a high point on the ranch of about 100 acres where the soil is different than most, a Redlands site. It’s on this site where Black Jack Oak and Post Oak predominate. Steven Fulton, Ranch Biologist, teaches the course. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

The Lindheimer Trail is just the opposite of the Redlands site. Probably six miles of separation between them. It’s down in a valley where for hundreds of years soil has been eroded off the steep hillsides. This has created a climate for bigger trees to prosper. There are no Post Oak or Black Jack Oak here. It covers an area of 100 acres and is the only area where Lacey Oak and Cedar Elms predominate. There are numerous other species here, but not in large numbers (other than Ashe Juniper, Cedar). They are Spanish Oak, Eve’s Necklace, Red and Yellow Buckeye and Escarpment Cherry. Because of the deep soil we have been adding Bur Oak and along the creek some Chinkapin Oaks. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

Along the trails we have built, with basically no expense, outdoor classrooms. (This is part of the “infrastructure.”) We used recycled boards from the floor of our cattle trailer and the sawed off ends of fence posts. Here the workshop participants get to ask questions and with the help of Susan Sander, a volunteer, formerly with the Texas Forest Service discuss tree health, ball moss and oak wilt. Photograph taken by Lois Sturm.

I’m teaching all the wonderful young people that work here to have a respect for O.P.M. – “Other People’s Money.” They are taking this to heart. Here they are, managing 5500 acres, with all that entails then add people ranching with 3500 visits per year. I doubt that any nature center in the U.S.A. operates so efficiently with a staff of five and yet we run a deficit every year. Will you please help by sending us a contribution which is tax deductible to the extent of the law. We are a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. You can send your contributions to: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 2341 Blue Ridge Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636.

People Ranching – Education

In 2003 Margaret and I learned that the failure rate in Science on the mandated tests by students in Title One Schools was nearly 100%. A Title One School is one where families are so poor that the students received free breakfast and free lunch. . . . There has been a lot written and researched on the problem. One well written book is Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. He calls the problem Nature Deficit Disorder. We thought that we could help overcome this “Disorder” by inviting all fifth grade students, in selected schools in Austin and San Antonio, to come to the ranch for three days and two nights. Our goal was to awaken and nourish in these children a passion for learning about the natural world.

We all worked together to develop a curriculum that took place mostly out on the ranch, a 5500 acre classroom! The program was offered free to the schools. Their commitment was to measure results and to transport the students to us. It’s been a phenomenal success! Here are some of the activities taking place and the people bringing the programs to 5th grade kids from J. J. Pickle Elementary School in Austin.

Sallie Delahoussaye who has devoted many, many years of her life to rehabilitating raptors, shows the kids a Harris’ Hawk. The hawk is 22 years old and Sallie has had it for 21 years! Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

The hawk was robbed from the nest by the hands of some well meaning person who didn’t understand the needs of raptors. It was housed in a small wire cage, which is the worst thing you can do for any wild bird – it thrashed around in the cage breaking its feathers – its diet was probably hamburger whereas a raptor needs whole-animal prey such as mice – they need the calcium they get from the bones – without the calcium they develop metabolic bone diseases. When their diet is low in calcium, their body uses what calcium there is to carry on metabolism – This hawk has very limited flight ability as flight requires rotation of bones. All of this because of a poor diet. This bird can never be released. This sad case is all because of human ignorance, interfering in Mother Nature’s world.

Ed Sones, a rehabilitator and volunteer, holds another raptor species, a Mississippi Kite.

Imprint Doom

This bird had fallen out of a nest when only two days old. The nest was high up -100 feet in a tall pine tree in Houston. It was taken to a rehabilitator who fed him properly – crickets and mice. The rehabilitator worried about the bird imprinting on people as that was all he saw since falling from the nest. At four weeks he was brought to Ed Sones in Austin, but rehabilitators couldn’t find anyone around Austin who had any of this species. Ed took the bird to Lubbock. By this time, he was two months old. Even though with the six of his own species, he did not go on the migration with them. Instead he flew the neighborhood – landing with very sharp talons on people’s head and shoulders during outdoor barbeques, a danger to all. He was brought back to Ed who transferred him to Sallie, who now uses him for education programs such as this with J. J. Pickle Elementary School from Austin. Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

All guests are met at the “Historical Marker.” The burial site of man! Here Colleen Gardner, Executive Director of Bamberger Ranch Preserve, greets and orients the students as to what they will experience these next three days. Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

Scott Grote, Ranch Operations, demonstrates his horse and how helpful it is to him in rounding up cattle and goats. He explains just what a ranch does that contributes to their lives. The kids can touch and feel the horse. They are amazed as most only see a horse in a movie or television. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Here Justin Duke, Ranch Steward, has the young people in the water where they will sift out pond critters and later put them under a microscope to study life in the water. We supply all the boots and gear needed for all the programs. The extreme drought this year has hampered this program. Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

Since J. J. Pickle has four fifth grade classes therefore it required all four weeks of October, one class each week, to do the program. We would be hard pressed to do this without the help of volunteers. Here Bob Boydston, a long time friend and volunteer, leads the “Pond Critters” program. Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

Steven Fulton, Ranch Biologist, leads every class on a night hike. You can imagine how the hearts of these young inner city kids were palpitating as they followed Steven down the dark trails! Each child is given a small flashlight, but asked not to use it during Steven’s program. At one of our outdoor classrooms Steven, sometime with his own lips, calls in a Screech Owl who lands within twenty feet of the kids. The night hike is a thrilling experience and much talked about from one class to the next. Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

I’m the last person the kids see prior to leaving the ranch. By now, the kids are so “into” everything in nature. In addition to that shown above they have witnessed a bat emergence from our chiroptorium, looked at the heavens through our observatory, seen dinosaur tracks, collected fossils, participated in bee keeping, learned about endangered species through our scimitar-horned oryx and more. So I have the most attentive and enthusiastic fifth graders in the world! My starting question is always the same, “How many of you would like to grow up and have a job like Big Steve (at 6’ 8” he’s called that by the kids) or Queen Colleen (she sometimes wears a tiara)?” All hands go up and I then say, “You can. Ask your teacher questions, read books and do your homework as your life will be so enriched by education.” Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

It’s here in Hes’ Country Store that I invite the kids to do a conservation project that their teacher can’t do. This interests them! The project is one of conserving family history, culture. I tell a brief story about my life when I was their age. I ask them to visit grandparents and find out about the clothes their Mom wore or the toys their Dad played with. Write it down, create a journal – a history. The best letter I ever got in my life went like this:

“Dear Mr. Bamberger,

I’m 92 years old - my granddaughter never gave a hoot about me until she came back from your place – and now thank you, sir, she comes to see me once a week with a clipboard and a pencil asking me all kinds of questions.”

We could use your financial help for this program. We’ve had some success in getting grants for it, but never enough to cover the raw costs. Your contributions will be tax deductible to the extent of the law. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit private operating foundation. You can send your contribution to: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 2341 Blue Ridge Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636.

People Ranching

It was in the early 1990’s while a member of Governor Richards’ task force on nature tourism that someone first spoke the words “People Ranching.” So it’s really not original with me, but we are the ones who have popularized it. Think about this ~ in early history, ranching meant raising cattle, sheep or goats. After World War II hunting was added to what ranchers did to help support themselves and this was a departure from tradition as it involved strangers being on the ranch. The addition of exotic animals and high fences meant more income, but of course more people. This was hard to accept by some of the “old timers” but generational changes, the need for income and a new breed of landowners saw the changes coming. The reality was that the economics of traditional ranching no longer made sense. It is my contention that you cannot buy any ranchland anywhere in the state of Texas and pay for it with any form of agricultural production. Why? Because land prices are now dictated by high income people who want the quality of life offered by rural land or the price is dictated by the population growth to whom the developer caters.

Now a new ethic is developing – that being an interest in preservation, conservation and species survival. So here on Selah we invited people, young and old to come, to see and to learn from our experience. We built infrastructure and developed programs and because of this new ethic people came and thus “People Ranching” became a real thing. I understand that the term has now entered college textbooks.

Each Spring and Fall we hold a series of workshops for new landowners, agency people, teachers or anyone interested in the topic. On October 10 a one day workshop affair titled “Grasses” was attended by 22.



Our Grass trail didn’t do well this year because of the very severe drought and record high temperatures. So Steven Fulton, Ranch Biologist, propagated and nurtured 30 species in containers. Photograph taken by J. David.

The containerized grasses enable everyone to see the grasses up close and some in a mature state. Each container is labeled. Here Steven is explaining details, the nomenclature of the plants. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Colleen Gardner, Executive Director, with two of the “students.” Everyone on the staff participates in all of our workshops. Photograph taken by J. David.

Ann Baird, who deserves a Ph. D., as she has taken four of our workshops. Justin Duke, Ranch Steward, is describing Big Bluestem. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.






This is were it all happens! Out on the ranch. We don’t spend any time looking at videos or virtual grasses. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Steven and Justin are with the “students” at all times. This is true in all our workshops. Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

There’s a coffee and restroom break at the Country Store at each workshop. Photograph taken by J. David.

By mid morning we find high spirits and bonding by the “students.” Photograph taken by J. David.





Check this blog next week for more on People Ranching.

The Drought Continues

September brought some relief from the all time record hundred plus degree days and we finally received some good rain - 6.15 inches. Every bit of which soaked into the ground. This was very good for the range grasses. It always amazes me how grasses can respond so quickly. All the pastures were brown and with no growth at all, yet in four days everything was green again. Wildflowers were blooming and grasses were shooting up and producing seed heads . . . . but this doesn’t end the drought. Remember that up until September we received only 11.24 inches for the year and during the hot summer months of May, June, July and August we only had 1.69 inches!

Since there was basically no runoff, our lakes, tanks and creeks are still, with a few exceptions dry. I hesitate to say the drought has a benefit, but it did give us the opportunity to remove silt from the lakes.

This tank was built in the late 1970’s. It has never been dry before and it was still boggy as the one loader got stuck in the mud. Photograph taken by J. David.

This pile of silt is 270 feet long, 50 feet wide and 6 foot high! Removal increased the tank capacity by 30 percent. After a prolonged drying out, we will spread it on the ranch. Photograph taken by J. David.

Madrone Lake, our most used recreation lake, on May 31, 2009. The creek that feeds it stopped flowing on July 28, 2008. Photograph taken by J. David.

Madrone Lake on October 8, 2009. The September rains soaked into the very dry earth. There has been no runoff to the lake nor spring activity to fill the lake. Photograph taken by J. David.

My observation of the effects of this drought on trees is that the most affected were Spanish Oaks. A Texas Forest Service representative estimated that we’ve lost 1,000! It surprised me that we lost at least five Bur Oaks. They have a tap root which goes deep into the ground. On the entire 5,500 acres I found only one Bur Oak. It’s probably 150 years old and in my 40 years here, it has never produced an acorn. We have planted all the other Bur Oaks on the ranch. Those five that died from the drought were seven to ten years old. Lacey Oak, some call it Blue Oak, and Live Oak have survived without loss. There has been some loss of Native Pecan, Walnut, BigTooth Maple, and Bald Cypress. It’s important to withhold judgement on this until next spring as some of these may come back to life.

This nice Spanish Oak shut down in late August. Aesthetically, it is a real loss as it was positioned along the road for all to see. Notice on the right a dead Bald Cypress. Photograph taken by J. David.

These are just two of many Bald Cypress we’ve introduced. Naturally there weren’t any on the ranch. I knew it was a risk to plant them at higher elevations, but since the creek had begun to run it was a good gamble. These are 40 foot tall and I don’t expect them to spring back to life as they got severely stressed in 2008 as well as in 2009. Photograph taken by J. David.

We call this the Catfish Tank. It has never gone completely dry. It has one spring and a 500 acre watershed to feed it. Photograph taken by J. David.

Obviously this tank has been dry long enough for cracks to develop and grass to grow. Photograph taken by J. David.

Because of the recent rains, one may want to declare this current drought over. This is not true. Conservation practices one may have developed due to the drought should become part of one’s life. Water is the single most important issue facing all of us.