KEYE TV Coverage of the Ranch

Austin area television station KEYE put together a great story (running an extraordinary 5 minutes, 41 seconds) on the Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and broadcast it on May 14th. The text and video of the story are available from their website. (Update: David insists that the story ran 4:20 when it was broadcast, which I missed, but it is definitely 5:41 on the KEYE web site.)

Upcoming Television Coverage on Austin's KEYE 42

David's assistant, Lois Sturm, sent along the following message today:

To all directors in the viewing area of Austin's CBS affiliate channel 42 and to Julia Gregory and all of our volunteers:

Thanks to an introduction by Bobby Cocke, CBS channel 42 KEYE TV came to the ranch on Saturday May 9 and did a great deal of filming of David's water project which was being worked on by a small group of boy scouts from North Austin. We have no idea as to how the story will unfold, but we were told by Ron Oliveira, the station's anchor,that the piece will be 3½ minutes long. It will air on Thursday, May 14 during the 10 o'clock news. Ron said we should expect to see a tsunami of volunteers and people who want to come to Selah.

Once again, it can be seen on Thursday, May 14 during the 10 o'clock news. We will put a link to it on our website so that it can be seen again.

Tell your friends and neighbors to watch.

J. David Bamberger Honored by Texas House of Representatives

Colleen Gardner, Executive Director of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve, writes:

Everything that happens on or around the ranch is a story. And never is the story short on details. On a cold and blustery volunteer workday with the Central Texas Trail Tamers this last winter, David Bamberger caught the ear of two new volunteers—“fresh meat” as the staff likes to tease—with some of his wonderful stories. One of these women, Carolyn, was motivated to visit the ranch after seeing a public television program featuring Margaret and David’s work. After reading Water From Stone, Carolyn signed up to volunteer and has become further enamored with the Bambergers’ conservation mission. It is to her that we give credit for honoring Selah 40 years of conservation with this house resolution.

After Church’s Fried Chicken went public on the New York Stock Exchange in May 1969, David Bamberger was able to purchase the abused, worn-out, chunk of land in Blanco County that he had had his eye on – the same one we all now know to be Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve. Honoring this 40th anniversary, Carolyn instigated, wrote draft copies and hand-delivered requests to both the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate for a House Resolution and a State Flag that flew over the capitol building.

Because the House is in session, we weren’t sure if Representative Rose’s public acknowledgement of David would happen until the very last minute. Intended to be a surprise, we therefore decided to read our draft copy of the resolution in front of over 100 guests at our Family Picnic Fundraiser on May 3 so that friends and family could celebrate David and Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.

Everything works out the way it should – we were, in fact, able to get on the Representatives’s calendar for Monday morning, May 4. And at his prompting, our esteemed Representative Patrick Rose asked David Bamberger to stand on the upper gallery that overlooks the House floor while Representative Rose publicly acknowledged him and all of his great accomplishments with the following resolution (due to time constraints, it was not read in its entirety) and asked everyone to look up and clap for one of the greatest conservationists this State has ever known. Meanwhile, Senator Dewhurst’s office provided David with a Texas flag that flew over the capitol on May 2, 2009, the exact 40th anniversary of the date when Church’s went public.

The House Resolution

Presented at the State Capitol of Texas, May 4, 2009

House Resolution Number: 1633

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, J. David Bamberger of Blanco County has contributed immeasurably to the cause of habitat restoration and responsible land stewardship in the Lone Star State; and

WHEREAS, Raised on a farm in Ohio, Mr. Bamberger graduated from Kent State University and enjoyed a highly successful business career, first with the Kirby Company and then as the cofounder of Church’s Fried Chicken; shortly after the latter company went public in 1969, he purchased approximately 3,000 acres in Blanco County, a tract described as the sorriest piece of land in the area; overgrazed, juniper-choked, and devoid of a natural water supply, the property was exactly what he was looking for – a place where he could realize his childhood dream of bringing a piece of abused land back to life; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger named his ranch Selah, after a Biblical expression that invites the reader to pause and reflect; over the past four decades, he has expanded the ranch to more than 5,500 acres and created one of the largest habitat restoration projects in Texas; and

WHEREAS, the first major undertaking on the ranch involved the extensive clearing of cedar and restoring of grassland; within two short years, flowing springs had begun to reappear; today, the property is a working ranch that supports more than 90 species of native Texas grasses, 4 species of ferns, 6 species of cacti, 175 species of native wildflowers, and 117 species of native woody plants and trees, including the endangered Texas snowbell and a Blanco crabapple that has been recognized as the Texas State Champion in its species category; the ranch is also home to 205 species of birds, among them the endangered black-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler, and 26 species of native mammals; and

WHEREAS, other notable features of the Bamberger Ranch include a man-made cave that is designed to house a million Mexican free-tailed bats, the official state flying mammal, and a large herd of scimitar-horned oryx, an animal that is now extinct in the wild and that Mr. Bamberger is helping to preserve in a cooperative arrangement with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; some experts have judged the latter effort to be the most successful species survival program in the world; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger’s guiding philosophy in managing the ranch has been to ask, first, what is the best for Mother Nature, and second, how can the lessons learned be passed on to others; the educational mission of the ranch, developed with the skilled assistance of his beloved wife, the late Margaret Bamberger, is carried out through public tours, programs for school children, and workshops, which collectively bring some 3,000 visitors to Selah each year; and

WHEREAS, The awards bestowed on J.David and Margaret Bamberger for their accomplishments and far-reaching influence include recognition from the Texas Forest Service, Texas Wildlife Association, National Arbor Day Foundation and Garden Club of America; in 2001, Mr. Bamberger created the non-profit Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, to protect the land and continue its educational programs in perpetuity; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger’s efforts to preserve the state’s natural treasures have extended well beyond the boundaries of his ranch; he has succeeded in winning the trust of landowners who cumulatively own more than 120,000 acres in West Texas and gained their cooperation in reintroducing the Texas snowbell; his success in propagating the tree, a project he has pursued for more than 10 years, prompted the US Fish and Wildlife Service to designate his ranch as the lead institution in saving this rare species from extinction; and

WHEREAS, The esteemed Texan also played an instrumental role in the creation of Guadalupe River State Park and in the purchase, by Bat Conservation International, of Bracken Cave, home to the largest concentration of mammals in the world; and

WHEREAS In 1993, Governor Ann Richards appointed Mr. Bamberger to the State Task Force on Texas Nature Tourism, which developed the first state program in the country for promoting ectotourism; he has further served on the boards of the Texas Nature Conservancy, Bat Conservation International, the San Antonio Zoo, as well as on two Texas Parks and Wildlife Department advisory groups dealing with private-land issues; additionally, he has served on the San Antonio Area Foundation Board of Directors and given of his talents and resources to create Heart Line, a program for hearing impaired individuals in San Antonio; and

WHEREAS, Just as Mr. Bamberger was nurtured in his love of the land by his mother, he has shared the beauty and wonder of Selah with his three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, J. David Bamberger has aspired to be a new kind of pioneer, an individual who heals the scars inflicted on the earth by past misuse and who brings to fruition again the land’s rich diversity; it is indeed fitting that, on this special milestone in Selah’s history, Mr. Bamberger’s fellow Texans pause and reflect on the magnitude of his achievement and on his tireless advocacy for preserving the extraordinary natural inheritance of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby honor J. David Bamberger for his immeasurable contributions to the advancement of nature conservation in Texas and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Selah, the Bamberger Ranch and be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Bamberger as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

I'm About to Rapture

“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree” ~ this is the opening line in Joyce Kilmer’s (American poet 1886-1918) beautiful poem about a tree. It has always filled me with pride and been a motivating factor in my own near obsession with planting trees here on Selah. The recent rains have encouraged an explosion of flowering trees and shrubs, so much so, that I haven’t been able to visit, smell and observe them all. A walk on the trails this week revealed how many I had missed, but the sweet odors and the hum of bees and the skipping around of butterflies was surely rapturous!

Golden Ball Lead Tree (Leucaena retusa)

This attractive small tree or shrub is usually less than 15 feet tall. It is without spines or thorns, which are found on most of the Pea family members that live in dry areas. Cattle and deer find it very palatable which may account for the fact that it is not abundant over most of its range, which is Central and West Texas.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

The leaves are twice compound. The fragrant flowers, which appear in the spring, are clustered, bright yellow rounded heads usually about ¾ inch in diameter. The fruit is a brown, narrow, flattened bean pod 4 to 10 inches long.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

The Golden Ball Lead Tree is very attractive, easy to start from seed, and can be used in landscaping dry sites.

Rough Leaf Dogwood (Cornus drummondii)

Cornaceae (Dogwood) Family

The Rough Leaf Dogwood is a small to medium sized shrubby tree with simple opposite leaves which are very rough to the touch. It prefers moist soil and is often found under the canopy of larger trees along waterways. It is often found in thickets as in damp deep soils. It tends to spread from rhizomes.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

Though not nearly as showy as the Flowering Dogwood, a beautiful relative found in east Texas, it provides cover for wildlife and is a durable plant. The flower inflorescence of the Rough Leaf Dogwood lacks the showy white bracts of its cousin, but the flowers themselves are very similar.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

The name “dogwood” comes from the fact that a medicine was made in England from the wood of a variety of Cornus to treat mangy dogs.

The fruit is known to be eaten by a variety of birds, including quail and turkey. I consider it a desirable tree.

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe paviflora)

This plant is not really a yucca, it is a member of the Agave Family. It is found in dry brush conditions in Texas and New Mexico. The sword like leaves stay green all year-round. Blooms occur from spring through fall with pink or coral colored flowers that cluster along the pink stalk.

It is somewhat uncommon in native conditions, but is a popular plant around roadside parks and in landscapes. If you plant it close to a building it will lean out for sunlight as it wants sunlight from all four directions.

The red flowers distinguish it from true yuccas. Hummingbirds enjoy the nectar and I’m sure enjoy the long blooming period. You can plant it in most any soil and climate.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

Shrubby Blue Sage (Salvia Ballotaeflora)

In Texas this woody shrub in the Mint family, also known as Mejorana, can grow up to six feet tall. It is found growing in rocky limestone soils on the southern edge of the Hill Country, but a few specimens grow as far north as Blanco and Hays counties. Most members of the Salvia genus are ot woody, and many are common “wildflowers”, such as Blue Sage, Topical Sage, Mealy Blue Sage, Cedar Sage, and Engleman’s Salvia.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

In this picture, you can see a Red Yucca behind the Shrubby Blue Sage.

Leaves are wider at the base than the tip and have wrinkled surface. The small, light blue flowers are ½ inch across, and have a flattened, funnel like shape. It blooms from April to June. The previous year’s flowering stems persist as dead twigs and give the shrub a scraggly appearance.

Photograph taken by Steven Fulton.

I have introduced this plant as one that could be native to Selah but that has not been found here. It was given to me by the San Antonio Botanical Center in 2001.

Natural Bouquets at Selah

I have written before of my love of trees, particularly flowering trees which I wasn’t used to seeing so much in my native state of Ohio. This week in Texas we have two beauties blooming! They are small trees, but are like giant bouquets.

Blanco Crabapple (Pyrus ibensis var. Texana)

Some botanists refer to it as the Texas Crab because Blanco County is considered the southwestern extent of its range. I discovered this old tree in 1973 and learned that it was listed as a threatened species. I had been in this area many times working on our tree species inventory, but never recorded it. I never saw it because I was never there when it was blooming. You won’t miss this small tree when it is full of its beautiful white blossoms.

Paul Cox and Patty Leslie in their book, Texas Trees: A Friendly Guide, write that its “natural occurrence is restricted to stream banks and the heads of canyons.” This specimen is on the top of our divide in shallow soil and hot sun. So, don’t give up when looking for one on your property. This is a good tree for wildlife, especially deer, raccoons and turkey. The tree protects itself by producing smooth, spine tipped twigs that would prick the nose of a browsing deer or other creature with the desire to eat its fruit or leaves.

The Blanco Crab is a small tree, sometimes a shrub. It rarely grows over 15 feet tall. After the tree blooms, a small green apple develops and matures in the late fall. These are very tart – sour. Many years ago I collected a half bushel from this tree and with a lot of enthusiasm and pioneer spirit I decided to impress Margaret by making apple jelly. It was a lot of work, especially for one who had never made jelly before! I closely followed the instructions in the “old timers” cookbook noting that it called for a lot of sugar. The sticky mess I made in the kitchen, the cuts on my fingers while trying to peel these little apples didn’t damper my enthusiasm. From one half bushel of apples, I ended up with just 6 small jars of jelly! What damaged my enthusiasm however was a product so very tart no one would waste a nice piece of toast by spreading it with my Blanco Crabapple jelly! I doubt that any readers of this blog will ever find a supply of enough Blanco Crabapples to make jelly; but if you do, take my advice and double the sugar in your recipe! There was a benefit from this experience however – I got enough seeds from which I grew seven trees that are now successfully growing here on Selah.

Blanco Tree, full shot.

Blanco blooms up close.

Photographs taken by Justin Duke on April 22, 2009.

It doesn’t seem appropriate that such a small tree as this would be awarded the largest Blanco Crab in Texas. I wish I knew its age. It could be 100!

Champion Blanco Crabapple Certificate.

Hawthorn (Crataegus sp. Series Virides) Rosaceae (Rose) Family

There are at least 33 species of Hawthorn found in Texas. The series Virides are native to the Hill Country. Those growing naturally on the Ranch are growing under harsh conditions on hilltops where they are exposed to heat, drought, freezing cold, and soil compaction by domestic animals and wildlife.

The Hawthorn is a small tree under 20 feet with a dense crown of thorny rounded branches which makes it an attractive place for nesting birds.

In the early spring it produces pretty white blooms and in the fall edible fruit that is enjoyed by birds such as Cedar Waxwings and Fox Sparrows, and by humans to make jellies and wines.

Most of the Hawthorns that I have found on the Ranch are growing amid thickets of Shin Oak and other woody brush. I have made it a habit to tie bright orange flagging tape on each one I discover so that I can come back at a later time with an intern or volunteer to clear around, prune and corral (cage) the tree so that visitors can enjoy its beauty. The Hawthorn would be a wonderful addition to any landscape. I have not been successful in propagating it from seed, but this fall I’ll collect lots of seed and turn them over to our biologist, Steven Fulton, who knows more about how to do this kind of thing. We’ll soon have Hawthorns available for sale.

These beautiful photographs were taken by Justin Duke on April 22.

Hawthorn tree full shot.

Hawthorn bloom.

Hawthorn bloom enjoyed by a honey bee.

Selah - To Pause and Reflect

Everything starts from philosophy ~ this I believe ~ Selah is not the name of the Bamberger Ranch, but rather it’s a place. To me, it’s like Walden was to Thoreau – a place not just for me, but for all who come here to look around, to see and witness the natural world and to reflect on the wonder, the magic if it all; and then, to think about our individual responsibility as stewards of our portion of this planet Earth.

Quite frequently Selah Moments occur here. Colleen Gardner coined that phrase. Pictured here are some high school students quietly having a Selah moment at Madrone Lake: pausing and reflecting.

Photograph taken by Colleen Gardner.

Paragon School 5th grade students from Austin gathered in front of Hes’ Country Store. They had been here for an overnight field trip. The County Store is the final stop where the value of conserving family culture and history is brought home to them. It’s another opportunity to feel a Selah moment.

Photograph taken by a Paragon parent.

Bracken School children from San Antonio were doing a “Rain Storm” exercise April 9th to help us out of this very serious drought. While I doubt this very enthusiastic gathering caused it, on April 17 we did receive a very nice two inch rain! The point of such a Selah moment is that these very young third grade kids could see that Selah and Mother Nature desperately needed rain and made somewhat of a spiritual connection with this exercise.

Photograph taken by Justin Duke.

Science Educator or People Motivator?

David Bamberger writes:

We determined long ago that our arboretum and nature trail would only have plants that were endemic to Blanco County. Not having any Canyon Mock Orange (Philadelphus Ernestii) growing here, I was delighted to have found one in a nursery in Austin. It was a small specimen in a one gallon container. Nevertheless, I put up the identification plaque and nurtured this rare plant. Within a few years it produced a glorious display of white blossoms. I hurried to the ranch house to tell Margaret who went to photograph the scene.

A few days later, while taking people on the trail I noticed that a Band-Aid had been placed over the word “canyon” on my plaque! Sure enough, Margaret was guilty. “David,” she said, “THAT is not a Canyon Mock Orange. It’s beautiful, but some plant breeder has created it and it’s probably a hybrid. So call it a Mock Orange if you want to motivate others. But as a science educator, get me the REAL thing!”

Thanks to Ernesto at Medina Garden Nursery (830-589-2771) we got the real thing and the plaque was moved to it. You can see the remains of Margaret’s Band-Aid around the word “Canyon,” in this photo by Justin Duke.

Below, canyon mock orange bloom. Photo by Amanda Fulton.

Below is the mock orange in bloom, as photographed by Amanda Fulton. You can see that the leaves and blooms are much larger than on the canyon mock orange above. There are many names for this hybrid, and we'll accept "Texas mock orange," but three biologists from Texas Parks & Wildlife have humorously suggested that we call it "mock mock orange," instead.

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

The Anoles, with more than 250 species, constitute the largest genus of lizards in the world. However the Green Anole is the only species native to the United States.

This particular little fellow, photographed by Colleen Gardner, was seen on the bridge across the creek, now dry due to the drought, leading to Madrone Lake.

The striking feature is the red colored throat fan. The size of this one indicates that this is a male and most likely there is a female near by as this is a courtship routine. But sometimes, this goes along with push ups and head bobbing to defend territory. The anole’s diet consists mostly of insects and spiders.

It’s a treat when we have school children to be able to point out the lizards on tree limbs and leaves.