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MAY 27, 2001
In an era when Texas urban populations are booming and rural lands are being subdivided into ranchettes and housing communities, Texas Parks and Wildlife honors Jim and Judy Reed of the Reed Wildlife Ranch in Navarro County for their outstanding efforts to conserve and enhance Texas' natural resources for teh benefit of all Texans.
At a May 20 reception in Austin, the sixth annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards will salute the Reeds' Ranch and 10 other winning properties for innovative, earth-smart practices to conserve the habitats that Texas' animals, birds, and plants call home. The Reeds' Navarro County ranch is the winner in the state's Blackland Prairie ecological region.
"Athough few Texans may realize it, 97 percent of Texas is privately owned. This means the future of Texas' wildlife and natural habitats is in private hands," said Andrew Sampson, TPW executive director. "Conversely, the majority of Texans are urban dwellers. It is they who make many of the decisions affecting wildlife habitats and rural lands. For this reason, it is essential for all Texans - urban and rural - to understand the impact of land stewardship and reward the efforts of our state's conservation stewards."
Throughout Texas, private landowners in diverse ecological regions team with TPW biologists and other advisors to develop land management plans that meet the unique resource needs of the properties. Land management strategies may include controlled burning to encourage rebirth of native plant life; harvesting crops and thinning forests in ways that create lush habitats; planting, protecting, and recording native plant species; and implementing livestock controls and harvesting wild game to prevent over-grazing.
"The Land Steward Awards show how proper land management and responsible wildlife stewardship are not luxuries, but are increasingly vital for all the sustainable income streams needed to keep rural families on the land," said Wallace "Happy" Rogers III, chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Private Lands Advisory Board. "More and more of the new breed of urban absentee landowners, as well as multi-generation rural families, are finding that wildlife leasing for hunting or viewing can provide steady income year in, year out, regardless of drought or cattle and crop price fluctuations."
After inheriting the ranch five years ago, the Reeds began employing holistic management principles with an eye to ecological responsibility. Instead of a pure cow/calf operation, the 1,780 acres of upland native savanna and bottomland hardwoods along the Trinity River now include forestry and some hunting and fishing.
To restore bottomland hardwoods, the Reeds planted over 15,000 oak and bald cypress trees and have improved wetland habitats for waterfowl and crawfish. The ranch uses rotational grazing for cattle and managed deer populations through hunting. "The Reeds dedication to managing their land for wildlife as well as cattle gives them the reputation as both land stewards and teachers." said Matt Wagner, TPW techical guidance biologist.
"This award made our day.", Jim Reed said. "We are like many Texas ranchers who inherited land that were primarily cow/calf operations. After being in the software industry, I at first had difficulty figuring out what to do with the inheritance. The one thing we knew was that we wanted to manage the land in an ecologically responsible way."
Reed added that he plans to promote and host the ranch's first "Nature Fest" in 2002.
"Our facilities are primitive and rustic. Right now, we're not set up for public use. But our goal is to share the ranch with others," Reed said. Currently, the ranch hosts fishing, deer-, hog-, and duck-hunting clubs.
Governor Rick Perry will attend the May 20 reception to be held from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. at the University of Texas Alumini Center in Austin. Co-hosted by the TPW Commission and the Private Lands Advisory Board, the Lone Star Land Steward Awards are made possible through the support of the Federal Land Bank Association and the Natural Resources Foundation of Texas. During the reception, the state's top 2001 Lone Star Land Steward Award winner will be announced.
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