Texas Land Conservancy's Fall Newsletter

Texas Land Conservancy

Fall 2012 TLC’s Oak Cliff Nature Preserve in Dallas gets a user-friendly makeover, story on page 7

Fall 2012 1 1 2 3 5 7

Upcoming Events

TLC at a glance • 84,316 acres protected

30th Anniversary Gala Preview

• 109 conserved properties across Texas

Spotlight on New Properties

• Statewide, independent, land conservation non-profit

• In top 2% of land trusts nationwide for acreage conserved

Profile of Genie Fritz

• 1 of 4 accredited land trusts in Texas

TLC Conservation Photos

• Founded in Dallas in 1982, by Edward C. “Ned” Fritz

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve Renovation Project

8 Stewardship Update 9 Ned Fritz Society 10 TLC Shop

• 633 acres- average size of properties protected by TLC • Celebrating 30 years of conserving Texas land, in 2012!

• Created “Land for Water,” a strategic conservation plan focused on six key Texas watersheds, in 2011

FALL 2012 UPCOMING EVENTS October 13, 2012 5:30 PM Hill Country Dinner honoring The Ned Fritz Society

Private Home, Hill Country -Call TLC for details on membership in the Ned Fritz Society: 512.301.6363-

November 16-18, 2012 Weekend at Ivy’s Preserve, a TLC Conservation Property

For info contact TLC: 512.301.6363

December 1, 2012 4:00 PM- 8:00 PM TLC 30th Anniversary Gala Vitruvian Domain, Austin Near RR 2222 & 360

Texas Land Conservancy 30th Anniversary Gala Saturday, December 1st, 2012 from 4 PM - 8 PM Vitruvian Domain, Austin, Texas

For thirty years, the Texas Land Conservancy has been working to protect the land in Texas. Through the work of many diligent conservationists, landowners, members and foundations, TLC has been able to conserve almost 85,000 acres of land including native prairies, hardwood forests, rivers, creeks, historic ranches, wetlands and endangered species habitats. This fall we want to celebrate!

Join us on Saturday, December 1st, 2012 at the Vitruvian Domain in Austin for a gala celebrating Texas Land Conservancy’s 30th Anniversary. We’ll toast the champions of Texas conservation, and enjoy dinner from Whole Foods, music by Austin indie orchestra Mother Falcon, drinks from Republic Tequila, and a few special surprises, all alongside the shores of Lake Austin on a beautiful 65 acre property, the Vitruvian Domain, that was conserved with TLC by Richard and Laetitia Garriott de Cayeaux in 2011.

Tickets are $75 per person in advance and $100 at the door. Event sponsorships are available from $1,000 to $5,000. To purchase tickets online, or to sponsor, go to: www.texaslandconservancy.org/gala Thank you to the following generous sponsors who have already shown their support: Trammell S. Crow | Braun & Gresham, PLLC | Pineywoods Mitigation Bank | Imperium Public Affairs | Advanced Ecology | Texas A&M Institute of Renewable & Natural Resources | Republic Tequila & Republic Tequila Spirit Blends | Austin American-Statesman | Stephen Rockwood | Mother Falcon

1

Profile of Genie Fritz: Conservationist. Advocate Leader.

Over the past 30 years, the forests of East Texas, the rolling grasslands of the Hill Country, and so many other beautiful open spaces in our great state have directly benefitted from the tireless efforts of Eugenia “Genie” Fritz. One of the original founders of the Texas Land Conservancy (TLC) in 1982 along with her husband Edward “Ned” Fritz, who spent decades promoting environmental conservation in Texas and the nation, Genie has served as a board member, advocate, incredible force for conservation, and now, a member of TLC’s Advisory Council.

A Dallas community leader known for her work on social justice and women’s rights causes, Genie also served as President of the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union, Board Member of the Tejas Council of Girl Scouts, where she led two Girl Scout troops, Treasurer and President of the Greater Dallas Housing Opportunity Council, Board of Directors of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas and Trustee of the endowment fund, and President of Women’s Alliance of First Unitarian Church Dallas. Genie was also extremely passionate about the campaign to Save the Trinity River and other projects that involved environmental concerns in the Dallas area.

Genie was born in Washington, D.C. but with her father being a diplomat for the State Department, she spent much of her childhood traveling all over Latin America, including Argentina, Guatemala, and “When you have a cause you the Dominican Republic. Her are passionate about just keep experience in Latin America may on working for it, even if it have influenced her choice of seems as if you are not getting education as she went on to earn a anywhere. Your efforts may bachelor’s degree in economics and succeed to inspire others.” government from the University of Texas Institute of Latin American -Genie Fritz Studies.

In 1952, after Genie and Ned moved into their house on Cochran Chapel Road, (later made famous by their 1972 victory to the legal right not to cut their lawn- which they turned into a small plot of natural prairie in suburban Dallas), Genie, a busy mom raising four daughters under the age of six, managed to find the time to go to a League of Women Voters unit meeting. Amazed and inspired by this group of women intelligently discussing important issues of the day, Genie was hooked for life and went on to serve as President of the Dallas League of Women Voters (1963-65), Board Member of the League of Women Voters of Texas (196568), and Secretary of the Overseas Education Fund of National League of Women Voters, focusing on teaching women about democracy.

Genie credits Ned as having introduced her to the great outdoors and invigorating her commitment to the preservation of scenic natural landscapes. She marveled at Ned’s resilience in the face of innumerable conservation battles lost, among those that were won. But it was Genie’s enthusiastic support, reassurance, and fortitude that allowed him to do so. Without Genie, keeping the organizations running smoothly, TLC and the Texas Conservation Alliance would not be what they are today.

Does Genie have a favorite TLC property? The long answer is no. The short answer is, of course: Of TLC’s 108 diverse properties, Genie describes the conservation easement on Jesus Canyon Ranch, a 167-acre property in the Hill Country donated by Claude and Susan Albritton, as her all-time favorite.

TLC, the Dallas community, the state of Texas, as well as women and conservationists all over the country are indebted to the incredible work of Genie Fritz. TLC is honored to have her as an Advisory Council Member.

2

SPOTLIGHT on new properties

fall off creek 690 acres conserved In keeping with TLC’s mission to conserve land, protect plants and wildlife, and preserve the natural heritage of our great state, TLC has been busy this year with four conservation projects, adding another 2,689 acres of protection and bringing the total acreage conserved with TLC to 83,589. To give some perspective, here are some other things that are about that size: 4,179 Wal-Mart’s, the city of Atlanta, GA, and the country of Grenada! Fall Off Creek Mitigation Bank and Comanche Crossing are two of these four beautiful new properties. Read on:

Fall off creek mitigation bank - coryell county After 30 years, TLC is now taking its first step into Coryell County by acquiring a conservation easement for the Fall Off Creek Mitigation Bank, a 690-acre property of beautiful open Hill Country supporting a wide diversity of Texas wildlife and plants. Nestled within Fall Off Creek’s lush grasslands are streams and riparian areas, which serve as important habitat for many native species and contribute to the Leon River Watershed. Historically, Fall Off Creek was once owned

by Texas State Governor Pat Neff who was instrumental in the development of the Texas State Parks Board, and donated the land that became the first State Park, Mother Neff State Park.

Conserving critical habitat for endangered species is a priority for TLC which makes Fall Off Creek a tremendous opportunity.

One of the significant conservation values of the property is the preservation of Black-Capped Vireo and Golden-Cheeked Warbler habitat. Both of these birds are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which signifies that a species is “in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” In addition, the smooth pimpleback mussel was determined by USFWS to warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act last October due to the threat of habitat destruction and modification. By conserving Fall Off Creek, TLC can help contribute to the water quality needs of this mussel that resides on the property in the Leon River as well as 10 other candidate species of mussels located in the Leon River Watershed.

3

The view at Fall Off Creek

Fall Off Creek also creates a large connected landscape for wildlife species because the surrounding areas are also under conservation. By adding to this larger conservation area, TLC is improving the biodiversity and overall ecosystem function of the entire range.

comanche crossing ranch & wilbarger creek travis county TLC, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Commission’s (NRCS) Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and Travis County, has acquired an easement for an extensive 244-acre tract of open land within the Wilbarger Creek Watershed called Comanche Crossing Ranch. Slated to become a suburban development, the ranch was saved by a private landowner, who then sought to conserve the property forever with TLC. Wilbarger Creek, which runs through the ranch for 1.2 miles near its southeastern boundary, is a tributary of the Colorado River and its watershed has been identified by the Trust for Public Land’s Travis County Greenprint for Growth as a high priority for conservation due to its impact on the water quality and quantity of Travis County. The watershed has been under threat of pollution by wastewater discharge from Pflugerville and other upstream cities as well as the threat of development as the urbanization of Travis County encroaches into natural areas. However, with TLC ensuring the conservation of Comanche Crossing Ranch in perpetuity, the Wilbarger Creek Watershed will be better preserved along with the benefits it offers to Texans, such as flood protection, scenic landscapes, native plants and wildlife, and clean drinking water.

The ranch is also part of the Blackland Prairie eco-region, which has been designated as a major priority for conservation by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. With its rich unique soil being ideal for farming, Blackland Prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, losing over 99 percent of its acreage to crop agriculture conversion. This project is an opportunity to conserve a small piece of this endangered eco-region and protect native Blackland Prairie grass species, such as fall witchgrass, Texas wintergrass, and silver bluestem and also, provide habitat for migrating songbirds, such as Indigo Bunting and Northern Parula.

Comanche Crossing Ranch is adjacent to Brockenbrough Ranch, a property also conserved by the combined efforts of Hill Country Conservancy, Travis County, and NRCS. Brockenbrough Ranch was the first large-scale conservation effort in the area and Comanche Crossing Ranch will add continued acreage to protected land in the Wilbarger Creek Watershed. The Wilbarger Creek Conservation Alliance, which includes local landowners and stakeholders, is working with land trusts and government and private institutions to continue the conservation of this valuable watershed and hopes to reach 4,000 acres conserved in five years.

comanche crossing 244 acres conserved

4

Ferguson Ranch

Brushy Top Ranch

what do TLC’s Conserved lands look like?

Lone Oak Ranch Eagle Rock Ranch

5 5

Jesus Canyon Ranch Oak Cliff Nature Preserve

The Narrows

Pike Davis Ranch Baird Ranch

Galberry Ranch

Sandylands Ranch

Big Creek Ranch

66

Public preserve

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve | Renovation Oak Cliff Nature Preserve (OCNP) is a 121-acre urban preserve in the heart of Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood.

Through the hard work of local citizens, the preserve was protected from development in 1999. Since then it has evolved to offer eight miles of excellent mountain biking and hiking trails that wind their way through the pockets of wooded and open meadow in the preserve.

In the last year, TLC has had abundant help from REI-Dallas in recruiting volunteers and hosting work days to remove invasive plant species and trash, better balancing the ecology of the preserve. We will continue this work as we also embark on a new project: making the preserve more welcoming to the community and ensuring its status as a vital, recognized community resource.

Several foundations have stepped up to support this work. Gifts from the Hoblitzelle Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Dallas will allow TLC to make the preserve safer, more visible to the community and more user-friendly.

Hike and bike enthusiasts all over the Dallas-area will benefit, so too will school groups, scout troops, and community members seeking a respite from the bustle of city life among the quiet calm of a beautiful nature preserve.

7

To best meet the community’s needs, TLC will construct a low-impact gravel parking area, explanatory and welcoming signage, fencing, and other low-impact but durable features made of recycled and reused materials. TLC will be utilizing feedback from Dallas Off-Road Biking Association (DORBA) members and Oak Cliff community members to best gain a sense of the needs of the community using the preserve.

Assisting TLC in the design process is University of Texas architecture professor, and Rural Studio alum, Jack Sanders. Jack Sanders brought his UT-Austin Architecture students to OCNP to begin designing improvements to the entrance of the preserve. We look forward to the input of these UT architecture students. We will display the architecture students’ proposals at our 30th Anniversary Gala on December 1st in Austin.

Join us to see their work firsthand.

For those in the Dallas area, make sure you visit Oak Cliff Nature Preserve next time you need a break from the city’s noise. In OCNP’s all-encompassing calm, you’re guaranteed to find the decompression you are seeking. (ONCP trail openings/closings for biking can be found on Facebook: facebook.com/oakcliffnaturepreserve)

stewardship update

Marysee Prairie | restoration Located in the Upper Coastal Prairie (a critically imperiled ecosystem) of southeast Texas exists a small tract of land known as Marysee Prairie. Although seemingly small and unassuming, this 9.2 acre parcel of land represents what was once over 9 million acres of coastal prairie. 6.5 million of those acres existed in Texas alone. Marysee Prairie has never been plowed or developed, so it remains a shining example of a healthy prairie ecosystem with an estimated 268 flora species, including rare and uncommon plants, on site.

Due to historic suppression of fire and increasing lack of large grazers (e.g. bison) the Coastal Prairie ecosystem became overgrown with loblolly pines and assorted hardwoods as the range of those trees expanded southward. Marysee Prairie was not immune to this overgrowth. By the mid 1900’s, the Coastal Prairie ecosystem was in sharp decline. Then, during the 1970’s, development pressure on open lands in Texas spiked. Prairie lands were sold for development. Finally, in 1991, a group of local community members were able to protect Marysee Prairie, this high quality remnant of Coastal Prairie, from impending development in partnership with TLC.

Since its acquisition for conservation, restoration efforts of Marysee Prairie have been ongoing. A devoted, core group of volunteers have led the charge to restore the prairie to its former glory. In the early 1970’s, the largest of the pines were removed, followed by the first prescribed burn in 1980 which took place thanks to the efforts of the Texas Forest Service. Relentless work crews have been helping restore the prairie since then, fighting back encroaching brush through prescribed fires, mowing, and targeted herbicide applications.

However, since the initial logging, the trees that were left behind in the 1970’s have grown and succession has marched on. For a few years, attempts were made to have the prairie logged once more, but those efforts didn’t come to fruition until this summer when the prairie ecosystem was again given a fighting chance. Marysee Prairie was logged in July, opening up the canopy, and allowing the prairie grasses to gain back the foothold they were losing.

TLC members and friends are encouraged to visit Marysee Prairie and see the restoration in person. For more information, and the history of this important conservation property, head to: texaslandconservancy.org.

8

giving Honoring the Ned Fritz Society “In the field of the environment, I represent a normally unrepresented class, and that is Nature itself, which cannot speak verbally and has no ability to hire lawyers.”

Edward C. “Ned” Fritz

The Ned Fritz Society is a giving society, named for the Texas Land Conservancy’s founder, Edward C. “Ned” Fritz. We would like to thank the current members of the Ned Fritz Society for their devotion to protecting Texas’s open lands for the good of current and future generations. The generous support of these individuals makes the work of the Texas Land Conservancy possible. For more information on the Ned Fritz Society, or to join, go to: texaslandconservancy.org Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett and Tracy Anderson Mr. Jim Avant Mr. Ross Bee Ms. Mickey Burleson Mr. Trammell S. Crow Mr. William Durham and Mrs. Susan Gallagher Mr. Philip Ferguson & Ms. Kathy O’Neil Mr. and Mrs. Richard & Laetitia Garriott De Cayeux Ms. Genie Fritz Mr. Michael Grimes Mr. Michael Jung and Mrs. Gretchen Megowen Mr. and Mrs. Leo and Hannah Golub Ms. Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk and Mr. Joshua Frenk Dr. and Ms. Earl and Lonnie Matthew Mr. Robert O’Kennon Mrs. Sandra Penz Ms. Sharon Reed Mrs. and Mr. Pam and Mike Reese Mr. John Roberson and Mr. John Blackmon Ms. Betty Sanders Mr. Charles Snakard & Mrs. Dorothy Prengler Mr. Pat Y. Spillman, Jr. & Ms. Toni Hennike Mr. and Mrs. Buddy & Ellen Temple Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Darlene Tusch

9

Volunteering at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve Over the last year we have had some great groups come out to help “preserve the preserve” at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve. We would like to thank REI and Clif Bar especially for their support at these events. Here’s a sampling of photos from the last year’s worth of projects. If you’d like to join us as a volunteer, keep an eye on the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve Facebook page or the TLC Facebook page for notices of new projects: facebook.com/texaslandconservancy

New Texas Land Conservancy Shirts We have new TLC t-shirts! They are soft, pre-shrunk cotton t-shirts in men’s and women’s styles. Check out our shop on the TLC website to support conservation and get a great new shirt at the same time. texaslandconservancy.org

10

Nonprofit Org US POSTAGE PAID Austin, Texas Permit No. 258

P.O. Box 162481 Austin, TX 78716

Texas Land Conservancy Board of Directors

staff

Mission

President- P. Michael Jung Vice President- Earl Matthew, MD Secretary- Travis Phillips Treasurer- Janell Morgan Adam Jochelson Anne Norvell Anne Rowe Earl Matthew Eileen McKee Michael Grimes Mickey Burleson Pat Spillman, Jr. Robert J. O’Kennon Russ Jewert Sharon C. Reed Wayne Graham

Mark Steinbach, Ph.D. Executive Director

Since 1982 the Texas Land Conservancy has been working to protect the nature of Texas.

Devon Ryan Development & Communications Director

The mission of the Texas Land Conservancy is to conserve natural areas in Texas and to protect the physical and ecological integrity of their wildlife habitat, native plant communities, and scenic landscapes for the benefit of present and future generations.

Daniel Dietz Stewardship Director Leigh Stuemke Stewardship Director

texaslandconservancy.org

Callie Thompson Outreach Coordinator

facebook.com/texaslandconservancy

twitter.com/texaslands

pinterest.com/texaslands