Environmental Survey Consulting is honored and delighted that the Spicewood Ranch has received Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Lone Star Land Steward Award for the Edward’s Plateau region. Established in 1996, the annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards recognizes and honors private landowners in Texas for their contributions to natural resource conservation and management. ESC has been restoring the ranch for almost 30 years. TPWD’s Alan Fisher filmed and produced a very fine video of the ranch for the awards ceremony. The primary goal of the ranch has been restoration of the degraded habitats on the property; reducing invasive species and bringing back the missing grasses, forbs, and woody species. The ranch is situated in a high development area near Austin and, despite land development and fragmentation in the vicinity, has evolved after decades as a traditional cattle operation into a showcase for research and management of native plant species and their habitats. ESC has been organizing workshops that focus on management techniques and strategies through guided plant tours, prescribed burn demonstrations, and best management practices.
