Since then, they have invested heavily in improving the land through selective habitat management and overseeding with native grasses and wildflowers. Today, thanks to more than two decades of stewardship by the landowners, it boasts a wide variety of native wildlife including imperiled birds such as Painted Bunting, Lark Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Northern Bobwhite. The land also …
Game Cameras: A tool to monitor diversity
Game cameras are an increasingly useful tool for landowners and managers. I have always enjoyed reviewing photos as landowners excitedly point out the “shooter” bucks visiting their feeders. I even share their concern and frustration when the camera captures a sounder of feral pigs hogging all the feed or rooting up a freshly laid food plot. These scenarios illustrate a …
Fulfilling Our Promise to Future Generations
Many people know that the Hill Country Conservancy protects water, wildlife and working lands in partnership with private landowners, frequently using conservation easements. However, we are frequently asked what happens after a conservation easement is in place. Do we simply walk away, knowing that our job is done and the land will forever remain intact and healthy? Or, is there more that needs to be done to ensure that the land is truly conserved, forever?
Now’s the time to sow your seed
March 10, 2017 Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Little Bluestem are three of the four tall grasses of the Great Plains. The fourth, not pictured, is Switchgrass. Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Little Bluestem are three of the four tall grasses of the Great Plains. The fourth, not pictured, is Switchgrass. Every landowner has areas of land they are looking to improve. …
Concerns about New Feral Hog Toxicant
Earlier this year, the EPA registered the warfarin-based Kaput Feral Hog Bait as a general use pesticide. Its label requirements include specific feeder designs to restrict access by non-target wildlife and disposal by burial of exposed carcasses. Last month, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) adopted emergency rules classifying the toxicant as a State-Limited-Use pesticide which would allow for its use by anyone holding or under the supervision of a Pesticide Applicator’s License.
Appreciating Dark Skies
March 9, 2017 Spring is upon us. I see and hear many of the Hill Country’s heralds of spring; field Sparrows singing, redbud trees blooming, and frogs chorusing. It’s a great time to get outside and enjoy the gifts of nature. This weekend, I’m planning to enjoy the familiar songs of migratory birds and the fresh foliage during a quick …
Conservation Easement Preview
HCC is working with numerous landowner partners on projects that will add to the fabric of Hill Country conservation. Working with our landowner partners, we carefully negotiate these projects to protect important conservation values and the public benefits they provide while preserving our landowner’s rights to ranching, farming, and traditional recreational uses. These deals are often complex and getting any …
National Bird Day
Conservation benefits a variety of wildlife but today we celebrate birds. A recent conservation success involves the proposed delisting of Black-capped Vireo as an endangered species. Through partnerships involving private landowners, conservation organizations, agencies, and researchers we are closer to assuring that this charming songbird will be around in its natural setting for future generations. Delisting is the ultimate conservation …
Celebrating Stewardship
We are all turning the final pages of the chapter that was 2016 and with these final pages we are afforded an opportunity to reflect upon the plot and progress that have proceeded. At Hill Country Conservancy, we celebrate 2016 for several successes including closing on the fourth phase of the Historic Storm Ranch, the successful expansion of our focus …
Winter Birding and the Mixed-Species Foraging Flock
Sometimes people ask me, “When is a good time of year to watch birds around here?” Based on over twenty years of experience birding in central Texas, I tell them, “Never let the time of year stop you from watching birds.” Birds are our most accessible form of wildlife to observe and enjoy and, especially here in central Texas, every …