Fifty years ago there was 5,500 acres of overgrazed land in the Texas Hill Country. On that land there wasn’t any grass, there wasn’t any water. It was a wasteland.
Self-made business tycoon J. David Bambereger wanted to take the worst piece of land he could find in Texas and change it back to one of the best – and he succeeded.
With the “finest dog in America” by his side, Bambereger recounts how he came to inherit a love and respect for the natural world from his family. Growing up poor, the self-made man made a fortune after building up, and selling, Church’s Fried Chicken.
He took the capital from selling the business and poured it into Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve in Johnson City, TX. That was 50 years ago. Now the ranch land is an amazing example of how one man took the land man had destroyed and restored it to its natural glory. Says Bambereger, “If we have some conservation ethics the results are mind-boggling.”
There were only 48 species of birds on the first bird count, in 2014 they counted 238 species. His example of land stewardship has been replicated across the region and he’s considered a visionary in land management and water conservation.
Watch and share this incredible conservation story with your friends and family.
If you found this conservation project fascinating, you may like this story of how a hermit helped scientists studying climate change.
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