Bamberger Ranch Preserve

Bamberger Ranch Preserve, located in Blanco County, Texas, is a powerful story of love and conservation. J. David Bamberger sought to realize a dream of land conservation, and in 1969 went looking for the worst piece of ranch land in the Texas Hill Country. J. David was inspired by author Louis Bromfield, who published a memoir in 1945 about restoring a run-down farm back to health and beauty. J. David has dedicated the past 50+ years to restoring this run-down 5500 acre ranch to a model of health, winning numerous awards along the way. The story of Bamberger Ranch has been the subject of two books – “Water From Stone: The Story of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve” and “Seasons At Selah: The Legacy of Bamberger Ranch Preserve”; along with numerous videos documenting the extraordinary restoration and lessons learned from this amazing achievement. Soil for Water is privileged to include Bamberger Ranch Preserve in it’s program.

Soil for Water Advisor Peggy Sechrist, NRCS Soil Health Specialist Travis Waiser, and Bamberger Ranch Manager Steven Fulton are recording trial data. Two transects have been established: one in a pasture that is only utilized by wildlife; and the other in a pasture where cattle grazing is allowed on a limited basis. The Wildlife Preserve transect is set aside for wildlife only. This transect will provide data on changes that take place in the presence of unmanaged wildlife and no ungulate grazing for a long period of time. There is no hunting in this area. In this photo the Wildlife Preserve vegetation seems to have improved soil coverage from the year before; however better rainfall one year can create this appearance. Multi-year monitoring will reveal if the diversity above and below ground is changing and if coverage is truly improving.

The second transect, Turkey Hollow, is a pasture that was set aside for wildlife and has been rested for many years. The ranch manager, Steven, decided to graze it periodically allowing for long recoveries. During its former multi-year rest period, the vegetation became very dense in some places and thin in others. This transect will provide data on changes that occur under short grazing period with long recovery periods. Steven will record details of all treatments including dates of the grazing period, number of days allowed for recovery, number of cattle, rainfall dates and amounts, and any other disturbance occurring in this pasture. The program will monitor changes in percent ground cover, plant species cover; and measure differences in nutrient cycling and microbial activity through soil testing.

Where native vegetation and soil health improve, water begins to flow. Naturally occurring grottos, like this one at Bamberger Ranch, become a mini oasis for wildlife, birds, and a soothing, calming rest area for humans. Bamberger Ranch does not rely on any well water. All water used on Bamberger Ranch for multiple housing, a meeting center, livestock and wildlife is derived from restored springs as documented in the book, “Water from Stone: The Story of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve” by Jeffrey Greene.

As J. David Bamberger restored native vegetation and cleared some overgrowth of ash juniper, organic matter in the soil increased expanding the capacity of the soil to capture rainwater and store it within the aggregate soil particles that occur with increased organic matter. 

It Takes Collaboration!

The Soil for Water program works collaboratively with soil professionals, working landowners and managers, botanists, riparian experts, and grazing experts to create a broad understanding of the relationships between practices, vegetation, soil microbial health and water cycle function at each location. This holistic view broadens our knowledge base as it relates to restoration and regeneration of soils and landscapes for a healthy climate and prosperous economy.