Meet the Team

I have grown up very attached to the land and the wild, I worked on my grandfather’s ranch as soon as I was able. I also have a deep connection through hunting and fishing, the land feeds my family. It is also a spiritual connection, it feeds my soul.

I feel connected to the land because I have always had an interest in learning how the natural world works and enjoy teaching others to have a deeper appreciation for it.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

After generations of farming and ranching, I truly feel connected to the land and my family ranch. I'm here to help you feel the same connection to your land.

My connection to the land began growing up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I have so many fond memories of the freedom of exploration and the many adventures with my siblings amongst the trees and wildlife that surrounded our home.

I feel most connected to nature when I am with my children hiking the trails in and around Austin. Watching children wander and explore our environment is magical.

I'm connected to the land by my family’s heritage as blackland farmers, my joy in observing and sharing nature’s wonders and diversity, and the understanding that our welfare is dependent on healthy lands and waters.

I am connected to the land through stewardship and an intense desire to provide a myriad of memories for myself and children through nature viewing and wildlife watching.

My ever present need to extend a sense of ethical responsibility keeps me connected to the land.

As a lifelong student of the land, I have an appreciation for all it offers on many different levels. I feel a deep connection and a sense of responsibility toward good stewardship with future generations in mind.

To me, land means abundance, and not in just space, food, and water, but in life, discovery, and quiet.

Ever since I could walk, I have been in the woods discovering all the wildlife I could, and to this day there is nowhere I feel more at peace than out exploring all that the land and nature has to offer.

For myself, land and its wilderness serve as a symbol of quiet renewal and the idea of connecting to something larger; anchoring myself to those things is something I chase after and have woven deeply into my identity.

Ever since receiving my degree in wildlife biology I’ve had an insatiable thirst for knowledge of the natural environment and wildlife around me.

Being exposed to native Texas wildlife and the beautiful scenery of the Hill Country at a young age has always fueled my passion for conserving land and wildlife for the generations to come after me, so they too can get to experience the land as I did.

Aldo Leopold said it best, “there are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.”

“Without love of the land, conservation lacks meaning or purpose, for only in a deep and inherent feeling for the land can there be dedications in preserving it.” – Sigurd F. Olson

``There can be no doubt that a society rooted in the soil is more stable than one rooted in pavements.`` ― Aldo Leopold.

“The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans” - Jim Fowler

``The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.`` - Theodore Roosevelt

In the words of my environmental hero: “If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things that they love.” ― Steve Irwin

“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife, the forest and the fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.” – Fred Bear

Growing up, I couldn’t help but love nature and the beauty of the land. I fed newborn pups under a tree and caught fireflies riding bareback in the evenings. Though the experiences may have changed, I can still share that love of nature with my family.

Growing up a native Austinite, I’ve seen the explosive growth in the Hill Country. I’m so glad to work for an organization that is dedicated to preserving and restoring our incredible Texas landscape.

My connection to the land lies in the appreciation of where good land stewardship and the beauty of nature intersect and in trying to get to that end I truly enjoy being literally connected to the land by work boots with chainsaw in hand.

“I felt a calmness birds can bring to people; and, quieted, I sensed here the outlines of the oldest mysteries: the nature and extent of space, the fall of light from the heavens, the pooling of time in the present, as if it were water.” – Barry López

Spending time on the family’s farm and always going hunting and fishing has given me such love and respect for the outdoors. Which led me into Wildlife Management.

“A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke (of the axe) he is writing his signature on the face of the land.”<br /> ― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

``It’s been a WILD LIFE! If you’ve got time to help me with a couple of imported red fire ants, I’ll tell you all about it.``

I have lived in some of the most picturesque places in the United States and have felt a connection to each place through nature. I feel blessed to live in such an extraordinary area and witness the miracle of nature every day.

Spending time outdoors and at our family ranch has always been very important to me and I hope to pass this love of the outdoors on to my kids.

“If you can’t excite people about wildlife, how can you convince them to love, cherish, and protect our wildlife and the environment they live in?” - Steve Irwin

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. - Rachel Carson

I feel a connection to the land through the peaceful serenity it returns to me by observing all its wonders, freedom and beauty. I am grateful to be a part of a team that is purposeful in preserving these things.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.” - Jane Goodall

As a landowner, I try to live as lightly on the land as possible; enjoying being an integral part of a functioning ecosystem that is improved by my thoughtful activity.

My first connection to the land was through my grandmother's rice farm. It was the amazing diversity of wildlife using the Texas landscape that inspired me then and still does to this day.