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.
My dad took me hunting in south Texas every weekend growing up, which turned into a love and passion for the outdoors and a desire to go into a wildlife management career.
“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.
Trees embody age and beauty. Life’s greatest lessons come from trees. The strength of trees are roots deep in the earth. They are the lesson of determination to persevere in times of adversity. And no two trees are alike. Incredible.
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.
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
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.
Aldo Leopold articulated it best, “The privilege of possessing the earth entails the responsibility of passing it on, the better of our use, not only to our posterity, but to the unknown future.”
Growing up in the Texas Hill Country my favorite pastimes have always been hunting and fishing. The time that I’ve spent outdoors has forged my respect for nature and ultimately what led me into Wildlife Management.
Charlotte Eriksson says it best -
“There’s a whole world out there, right outside your window. You’d be a fool to miss it.”
``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
I grew up exploring the Texas Hill Country and all of the wildlife and scenery it has to offer. These experiences instilled in me a passion for natural resource conservation and Texas’ natural beauty making me excited about helping Texas landowners enhance their land.
``That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.`` ― Aldo Leopold
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 feel proud to work for a company that is helping our state’s natural resources to increase, rebound and thrive, and an employer that really cares about their clients and employees.
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
“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.”
― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
I am fortunate enough to have grown up in close proximity to nature and have taken full advantage of it. Nature is everything to me, and one outdoor hobby has always led to another with fascination and discovery at every turn.
Conservation is not a job, it’s our duty to protect and preserve for future generations to enjoy. Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
As far back as my first camping trip I can remember feeling a sense of responsibility for the natural lands around us. Some of my earliest memories are of my father thoughtlessly collecting trash along a hike. Thanks to him I strive to carry that stewardship and love of nature everywhere I go.
``There can be no doubt that a society rooted in the soil is more stable than one rooted in pavements.`` ― Aldo Leopold.
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.
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.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. - Rachel Carson
'Society grows great when citizens plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.'
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.