Celebrating Excellence in Private Land Conservation
Four Seasons Hotel, Austin—The banquet room was teeming with wall-to-wall people, all assembled to publicly recognize seven regional Texas landowners for their conservation contributions to land, water and wildlife stewardship. Each year Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation highlight the best land stewards in all of Texas.
Post Oaks award winners Albert and Wilda Pecore oversee 196 acres in Fayette County, land which has been meticulously restored to a natural state reminiscent of the native tall grass prairies of yore. They share a bond with their land, made by decades of struggles and successes. There is no hurry, no sense of urgency. They know nature is everlasting change and to walk hand-in-hand with her requires a long view. . .a patient, loving view. The land is one of six properties protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement through Pines and Prairies Land Trust of Bastrop, Texas. The Pecores have also partnered with the Wildlife Habitat Federation, a conservation and restoration non-profit located in Cat Springs, Texas and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Initiated in 1996 by the TPWD Private Lands Advisory Committee, the Lone Star Land Steward Awards set out to recognize private landowners for excellence in habitat management and wildlife conservation; as well as, to illustrate the important role that landowners play in the conservation of Texas’ natural resources. The program also focuses on encouraging youth education and the importance of engaging future generations of Texans in responsible habitat management and ecosystem health. Since inception of the program, landowners have been recognized for conserving more than three million acres of our cultural and natural heritage in Texas.
Larry Gfeller
