50 Years Ago, This Was a Wasteland. He Changed Everything

50 years ago, fried chicken tycoon David Bamberger used his fortune to purchase 5,500 acres of overgrazed land in the Texas Hill Country. Planting grasses to soak in rains and fill hillside aquifers, Bamberger devoted the rest of his life to restoring the degraded landscape.

Today, the land has been restored to its original habitat and boasts enormous biodiversity. Bamberger’s model of land stewardship is now being replicated across the region and he is considered to be a visionary in land management and water conservation.

In 1969 J. David Bamberger sought to buy the worst piece of ranchland he could find in the Hill Country with the specific intention of restoring it back to functional health. For nearly 50 years the 5,500 acre (2225 hectare) ranch has become one of the largest habitat restoration projects in the state, winning numerous awards.

With the removal of many of the Ashe juniper and the replanting of native grasses, long absent springs are now constantly flowing. The major spring produces an average of 3 gallons (11.36 litres) per minute and furnishes all the water used by the ranch and the center, three households as well as for agricultural use.

Overflow from this spring along with other smaller springs and seeps produce the headwaters of Miller Creek which flows into the Pedernales River, which then flows into the Colorado River, the surface supply for the City of Austin 60 miles away.

Bamberger Ranch’s original purchase of 3,000 acres in 1969 is where the majority of the cedar clearing took place. The remaining 2,500 acres was purchased in pieces over the next several years to what is now a 5,500 acre habitat restoration and wildlife preserve: “Selah”.