Winter 2016

more diverse complement of plants and animals,” Taylor said.
“For instance, people ask me why we don’t kill the mountain
lions that pass through. From my perspective, if we have a
mountain lion eating 25 deer a year that’s 25 deer we don’t have
to harvest.”
THE RESULTS
As a point of reference, Taylor and Paris have kept four acres in
its original state. The matted Ashe juniper and bare rocks stand
in stark contrast to the open grassland sprinkled with live oaks
and just enough brushy plants to provide wildlife habitat.
“During our last prescribed burn, we actually had to fight fire to
protect this area,” Taylor said. “We wanted a reference point, so
people, including us, can see how far we’ve come.”
Their stewardship is working. Once-dry springs have come
back all over the ranch.
“Every year since 2002 when we began, the springs have run
farther and longer, regardless of the amount of rain,” Taylor said.
“Initially, the water rushed down the ravines after a rain. Now it
percolates into the aquifer.”
One of his measures is the primary well that provides water
for the ranch. Against the driller’s recommendation, Taylor had
it sited at the top of Blue Mountain to allow for a gravity flow
system. They hit water at 200 feet and dropped the pump at 250
feet. Today, the water level continues to rise.
“Anecdotally, it tells me that the more grass we get on the land,
the more water we’re putting into the aquifer,” he said.
With the water came wildlife. Today, the once-barren ranch
is home to white-tailed deer, turkey, dove, quail, raccoons,
foxes, owls, birds including a multitude of black-capped vireos,
armadillos, possums, horned lizards and the rare spot-tailed
earless lizards.
“By nature, I’m a trusting person,” Taylor said. “I have to trust
that these rare species we have on our land will be considered
an asset in the future and not a liability, creating the opportunity
for government interference in what we’re doing or what the next
generation of landowners on this property is doing.”
THE FUTURE
As Taylor and Paris have moved steadily toward their stated
goal, they have created a second one for themselves. In addition to
diversifying species and putting water in the aquifer, the duo now is
working to “grow” soil and influence others.
Their interest in soil was piqued when at the Sand County
Foundation’s Innovations on the Land Symposium, a speaker noted
there was only one inch of soil covering the entire earth. Because
soil is as foundational to environmental health as water, Taylor
and Paris are now exploring the possibility of a rotational grazing
program to help speed up soil creation.
“Understanding the role that livestock can play in rangeland
health, particularly as a substitute for bison, has caused us to
consider grazing from another perspective,” Taylor said.
They also realize their contribution is limited by their fence lines
unless they engage others, so the pair opens their ranch whenever
possible to school groups, youth groups such as the local Youth
Range Workshop and special interest groups as diverse as the local
book club and the San Antonio Rolls Royce Club. (Taylor is a vintage
car collector as well, so the connection is more logical and direct
than it appears.)
“People don’t necessarily understand what we’re doing if we just
tell them, but they really get it when we show them,”
Taylor said.
His favorite example is a neighboring rancher who thought
prescribed burning was foolhardy until he witnessed the process
and the results. He began managing his ranch in a similar manner.
Because of that, the two operations now provide three square miles
of grasslands in a critical Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.
“The mean average rainfall in Mason County is 26 to 28 inches
annually,” Taylor said. “By my calculation that means the combined
stewardship on our ranches provides somewhere between 800
million and 1 billion additional gallons of water for the Edwards
Aquifer annually.”
While he appreciates the conservation incentive provided by
wildlife tax valuation, he also recognizes the incentivizing power of
environmental services.
“People in Austin and San Antonio should send us a thank you
note,” he said laughing. “Or maybe a check.”
While Taylor and Paris are pleased with the pro-property rights
mentality that pervades Texas, he is quick to cite eminent domain
abuse and the EPA’s efforts under the Clean Water Act as a reason
that private landowners can’t become complacent.
“Despite Texas’s long-standing support of private property rights,
this state is not immune to environmental idiocy,” Taylor said. As an
example, he cited finding on the Internet “an Austin-based group
called, ‘Save the Ashe Juniper Society’ or some such name.” No
one responded to his repeated requests for more information about
the organization’s purpose and goals.
“The more people who move here from other places, the greater
the roar of the crowd who doesn’t understand or value private
property rights,” he said. “Unfortunately, government listens to
those who yell the loudest whether or not they make sense. It’s
crucial that landowners find their collective voice and speak up
about the things that matter.”
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