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SRSU sustainable ranching students in Odessa news

October 25, 2015 by Administrator

Students in Sul Ross State University’s sustainable ranch management program were featured in an article in the Odessa American. Steve Lang writes:

Despite a steady rain, students learned basic welding techniques in assembling gates on the O2 Ranch.

“They got to use a bit of grit to get the job done,” said Bonnie Warnock, Clint Josey Endowed Chair for Sustainable Ranch Management.

Respect and Vision are other operative words for the new program, which will offer both a B.S. degree and certificate program in sustainable ranch management. Through a combination of classroom and hands-on ranch experience, students will learn how to manage a ranch, literally from the soil up. The curriculum includes classes in soils, range management, wildlife management, animal husbandry and agricultural business…

…Rob Kinucan, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, said the Sustainable Ranch Management program came to fruition through a pleasant combination of personnel and support.

“This has been an aspiration of Bonnie’s since she first joined the faculty, but we never had the mechanism to make it happen until the Dixon Water Foundation created the endowment,” he said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity and we have the perfect person to lead the program. Bonnie has the right combination of an academic background blended with applied life skills in ranching. This is a stellar program that really fills a niche in West Texas.”

Read the full article on the Odessa American website. And learn more about the sustainable ranching program on the Sul Ross website.

Soil Talk on financial sustainability on Nov. 13

October 20, 2015 by Administrator

Both drought and intense rain storms are here to stay. What can you do to reduce risks in the years to come? A series of free Soil Talks presented by the National Center for Appropriate Technology this fall will help landowners cope with these conditions through grazing management.

On November 13, Sechrist and Walt Davis, a rancher and Dixon Water Foundation board member, will discuss how agricultural enterprises can manage for improved soil function and greater profit at the same time. Learn about financial sustainability at this talk from 9 am–5 pm at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 E. U.S. Hwy 290, in Fredericksburg.

All Soil Talks are free and open to the public, but please RSVP to soilforwater@ncat.org.

Landowners will find information from previous Soil Talks about grazing planning and ecosystem function and monitoring are online, along with presenter biographies.

Soil for Water is a project of NCAT in collaboration with the Hill Country Alliance with support from the Dixon Water Foundation.

Josey Pavilion tour with USGBC on October 17

October 13, 2015 by Administrator

Come see the Josey Pavilion during a tour with the U.S. Green Building Council and North Texas Living Building Collaborative this Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 to noon. Corey Squire with Lake|Flato Architects will lead the tour. The pavilion is located on Dixon Ranches Leo Unit near Decatur and is on track to be the first building in Texas to meet the Living Building Challenge.

Register for the tour through Eventbrite.

The tour will include coffee and breakfast at the pavilion.

Participants are encouraged to carpool to the tour site. For those who wish to join a carpool, we will meet at a predetermined location near Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville. More information will be emailed to registered participants closer to the tour date.

We have applied for 3 CEUs to be available from Living Future and from USGBC.

Grass workshop and trail opening at Mimms

September 30, 2015 by Administrator

The Overlook Trail at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit officially opened September 26, 2015, in conjunction with a grass identification workshop with Dr. Michael Powell of Sul Ross State University. About 45 people attended the workshop, and many of them stayed for a group interpretive hike to the Overlook viewing area, designed by Marfa’s Joey Benton. Local flora and fauna experts from the Texas Master Naturalists Tierra Grande Chapter answered questions along the way.

The Big Bend Gazette featured the trail opening and workshop in an article in its October issue, available here as a PDF.

Powell is Director of the Herbarium at Sul Ross State University, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology, and author of numerous books and journal articles on plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert Region. Dr. Powell was assisted during the workshop with his wife Shirley Powell, a retired science teacher and the president of the board of directors at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute.

The 2.5-mile walking trail at Mimms is open during daylight hours and features exhibits about grazing management and the high-desert environment. The trail ends at the Overlook viewing area, where visitors can sit and appreciate spectacular views of the Marfa grasslands and surrounding mountains.

The foundation’s West Texas office and the trailhead are at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. Please read and respect the guidelines for trail visitors posted at the entrance to the ranch. Dogs must remain leashed. Bicycles, motorized vehicles, camping, and firearms are not permitted.

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Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop at Leo on Oct. 2

September 30, 2015 by Administrator

Landowners in Cooke County are invited to a one-day workshop on October 2 with Texas A&M AgriLife at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit. From 7:30am to 4pm, participants will learn about recognizing the cross timbers, wildlife habitat management & tax appraisals, range management, conservation easements, soils, and invasive plants. Admission is $20. CEUs available. For a complete program, download a PDF of the Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop agenda.

Kids on the Land at Bear Creek

September 17, 2015 by Administrator

Our education partner Kids on the Land was at Dixon Ranches Bear Creek Unit in September. Their outdoor environmental programs teach children about the region where they live, connecting them to the land and a more sustainable future. With support from the foundation, Kids on the Land partnered with Morningside Children’s Partnership to provide this program to third through fifth graders from the Edward J. Briscoe Elementary School, which is a neighborhood in Fort Worth that has suffered high unemployment, violence, substandard health care, and low educational outcomes for years. Check out the photo gallery below and the testimonials to see what an impact this program had.

September 17 is North Texas Giving Day, when matching donors will double any contributions made to this great organization. Visit the North Texas Giving Day website to learn more.

Kids on the Land at Bear Creek

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Photo by Angie Dickson/Kids on the Land

Check out the walking trail at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit and learn to identify native grasses during the Overlook Trail Grand Opening on September 26 in Marfa.

The opening kicks off at 9:30 am at the ranch headquarters at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. There will be an introduction to the Dixon Water Foundation’s mission and the grazing methods being used to improve the land and watershed at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit.

Then at 10 am, Dr. Michael Powell will lead a free grass-identification workshop. Powell is Director of the Herbarium at Sul Ross State University, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology, and author of numerous books and journal articles on plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert Region.

Following the grass workshop, practice your new plant-recognition skills during a group hike to the Overlook viewing area, designed by Marfa’s Joey Benton. Local flora and fauna experts from the Texas Master Naturalists Tierra Grande Chapter will be in the group to answer questions along the way.

There is no cost for the workshop or trail access. Reservations for the grass workshop are requested by September 18. Please submit this online registration form or email media@dixonwater.org.

The Dixon Water Foundation promotes healthy watersheds through sustainable land management to ensure that future generations have the water resources they need. The foundation demonstrates environmentally and economically sound ways to manage rangeland, while producing grass-finished beef, at the four Dixon Ranches in Texas.

Kids on the Land at Bear Creek

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