September Cross Timbers Grazing Lands Coalition Meeting at Dixon’s Leo Ranch.
NEWS & EVENTS
New Report Testing Novel Phenology Monitoring Approach to Help Inform Graze Planning
In the spring and summer of 2022, Dixon Water Foundation helped sponsor and host a project that utilized novel imaging technology to track prairie plant phenology. Phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate, plant and animal life. As phenology relates to plants, it refers to flowering and seeding.
This project, conducted by the Bontanical Research Institute of Texas, explored the use of time-lapse cameras and community science protocols to observe and analyze pollinator abundance and plant phenology within various pastures of Dixon’s Leo Unit in North Texas. By understanding when and where pollinators and resources important to pollinators were on the landscape throughout the year and considering this information when making a grazing plan, ranchers may be able to promote conservation of essential species and native prairie functionality.
See the results of the pilot study in the report linked here.
Series of Educational Videos on the Water Cycle
The Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District recently created informative and educational videos about the water cycle. Dixon Water Foundation provided some financial support to cover the cost of creating these videos.
You can view the video above and visit their website for more information https://pcuwcd.org/ .
Dixon Water Foundation Selects Casey Wade as New President and CEO
Decatur, Texas (March 10, 2023) – Dixon Water Foundation, a Texas-based non-profit organization that promotes healthy watersheds through good land management, is announcing the selection of Casey Wade as new President and CEO. Wade has been with the Foundation for 12 years, first serving as West Texas ranch manager before being promoted to Vice President of Ranching Operations. Wade was selected by the Foundation’s Board in early February 2023. Wade will immediately begin to succeed out-going President and CEO Robert Potts who is retiring March 16, 2023 while still serving as Chairman of the Board for the Foundation. Potts has served as President and CEO since 2007.
“I am pleased that the board chose Casey Wade, our current VP for Ranching Operations, to be my successor,” states Potts. “He is an excellent choice and will lead the Foundation to the next level of effectiveness.”
Wade’s selection as President and CEO follows years of commitment to the management of the Foundation’s ranches, communication of the Foundation’s mission and guiding principles, and role as a valuable advocate of regenerative agriculture and watershed health.
“I’m really honored to have been chosen by the Board of Directors to serve as the new President and CEO of Dixon Water Foundation. Robert has done an amazing job of establishing the Foundation as a leader in watershed and ecological health. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Robert as he serves as Chairman of the Board.” states Wade. “Looking ahead, I see so many great opportunities for the Dixon Water Foundation. We have an amazing staff, really talented people, who are very knowledgeable and care deeply about our mission. It’s such a pleasure to get to work with them and be part of guiding the Foundation into the future.”
Wade is a husband and a father of three young sons. He has a love of the land and has enjoyed caring for wildlife and livestock for many years. He is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University and has spent most of his career managing hunting and wildlife operations as well as livestock ranches.
After a two year stay in Kenya, Africa, Casey was introduced to holistic land management while working with a wildlife management consulting firm. He was drawn to the idea of using livestock to improve degraded landscapes. At that point Casey began searching out further education and eventually a career in regenerative land management through ranching. Dixon Water Foundation strives to achieve its mission through its research and demonstration ranches in Presidio County, near Marfa, Texas, and Cooke and Wise Counties, near Decatur, Texas. The Foundation hosts education events, supports research, awards grants and partners with organizations in line with their mission.
Winter Grassland Bird Tagging in Far West Texas
Check out this recent article from the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies about their work in West Texas at our Marfa ranch.
April 2023 at Dixon Water Foundation’s Leo Unit: Regen Ag School: Integrating Holistic Management® into Your Ranch or Farm
Don’t miss this rare opportunity at the award-winning Dixon Water Foundation Leo Ranch to gain comprehensive knowledge in Holistic Management® and create a livestock grazing plan that will help create more land health and financial success on your ranch or farm.
This school is for you if you’re interested in farming, ranching, land conservation, or urban agriculture and want to improve your decision-making, profitability, water use, and soil health. Large- and small-scale producers are all invited! Visit the link below for more information.
Grassroots Carbon event at Leo Ranch October 14, 2022
https://buildgrassroots.com/event/dixon-water-foundation-regenerative-practice-adoption-workshop/
HMI Grazing Workshop at Mimms Unit September 20-21, 2022
September 20-21, 2022 | 8:30AM – 5:00PM CST
Marfa Visitor Center USO Hall, 302 S. Highland Ave., Marfa, TX 79843
and Mimms Ranch of Marfa, TX
This two-day Advanced Grazing Workshop is for ranchers and those who want to learn how livestock grazing management strategies benefit rangeland and businesses with a focus on land literacy. Land and livestock managers who practice Holistic Planned Grazing monitor for results and rely heavily on their observations to effectively manage and adapt when conditions require. In doing so, they’re able to mitigate risk and loss.
Click here to read more and register
DWF in Recent Episode of Marfa Public Radio’s Nature Notes
The central grasslands stretch from Canada to West Texas, and extend into the desert highlands, from Arizona to the Marfa Plateau and Chihuahua. For many Americans, they remain as foreign as they were for Cather’s 19th-century narrator. Grasslands are thought to lack the “charisma” of mountains and forests – to some, they epitomize “fly-over country.”
But the grasslands in fact contain an immense natural and cultural richness. And they’re deeply imperiled. Of the 600 million acres of historic grasslands, two-thirds have been lost or degraded. There’s a growing effort to preserve and restore them. And in Trans-Pecos Texas, the Dixon Water Foundation is committed to that effort…
Read More Here
Mourning the Loss of Walt Davis
We are saddened to announce the loss of our friend, mentor, and Dixon Water Foundation Board Member, Walt Davis.
As we process our thoughts on Walt, please see this recent tribute from the Holistic Management International newsletter.
