Restoration

Most of the ranch had been exposed to some form of invasive species and required significant clearing for both usability and environmental impact. Through assistance from the State of Texas, the ranch has been restored to its native condition. {INSERT PARAGRAPH ABOUT CONSERVATION}

Preservation and restoration are the two leading focal points of the revitalization. The ranch is committed to creating a native Texas landscape, and over the course of several seasons planting specialized native seed mix, significant improvements in the restoration is now visible.

When the restoration process commenced, the ranch addressed the areas throughout the landscape that were overgrown with cedar, removing enough cedar to allow the other native plants to thrive. Generally perceived as a nuisance in the Texas ecology, cedar has a tendency to kill off all other plants that are trying to grow. It requires a significant water supply and thus takes away from all other surrounding vegetation. Not to mention it serves as one of the major allergens to affect allergy sufferers, often called cedar fever.  

Unfortunately, a significant amount of the ranch’s oak tree population had been exposed to oak wilt and had become damaged and destroyed by this disease. By removing the affected trees, the healthy trees were allowed to flourish. Over the course of several seasons, native seed mix was planted providing significant improvements in the restoration of the land.

NATURAL BEAUTY

When the property was initially purchased, it was in need of significant restoration. Once the project commenced, the ranch addressed the areas that were overgrown with cedar, removing enough cedar to allow the other native plants to flourish. Cedar is a nuisance in the Texas ecology and typically has a tendency to killing off all other plants that are trying to grow. It requires a significant water supply and thus takes away from all other surrounding vegetation. Not to mention it serves as one of the major allergens to affect the human population. 

Unfortunately, a significant amount of the ranch’s oak tree population had been exposed to oak wilt and become damaged and destroyed by this disease. By removing the affected trees, the healthy trees were allowed to flourish. Over the course of several seasons, native seed mix was planted providing significant improvements in the restoration of the land.

MORMON CREEK

Mormon Creek meanders throughout the ranch and is intermittent in its upper reaches and the stream follows a generally northerly course for ten miles to its mouth on Threadgill Creek. It rises in limestone hills on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau and crosses into part of the Llano Basin, an area characterized by flat to rolling terrain and soils ranging from shallow, stony clays and loams to deeper clayey loams. Vegetation consists primarily of brush, grasses, and open stands of live oak, Ashe juniper, and some mesquite.(1)

Along with its majestic beauty, it also provides a crucial fresh water supply to the ranch, and provides a natural habitat for bass, catfish, perch, and other native fish. While recreational fishing is encouraged on the ranch, there is also a strict catch and release policy.