CAT SPRING -
The sparse beauty of the tall grasses and sand plum
trees at WW Ranch makes this land near the San
Bernard River appear unchanged from a
century ago. But the still life can be deceptive.
When
hunting buddies Jim Willis and John Webb purchased the
225-acre ranch in 2000, the overgrazed property had
become "a wildlife desert," as Willis phrased it. The
pasture couldn't support anything but cattle.
So, they
replaced the so-called improved grasses commonly planted
in the area with native varieties, such as little
bluestem and switchgrass, to restore habitat for
bobwhite quail and other birds. Scores of them now nest
in the grasses while the ranch's cattle graze nearby.
What is
happening here is a vision that many see as the coastal
prairie's salvation. Biologists blame the loss of
habitat, primarily from development and modern farming
practices, for a 75 percent drop in Texas' quail
population in the past 30 years.
The
quail's decline matters because the popular game bird is
an "indicator species," meaning their numbers reflect
the viability of an ecosystem for other grassland birds.
Already, without any attempt to restock, the WW Ranch
has a healthy population of one quail per acre, Willis
said.
With his
ranch as a model, Willis has asked those around him to
restore their land with the hope of creating more than
seven miles of contiguous, wide-open habitat that
connects to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National
Wildlife Refuge.
Now, 28
landowners are on board, their properties ranging from
42 acres to nearly 8,000 acres. The state Parks and
Wildlife Department and the conservation group Audubon
Texas are helping with the project, providing financial
incentives and technical assistance to participants.
Recent
studies have shown that large, working cattle ranches
may be the best hope for preserving habitat for many
native species at a time of increasing fragmentation.
Once the land is subdivided, it becomes harder for the
native species to live there.
State
officials hope the effort to restore quail habitat on
the coastal prairie will work elsewhere in the state. A
similar project is under way to link 30,000 acres to
support grassland birds in Navarro County near Dallas.
"Habitat
is the key," said Kyle Brazil, a Texas Audubon biologist
who has worked closely with Willis on the restoration
project. "Where land is managed well for quail, it's
managed well for all grassland birds."
Quail
pushed out
Bobwhite
quail once flourished throughout the Southeast. But the
bird has disappeared over the past three decades with
the absence of periodic wildfires and the introduction
of pine plantations, coastal Bermuda pastures for
cattle, and 20-acre "ranchettes" for urban refugees and
weekend cowboys.
Quail need
the type of grasses and plants that provide nesting
places and woody cover from predators, wind and heat. It
takes at least 3,500 contiguous acres of habitat to
maintain a viable population, according to state
biologists.
In the
process of subdividing and selling some of the best
areas for quail, Texans are losing their heritage - at
least that's the view of Willis, a retired rice industry
executive who has hunted the bird since childhood.
"If you
care about the game," he said, "then you become close to
it."
Willis
bought the ranch, about 60 miles west of Houston, with
Webb because "it has all the ingredients for the largest
density of quail in the state."
To restore
habitat, Willis and Webb removed the cattle from the
property to allow the non-native grass to grow. Then
they conducted a prescribed burn and applied herbicide.
A second prescribed burn removed the dead grass.
In early
winter, they planted native grasses and waited. It took
more than a year for some grasses to emerge.
After
establishing the grasses, Willis and Webb reintroduced
cattle to the ranch. The small herd helps to keep the
grasses from becoming too dense or high, and their
hooves replant seeds.
Willis and
Webb also planted 3,000 sand plum trees for woody cover
and added forbs, which produce seeds and attract
insects, the primary food source for hens and young
chicks. They also enlarged a small, shallow pond to 5
acres.
Wildlife
returns
As a
result, quail and 30 other species of grassland birds
returned to the property, as well as deer, ducks and
migratory songbirds, said Robert Perez, a Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department biologist and quail expert.
Willis
soon realized that he needed the help of his neighbors
to improve the quail population. He knocked on doors for
two years before another landowner agreed to transform
the property, and the idea of a wildlife corridor to the
prairie chicken refuge began to take shape.
"Jim can
talk to property owners easier than I can," said Terry
Rossignol, superintendent of the 10,000-acre national
refuge in Colorado County, between Columbus and Sealy.
"It would take us 20 years to get through the front
gate."
Several
ranchers fret about the cost of taking cattle off the
land, even temporarily, and about the prescribed burns,
said Willis, who met with some of them seven or eight
times before they agreed to be part of the corridor
project.
Willis
touts the possible economic benefits: The project cost
about $100 per acre at his ranch, with maintenance
estimated at $5 per acre. With native grasses, he
doesn't need to purchase fertilizer or hay or worry
about water or soil erosion. The land acts as a sponge
when it rains and replenishes aquifers.
And income
from cattle grazing and hunting leases can offset the
costs, he tells them.
"You never
fully restore everything," Willis said. "But what takes
longer usually lasts longer."
Thank you, C.F. Grantham for your suggestion of
this article of interest.