JOHNSON CITY - Allow your mind to trip back into time for a few moments and imagine your ancestors making a long distance sea journey to America and then traveling overland in sometimes harsh country for the purpose of following a dream to better themselves in a new homeland. Ever wonder what their journey overland might have been like?
Aside from the dangers of sea travel, the rough journey of traveling by oxen or horse drawn wagon, or walking great distances, overland travel was slow. Roads were only bumpy dirt or rocky trails. Broken axles from ruts in the trails were a common calamity. Rains created mud and quicksand. Often, swollen streams and rivers prohibited crossings. A myriad of other impediments often awaited pioneers along their journey. Take into account that hot weather was a problem as more frequent water sources were required for both traveler and livestock. Sufficient grasses were needed in all weather for the livestock that served the early pioneers for food, work, and travel. Get the picture?
Camille Swift and her daughter, Amber Fry, of Johnson City, Texas, are fifth and sixth generation descendents of pioneer stock who still continue to live and work on the land where their ancestors set root. In spirit, they represent all our ancestry who had the courage to challenge the unknown by leaving their native homeland and families behind to risk dangers, and in some cases fortunes with only a dream of a better life to motivate them.
As noted, Camille and Amber come from a family with a deep-seated love for the land handed down to them along with a passion for holding on to it. From a family of German immigrants who came to the United States through Galveston in the 1850s and who first settled in Washington County and then moved to Blanco County in the 1860s, Camille and Amber are ingrained with a conservation ethic to improve the land entrusted to them and to pass their ranches on to the seventh generation of children. So, this is a story about a family’s tenacity to hold on to and to better the land that was handed down to them from their lineage.
Though Amber and her mother live on two separate family ranches, (Amber on a 1,096-acre property northwest of Johnson City and Camille on a 696-acre property southeast of Johnson City) the entire family works cooperatively in sharing labor to manage both ranches. Amber with tongue-in-cheek and a sly smile said, "Remember when we talked about sharing labor to make both ranches run smoothly, well, I am the idea person and I just tell mom what I would like to do and then I just let her experience take over to get the job done."
Camille laughed and said in response to the tease, "Our family was ingrained with a work ethic and like-mindedness to want to live this kind of life so we just pitch in and help each other to make both operations run smoothly."
When asked about current management objectives for their operations, Camille responded with an answer different than what was expected. She said, "Sure, we want the ranches to show profits every year, but in the process we want to improve and sustain the resources for future generations through good conservation practices such as rotating livestock, cross fencing, brush control, and prescribed grazing. The ranches are not stocked as heavy as they once were." Camille adding to her thought said, "The key thing that we want to make sure of is that the carrying capacity of livestock are in balance with what the land can support."
Amber, who is a current member of the board of directors of the Pedernales Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) said, "Our family, by tradition, have been service-oriented folks. After grandfather Hoppe (Dwayne) died, I was told that my grandfather had said that I would be a good candidate to assume his position on the SWCD board. I hold his confidence and trust in my heart as very touching, so I try to practice the conservation ethic that he preached."
In addition to their livestock operations, Camille talked about what they are seeing regarding the improvement of wildlife populations on the ranches. "With our improving wildlife habitat on the ranches, we’ve definitely noticed a healthier deer population."
Amber chimed in and said, "Not only that, but we are now seeing turkey and the restoration of quail where we have not seen them for years." As an aside Amber added, "Oh yeah, unfortunately feral hogs are doing well and increasing too."
In their conservation plan, two key conservation practices used are prescribed grazing and brush management. In fact, native Indiangrass has been restored as a result of brush management and rotational grazing practices. Future plans call for putting in place cross-fencing and the installation of a solar-powered well and storage trough.
C.A. Cowsert, District Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) who assisted Camille and Amber with the development of their conservation plans said, "Because of the combination of conservation practices being applied on the ranches, we’re seeing another plus, and that is the hydrologic function is being improved. We noticed that the riparian areas which are the green belts of trees, shrubs, and grasses growing adjacent to the creeks and streams on the ranches are very healthy."
"This is a big factor for maintaining water quality because the combination of conservation practices employed on the ranches are keeping sediment and other potential pollutants out of the streams," Cowsert added.
The Pedernales SWCD, of which Amber is a director, is one of 216 soil and water conservation districts in Texas which are celebrating 75 years of service to agricultural producers and communities in the state.
"When you consider that Blanco County consists of 460,000 acres and the SWCD has 560 cooperators implementing conservation plans on 375,000 of those acres, I would say that speaks well for a time-tested voluntary soil and water conservation program that has spanned 75 years of protecting the state’s soil and water resources," said Cowsert.
"Ditto to that," said Amber. "Landowners typically want to improve their property and are willing to do so. Our board of directors’ philosophy is that we want to know the folks who come to the SWCD for assistance so we want to be personally involved with each landowner or operator to make sure that their management needs and goals are met. After all, our board of directors signs off on their respective conservation plans," added Amber.
For more information on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s efforts to conserve the natural resources of Texas, contact Clyde Gottschalk at (254) 773-2250 ext. 222 or cgottschalk [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov. Additional information on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is available at http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/.