“Land stewardship can be profoundly satisfying as you marvel at the beauty and complexity of the ecosystems around you,” said Stephens, a retired Texas Parks & Wildlife district leader. I’m really looking forward to sharing tips about attracting birds to your property regardless if it’s a city lot, a large ranch, or something in between.”
Nearly 50 years of data tells us that bird populations are declining at an alarming rate, but with thoughtful practices you can help reverse this trend. What you do on your property can restore and enhance bird habitats to produce the cover, food, and water needed for thriving bird populations.
Author Rufus Stephens, co-author of the book, Land Stewardship for Birds: A Guide for Central Texas, will speak at 7:00 p.m. at the next meeting of the Fredericksburg Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas on Tuesday, August 27, about conserving and enhancing local habitats – live oak savannas, grasslands, and residential yards.
Stephens has long held a special interest and expertise in helping smaller-acreage landowners manage for a variety of wildlife. He retired in 2017 from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department after a 23-year career as an urban wildlife biologist, a district wildlife biologist, and most recently as the district leader for the 25-county Edwards Plateau Wildlife District. Over the years he has developed and conducted numerous workshops for landowners on how to write their own plans for wildlife tax valuation.
To reach a greater number of people interested in the conservation of Texas, Stephens and educator Jan Wrede, the author of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines of the Texas Hill Country, merged more than 75 years of practical land stewardship experience. They have co-authored both the recent book, Land Stewardship for Birds: A Guide for Central Texas, and in 2016 Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country.
Rufus Stephens, award-winning wildlife biologist and author
Signed copies of Land Stewardship for Birds: A Guide for Central Texas, will be available for sale at the meeting.
The Fredericksburg NPSOT chapter holds its monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month at St. Joseph’s Halle (212 W. San Antonio St., Fredericksburg). Social time with snacks begins at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting and presentation starts at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend in person and via online streaming on the Fredericksburg Texas Native Garden youtube channel.
More information is online at Facebook (@fbgtxnpsot), Instagram (@npsot_fredericksburg_chapter), and on our website: https://npsot.org/chapters/fredericksburg/. Meetings are free and open to the public.
About the Region
This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.
The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.
Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.
