NPSOT Austin and the Native Prairies Association of Texas are co-hosting a plant walk on its 150 acre Dowell Ranch property. We will gather for lunch after the walk. Please bring a bag lunch and we will provide beverages.
On June 30, 2021 the Estate of Caroline Dowell donated the 150-acre Dowell Ranch to NPAT. The donation of land came with an endowment that will enable NPAT to steward the property and begin restoration work. The ranch house now serves as our main office—an added bonus. In October 2021, a conservation easement, held by the City of Austin Wildlands Department was placed on the ranch. This property will remain in its natural state in perpetuity. Being part of the Onion Creek watershed, puts it close to the City’s water quality protection lands.
There are multiple pastures, a woodland outcrop, a spring, ponds, one of the oldest monitoring wells for the Edwards Aquifer, and lots of structures. There is an old ranch house named the Bird House, after the former owners. The soils vary from Hill Country limestone to clay-based, dark soils. The history of this corner of deep south Austin is interesting, with open space disappearing quickly to development.
This property will be used for education and research, with a focus on restoration. Projects include pocket prairies, increasing plant diversity, native plant gardens, woodland and wetland restoration, as well as plant and animal surveys to document changes over time.
For more information and to RSVP, contact Kirsti Harms.
