119 Acres of Scenic Hill Country Views and Habitat Protected Forever!
Querencia landowners Pat Davis (L) and Deborah Elliott (C) with TLC executive director Mark Steinbach (R).
Querencia is the home of landowners Deborah Elliott and Pat Davis. The name of the property is a Spanish word referring to one’s safe place, or a place from which one’s strength is drawn, where one feels at home. The place where one is their most authentic self. Since 1998, Deborah and Pat have worked to transform the property from a degraded horse pasture into a lush native savannah. The hillsides covered in oaks and mountain cedar, have been left intact to support the endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers that return every spring. The water that runs through the property is held in a series of catchment ponds to help recharge Jacob's Well and slow runoff before reaching Cypress Creek. Its habitats are classic representations of the Balcones Canyonlands ecoregion.
The wooded hillsides are also part of the scenic landscape viewable from many beloved overlooks including EmilyAnn Theatre Veterans Memorial Plaza, Old Baldy, and Devil’s Backbone. As land in the area is subdivided, more homes and more rooftops begin to pop up throughout the landscape, marring the expansive views of the Blanco River basin of Wimberley. Now, thanks to a commitment to conservation and future generations, this beautiful place will remain as wildlife habitat and a scenic natural view forever.
With the serene landscape, the native wildlife and their habitats, and the stunning vistas, it’s no wonder Deborah and Pat call this their querencia.
The Road to Conservation
Deborah and Pat reached out to TLC in the spring of this year. While the process of donating a conservation easement to TLC is fairly straightforward, it’s often an exercise in hurry up and wait. Scheduling site visits, deciding the specific details for future use of the land, wrangling surveys, reports, and title commitments, it can all seem to drag on. For Querencia, the landowners knew what they wanted, and they were ready to get it done! For Conservation Director, Stephen Ramirez, it was the fastest start to finish he’d seen in his 6 ½ year tenure.
It helps that the landowners had been contemplating this decision for years, and perhaps to them, the process of finally getting it done wasn’t so fast!
History of the Property
Historical knowledge from Querencia is based on the condition of the land from when it was purchased in 1998 and historical aerial imagery dating back to the 1950s. The property had certainly been part of a larger contiguous ranch in the first half of the 20th century before smaller pieces began to be subdivided. There are no indications that the lands were farmed and livestock ranching was the traditional use of the area for generations. By the time the land was purchased by its current owners, there was little forage left.
Thanks to helpful suggestions from the a local extension agent, Billy Kniffen, the landowners were inspired to begin restoring the land. The steps were to immediately remove livestock for a period of rest; select native grasses for reseeding pastures; remove young mountain cedars that encroach into the open areas; sculpt patches of brush to help increase sunlight on the ground in order to encourage additional forage; plant native forbs and wildflowers; and start to learn about the native plants and wildlife and their needs. Almost 25 years later, Deborah and Pat have done it all, and the results are Querencia as we now know it.
The Environment
The oak savannah/grassland and the oak/juniper woodlands are all representative of the Balcones Canyonlands ecoregion. The native plants that make up these habitats provide food and shelter for our wildlife, including the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler as previously mentioned. Troughs with supplemental water, bird houses, and bat boxes are utilized on the property to provide additional wildlife benefit.
TLC and the landowners look forward to providing opportunities to experience the land at Querencia on a private lands event in the future.
Connecting Conservation
The final piece of the story is the landscape-scale change that continues to take shape. Querencia is adjacent to existing conservation lands held by partner organizations, combined for nearly 5,000 acres. Additional conservation lands in the immediate area surround Jacob’s Well and downstream is TLC’s Eagle Rock Ranch conservation easement along Cypress Creek. All of these conservation areas help protect the water quality of the Jacob’s Well spring and Cypress Creek that it feeds. These are pristine waters that are extensively enjoyed by the public in the local parks like Jacob’s Well and Blue Hole in addition to the many individual landowners who cherish them as well.
Texas Land Conservancy could not do this important conservation work without our members, partners, and supporters. With your support, we can work with more landowners and protect more land across the state from the negative effects of land fragmentation and poorly-planned development.
