The Story of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve and David Bamberger
Written: Feb 20 '07 (Updated Feb 20 '07)
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Pros: Honest look at an environmental leader and role model for conservation ethics in Texas.
Cons: Biography won't appeal to everyone, personal memories probably filled some gaps
The Bottom Line: Modern-day heroes are hard to find but David and Margaret Bamberger's passion and dedication to a 5500-acre Hill Country ranch will inspire those with similar passions.
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| pestyside's Full Review: Jeffrey Greene - Water from Stone: The Story of Se... |
“Selah is a Biblical term found in the Book of Psalms. It is an invitation to pause and reflect on the message. Here at Bamberger Ranch Preserve, we invite our guests to enjoy Selah moments in which they can escape the stress and hassles of the city, and relax, pause and reflect on their role with Mother Nature.”* If you get a chance to visit Bamberger Ranch Preserve (a private preserve) tucked away in the Texas Hill Country near Johnson City, know that you will meet nature, pure and simple.
Texas A&M University Press is about to release a biography of one of my personal heroes, someone who walked to the fork in the road and knew his direction. David Bamberger, raised by his mother during the poverty of the depression, grew up knowing that he would never be poor. Imprinted on his soul, however, by his mother, was a yet, unknown knowledge—that he had an undeniable need to be with the land and nature. Selah, its programs, philosophy, and influences, is bound to David Bamberger and his life story.
Water from Stone, the biography of J. David Bamberger, has been told through the voices of David, his wife Margaret, and through the memories of the many people who know him. Jeffrey Greene, his brother-in-law, assembled the story of Selah and the Bamberger Ranch Preserve. Margaret provided pen and ink illustrations of plants, animals, places and things found at the ranch that includes bluebonnets, animal tracks, Texas snowbells, and ranch buildings.
Fortune, determination, common sense, and an incredible collection of really good financial decisions guided J. David Bamberger to create several fortunes, first in vacuum cleaner sales and later in chicken—Church’s Fried Chicken. This almost mythical man walked to the fork in the road, faced opportunity, and decided to take some risks on ranching. His inspirational story doesn’t end with chicken, but continues with land and environment and a strong sense of ethics and confidence. He went on to establish a controversial, but award-winning Texas Hill Country Ranch. The imagination and determination he displayed in industry did not fail him as a rancher. His passion for nature led him to create a working ranch that served as a model for Hill Country conservation.
I know this land and this ranch well, having worked on a not so distant preserve in the Hill Country. I have spent nights chatting with David, friends and family; I have assisted on educational projects, and I have tremendous respect for this inspirational man and his wife. The land is rugged, overgrazed, and rocky; the habitat is mostly very hot and dry except for periods of excessive rains (in this part of the world it’s either drought or flood); the region has been mismanaged and neglected for over 100 years. It’s constantly involved in a tug-of-war between those who want to protect and those who don’t, as well as those who actually know how to enhance the land. David is in the latter group. Over time, David used his wealth to obtain 5,500 acres of Hill Country habitat close to Johnson City (about 80 miles or so west of Austin).
He used his knowledge of people, his own common sense, and his passion for nature to assemble a team of knowledgeable resources and ranching staff to turn the land around. In doing so he created an environmentally successful working ranch, an education center, and species survival program for critically endangered scimitar-horned oryx. Water From Stone tells the inspirational story of how this child from Ohio reached this level of respect and inspiration in Texas.
When I first began reading this, my goal was to learn more of this man who could quickly ignite a room full of people with his passions and/or controversial approaches. Then I wondered how many people might really want to read about J. David Bamberger, self-made millionaire and conservation/environmental leader. Counting the numbers of people influenced by him, the college students who have learned at the ranch, the teachers who have attended his workshops, the government leaders (local, state, and federal) who have worked with him, and the people from his days with vacuum cleaners and chicken, I began to count a lot of people who might want to know more. Then, considering how many people want to learn the secrets for becoming successful, self-made entrepreneurs, the numbers became huge.
Water from Stone documents survival. David climbed out of poverty to achieve wealth. He took an impoverished piece of land and turned it back into habitat for two endangered birds, the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo. He made it possible for water to actually flow once again in the creeks. Furthermore he built a man-made bat cave and helped protect a natural bat cave. He found a way through the maze of bureaucratic blunders and ineptness to establish a successful Species Survival Program for the African Scimitar-Horned Oryx. He is quick to learn and is unwilling to back down when he’s right, even when his path is controversial. He has, however, learned to trust his instincts.
A large part of what Selah is today is an outgrowth of his and Margaret’s shared passion for the land. They met in the early 1990s and everyone will agree, they were perfectly matched. They balanced each other and her skills with children and environmental education helped convert the ranch into an award-winning environmental education center. The survival effort continues. Old enough to retire, both David and Margaret proceed energetically to outwork, outthink and outdo everyone. She has succeeded (we all hope) in beating cancer into remission. He is creating a foundation and continued future for the Bamberger Ranch Preserve.
Their dream “is for purity, to perpetuate Selah through an inspired foundation, a place that glorifies Mother Nature and shares it simply and cleanly with all others who visit.” The first time I drove through the gate and along the long dirt road that eventually found their house, I stopped several times just to admire the peace and quiet, the sense of another time in history, and to absorb its tranquillity. Even though I worked at a wilderness preserve, it didn’t compare to Selah. Old-timers often refer to the hills in this part of the world as mountains. You can easily lose contact with the modern world regardless of where you are (top or bottom of a hill) on the ranch.
Water From Stone simply won’t be for everyone. I really recommend this gem for those people who know David and Margaret, or people involved with their own dreams of establishing a piece of land for future generations, or anyone intrigued by the process of going from a child of poverty to an adult of wealth. It's possible that my personal memories filled some gaps and smoothed some awkward writing, but, this book is due for release this summer (2007) and I can’t wait to get more than the manuscript.
The book opens with a quote from Louis Bromfield, author of Pleasant Valley: “I knew in my heart that we as a nation were already farther along the path of destruction than most people knew. What we needed was a new kind of pioneer, not the sort which cut down the forests and burned off the prairies and raped the land, but pioneers who created new forests and healed and restored the richness of the country…” I have no doubt that David and Margaret consider themselves that new kind of pioneer. As leaders, they have always been and continue to be ahead of their time.
How special is Selah? Take a look for yourself, www.bambergerranch.org. If you are in the area know that the Bamberger Ranch is a privately owned ranch and visitation is only through reservations.
*Quote from the bambergerranch website.
Recommended:
Yes
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