H.R. No. 1633
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, J. David Bamberger of Blanco County has contributed
immeasurably to the cause of habitat restoration and responsible
land stewardship in the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, Raised on a farm in Ohio, Mr. Bamberger graduated
from Kent State University and enjoyed a highly successful business
career, first with the Kirby Company and then as the cofounder of
Church's Fried Chicken; shortly after the latter company went
public in 1969, he purchased approximately 3,000 acres in Blanco
County, a tract described as the sorriest piece of land in the area;
overgrazed, juniper-choked, and devoid of a natural water supply,
the property was exactly what he was looking for--a place where he
could realize his childhood dream of bringing a piece of abused land
back to life; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger named his ranch Selah, after a
Biblical expression that invites the reader to pause and reflect;
over the past four decades, he has expanded the ranch to more than
5,500 acres and created one of the largest private habitat
restoration projects in Texas; and
WHEREAS, The first major undertaking on the ranch involved
the extensive clearing of cedar and restoring of grassland; within
two short years, flowing springs had begun to reappear; today, the
property is a working ranch that supports more than 90 species of
native Texas grasses, 4 species of ferns, 6 species of cacti, 175
species of native wildflowers, and 117 species of native woody
plants and trees, including the endangered Texas snowbell and a
Blanco crabapple that has been recognized as the Texas State
Champion in its species category; the ranch is also home to 205
species of birds, among them the endangered black-capped vireo and
golden-cheeked warbler, and 26 species of native mammals; and
WHEREAS, Other notable features of the Bamberger Ranch
include a man-made cave that is designed to house a million Mexican
free-tailed bats, the official state flying mammal, and a large
herd of scimitar-horned oryx, an animal that is now extinct in the
wild and that Mr. Bamberger is helping to preserve in a cooperative
arrangement with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; some
experts have judged the latter effort to be the most successful
species survival program in the world; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger's guiding philosophy in managing the
ranch has been to ask, first, what is best for Mother Nature, and
second, how can the lessons learned be passed on to others; the
educational mission of the ranch, developed with the skilled
assistance of his beloved wife, the late Margaret Bamberger, is
carried out through public tours, programs for schoolchildren, and
workshops, which collectively bring some 3,000 visitors to Selah
each year; and
WHEREAS, The awards bestowed on J. David and Margaret
Bamberger for their accomplishments and far-reaching influence
include recognition from the Texas Forest Service, Texas Wildlife
Association, National Arbor Day Foundation, and Garden Club of
America; in 2001, Mr. Bamberger created the nonprofit Selah,
Bamberger Ranch Preserve, to protect the land and continue its
educational programs in perpetuity; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Bamberger's efforts to preserve the state's
natural treasures have extended well beyond the boundaries of his
ranch; he has succeeded in winning the trust of landowners who
cumulatively own more than 120,000 acres in West Texas and gained
their cooperation in reintroducing the Texas snowbell; his success
in propagating the tree, a project he has pursued for more than 10
years, prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate his
ranch as the lead institution in saving this rare species from
extinction; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan also played an instrumental role
in the creation of Guadalupe River State Park and in the purchase,
by Bat Conservation International, of Bracken Cave, home to the
largest concentration of mammals in the world; and
WHEREAS, In 1993, Governor Ann Richards appointed Mr.
Bamberger to the State Task Force on Texas Nature Tourism, which
developed the first state program in the country for promoting
ecotourism; he has further served on the boards of the Texas Nature
Conservancy, Bat Conservation International, and the San Antonio
Zoo, as well as on two Texas Parks and Wildlife Department advisory
groups dealing with private-land issues; additionally, he has
served on the San Antonio Area Foundation Board of Directors and
given of his talents and resources to create Heart Line, a program
for hearing-impaired individuals in San Antonio; and
WHEREAS, Just as Mr. Bamberger was nurtured in his love of the
land by his mother, he has shared the beauty and wonder of Selah
with his three children, six grandchildren, and three
great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, J. David Bamberger has aspired to be a new kind of
pioneer, an individual who heals the scars inflicted on the earth by
past misuse and who brings to fruition again the land's rich
diversity; it is indeed fitting that, on this special milestone in
Selah's history, Mr. Bamberger's fellow Texans pause and reflect on
the magnitude of his achievement and on his tireless advocacy for
preserving the extraordinary natural inheritance of the Lone Star
State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby honor J. David Bamberger for his immeasurable
contributions to the advancement of nature conservation in Texas
and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Selah, the
Bamberger Ranch; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Bamberger as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Rose
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1633 was adopted by the House on May
4, 2009, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House