South Texas Natives, Volume 1, Number 1, Summer 2001 Page: 2
8 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
and the ecosystems that are part of
the South Texas biological heritage.
The organizational structure of
the South Texas Native Plant Res-
toration Project includes two pri-
mary divisions, an Advisory Group
of civic leaders, landowners, and
businessmen and women who are
endorsing the project and oversee-
ing fund raising and educational
activities. The second division is a
Technical Committee of well-
respected soil and plant experts.
Partners from diverse backgrounds
are involved in both groups. The
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research
Institute at Texas A&M University-
Kingsville serves as the project
manager. We look forward to keep-
ing you informed as the South Texas
Native Plant Restoration Project
develops in the months ahead.
A New Life for an Old Farm
Alta Forshage, Foremost Paving
Having been in the highway
construction business for many
years, my husband Eddie has paved
over miles and miles of South Texas,
building much-needed roads. What
a shame, though, that native plants
and animals were paying the price
for peoples' towns and traffic in loss
of habitat. We wanted to pay back!
Actually, it was the search for
caliche (road-rock), that brought usto a sandy, wind-swept farm north
of Edinburg. We bought it and are
restoring part of it to its natural state
as brushy wilderness, to provide a
home for a variety of wildlife.
Before we could begin our
project, we needed a plan. This
meant finding out about plants and
people, preparation, and programs.
Lisa Williams of The Nature
Conservancy of Texas looked the
place over and drew up a list of
native plants appropriate to this part
of Hidalgo County. She advised us
about first putting out woody plants,
especially the fast-growing legumes
and acacias, to provide shade for the
lower-growing bushes to be intro-Project Sponsors
Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation,
Lee and Ramona Bass, Hugh L. McColl, Jr.,
ExxonMobil Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,
Conoco Inc., The Dougherty Foundation,
Behmann Brothers Foundation, and Jan and Jack Catoduced later, keeping diversity as a
goal. She explained that our best
chance for success was to plant
seedlings grown in plant-bands (bio-
degradable cardboard tubes) con-
taining a recommended soil mixture.
With lots of Lisa's great advice
in our heads, we took her specimen
list to Rancho Lomitas near Rio
Grande City. There we found
Benito Trevino, whose nursery is a
wonderful source for native seed-
lings. With seeds handpicked from
wild trees, bushes, and flowers,
Benito's education, experiments,
and research have made him an
expert in his knowledge of plants,
even as to their medicinal uses. He
agreed to start work on our order
right away, as it would take six
months or more to get the first set
of plants ready to put out in the fall.
Another person who helped and
encouraged us from the beginning
is Roel Trevino, an agent with the
Natural Resources Conservationrr
41rKIEddie Forshage at his farm near Edinburg.
Service of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, who is familiar with all
the steps it takes to turn such a
dream into reality. Roel advised us
about soilpreparation and designed
a pattern of spacing that would
allow tending and watering (from a
tank pulled behind a tractor) during
the critical first months. He showed
us how to mark the areas so the tiny
young plants could be located and
inspected after seasonal weeds
spring up around them.
Roel was invaluable in another
way; he helped us find and apply
for federal assistance through a pro-
gram called WHIP (Wildlife Habi-
tat Improvement Program). This
program offered matching funds for
two years and made it possible for
us to do more than we had first
thought possible.
In the fall of 1999, Benito was
ready to bring the first 4,000 plants.
There was a little ground moisture,
and the planting began. Four men1 r. = ?
44Alta Forshage
2
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. South Texas Natives, Volume 1, Number 1, Summer 2001, periodical, Summer 2001; Kingsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1659796/m1/2/: accessed May 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.