Leopold Conservation Award - Texas

Leopold Conservation Award presented to Temple Ranch

SCF President Brent Haglund (2nd from left) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director, Carter Smith (far right) presented the Leopold Conservation Award in Texas to Buddy and Ellen Temple (3rd and 4th from left).

A couple with East Texas roots – Arthur “Buddy” Temple and his wife Ellen – have been presented the 2011 Leopold Conservation Award for Texas for their transformation of an over-grazed, over-hunted South Texas ranch into a haven for wildlife and valuable research venue.

The prestigious recognition is conferred each year by Sand County Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of its Lone Star Land Steward Awards program.

“Buddy and Ellen Temple have a longstanding, deep, and proud history of wildlife conservation, and they have the benefit of ranch managers who are well known for their innovation, motivation, and stewardship ethic,” said Carter Smith, TPWD executive director. “I believe that their actions and circle of influence will loom large over South Texas as other landowners seek to emulate their successes. They deserve the highest praise and recognition for their leadership and inexorable commitment to a private lands conservation ethic.”

The Temples received a $10,000 check along with a crystal trophy at the annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards banquet in Austin on May 25.

The TPWD Land Steward program is partnered with Sand County Foundation, an international non-profit organization devoted to private land conservation. The Leopold Conservation Award in Texas is sponsored by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Silver Eagle Distributors, the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation and Farm Credit. Read more ...

SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION

Sand County Foundation is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. Sand County’s mission is to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes. Sand County Foundation works with private landowners because the majority of the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural resources are found on private lands. The organization backs local champions, invests in civil society and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that ensure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health as an essential alternative to many of the commonly used strategies in modern conservation.

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE

At Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, our mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. We seek to balance outdoor recreation with conservation as we achieve greater self-sufficiency.

On one hand, we must manage and protect our natural and cultural resources. At the same time, we must generate increased revenue by adding value through more and better public services. We affirm that a culturally diverse, well-trained staff will best achieve this balance. And we must never forget, not in the haste of business, nor in the pride of science, that the outdoors should above all be a source of joy! Providing outdoor experiences, whereby young minds form values, will be our greatest contribution to the future.

 

The Leopold Conservation Award in Texas is made possible through the generous support of: