The Krause Ranch is not a normal Hill Country landscape—it has bottomless holes, dinosaur tracks, high limestone river cliffs where golden eagles nest, and occasional visits by TPWD-authenticated pumas and black bears. Historian Thad Sitton offers a detailed description of the 1,670-acre property, its human history, its natural history, and Gary Krause—the man who has spent several decades clearing cedar to bring grass and good water back to the land. Krause resurrected the springs using native grasses with feet-deep roots that act as conduits bringing water down into the ground. Chapters cover descriptions of the land before settlement, the first settlers, the Aulds, and Krause’s commitment to returning the land to its original state. No wonder that the Texas Nature Conservancy is working with Krause so assiduously to preserve it. Coauthor Cynthia Nesser, a professional conservationist, provides a valuable set of resources for readers who will be moved to practice conservation in their own backyards. Over 200 photographs by Adrian Van Dellen capture the Krause ranchland in sweeping vistas around the seasons, examining everything from the rivers and water features such as Englishmen’s Well, rumored to be over 200 feet deep, to the minutiae of individual plants and animals. Special sections on Texas grasses, Texas cedar, water management in the riparian habitat, and wildlife provide factual grounding illustrated by specific examples from Krause’s ranchlands.
