[texbirds] Striped Sparrow Location - Input from landowner
- From: Laurie Foss <lauriefoss@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Betsy Ross <betsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2015 17:10:47 -0600
Texbirders,
The Striped Sparrow that is spending the winter with us in Williamson
County is spending that time on property belonging to Betsy Ross, owner of
Betsy Ross Grass Fed Beef. She has been generous with her time and
expertise, allowing access to her property for the Granger CBC and holding
a workshop for Travis Audubon about the practices that are used on her farm
to support all life that calls her property home.
I received this email from her today and I asked if I could share it with
Texbirds and she said it would be OK.
"*We are especially pleased that so much attention is drawn to the birds on
our river road at CR 428 and 361, Williamson County. *
*While that small portion of our farm is not fenced, we worked hard to keep
all our lands free of chemicals, including synthetic chemical fertilizers,
herbicides and insecticides. In addition we have hopefully convinced the
county road crews to not spray our right of ways with their wicked poisons.
While they continue to mow too often and too short for soil health, we are
hopeful that protocol will also change with time. The tall, wild grass
pastures opposite the river were intentionally left unused for winter as
habitat and food supply for all the wildlife that moves up and down the San
Gabriel .One of our most important farm goals is to demonstrate that we can
manage our farm organically for superior habitat for all living creatures
without economic burden. We want to grow a feast and home for every living
creature that flies over the farm, wiggles, burrows, runs, walks (both 2
and 4 legged). This includes our grass-fed beef (Betsy Ross Grass-fed
Beef), the foxes, the mice, the insects, birds, rabbits and all those
things unseen by our eyes. Our belief and theory is that this type of
habitat can only be created if the soil is alive, teeming with life,
starting with the soil microbes - bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes,
etc. If we get it right, we can return many ecological services to our farm
- cleaner air, cleaner water, pollinators, - all those things. It just
takes wanting to do it, planning, thinking and being protective. **All
these birds here - the diversity, the numbers - tell us they like our
habitat. The birds being here encourage us and validate our theory - room
for all living creatures. Betsy Ross "*
Laurie Foss
Austin, TX
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