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"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 pumas and black bears. Historian Thad Sitton offers a detailed description of the ranch, its human history, its natural history, and the man who has spent several decades bringing grass and good water back to the land, Gary Krause, who cut the cedar and resurrected the springs with the native grasses. These grasses, including Prairie Bunch grass, Switchgrass, Indiangrass, Big bluestem, and Little bluestem have roots measuring in feet rather than inches, act as conduits bringing water down into the ground. The Krause Ranch, which is close to 1,000 acres, is a place of wonders and a fair representation of the Texas Hill Country at time of first settlement, when, as TAMUP author Ken Roberts wrote in The Cedar Choppers, "it must have taken your breath away." Chapters cover descriptions of the original hill country land before settlement, the first settlers on the land, 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 practicing conservation. Over 200 photographs by Adrian Van Dellen capture the Krause Ranch land in sweeping vistas around the seasons, examine the rivers and water features such as Englishmen's Well aka "the Black Hole" rumored to be over 200 feet deep, down 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"--
About the author
THAD SITTON is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including
Caddo: Visions of a Southern Cypress Lake. He lives in Austin. CYNTHIA NESSER is owner of C1 Create, a former director for Southeastern Louisiana University Foundation, and an active volunteer for Native Prairies Association of Texas. She splits her time between Houston and New Orleans. ADRIAN F. VAN DELLEN's photographs have been featured in many publications showcasing Texas wildlife and landscape. He lives in Woodville.
