The Preserve at Walnut Springs Homeowners Association is preparing for our 2016-2017 Whitetail Deer Harvest in accordance with our Wildlife Management Plan. If your family would like to participate in the harvest this year, please let General Manager Dale Richey know as soon as possible so that we can coordinate a time and date for you. Safety is our highest priority.

If your family is not participating in the harvest this year, but will be visiting the ranch trails during hunting season, please let us know and follow the mandatory Trail Closures for your safety. General Season begins on November 5th and runs until January 1st 2017 and Trails will be CLOSED prior to 10am and after 3pm.


There will be two exceptions during this time frame when the trails will be open without closure:

• Thanksgiving Day: November 24th 
• Christmas Day: December 25th 

January 2nd to January 15th, 2017 is late season and Trails will be CLOSED prior to 10am and after 3pm.

Voluntary land stewardship, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care, is the keystone for preserving the natural resources of Texas. With land in Texas being approximately 95% privately owned, voluntary land stewardship is vital to keeping these resources healthy. It all starts with a Conservation Plan. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers have been working with their local soil and water conservation districts for over 75 years receiving technical assistance to develop and implement conservation plans for their operations.

A conservation plan focuses on the specific needs and objectives of the individual producer. Whether that objective is grazing management for livestock, wildlife habitat enhancements, timber management, cropland irrigation efficiency improvements, cover crops for better soil, brush management, or native grass restoration, the Texas agricultural producer faces many challenges head on in an effort to be a good steward. The implementation of some of these conservation practices can be expensive, but the landowner, and ultimately all of Texas, will reap the benefits through sustainable food and fiber along with water quality enhancements.

By Brendan Gibbons STAFF WRITER

AUSTIN — Thousands of acres of private land across Texas and eight Midwestern and Plains states could become better habitat for vulnerable monarch butterflies, thanks to a federal grant program.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials Friday announced $720 million in funding for 84 projects across the U.S., including $6 million for monarch butterfly preservation in Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The iconic butterfly’s population has dropped from an estimated high of about 1 billion 20 years ago to a low of 20 million before a modest rebound to 34 million today, deputy undersecretary Ann Mills said at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Texas will be the lead state in the project because of its vast amount of private land and its importance for monarchs crossing the state during their annual migration to Mexico from the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

The Preserve at Walnut Springs HOA has two European Longhorn wall mounts to auction off to the public. The opening bid will be $500. The auction will begin following the December board meeting and end on Saturday, December 19th at 5:00 pm CT. 

All bids must be sent via email to: preserveatwalnutsprings@gmail.com. No bids can be placed via phone or in person, as the email will provide a time and date stamp needed in order to prevent inaccuracies. As bids come in via email, the highest amount will be posted on the pwshoa.com website. Please refer to this page for the current status of the auction. The highest bidder will have their choice selection of horns. The second highest bidder will receive the horns remaining. 

Additional Details: All bids will be processed according to when they are received, with the highest and earliest bid taking precedence. In the event of a tied bid, the tie-breaker will be the highest and earliest bid received according to the time and date stamp on the email transmittal. The Buyer's will be responsible for any shipping or handling following the auction.

The Preserve at Walnut Springs Homeowners Association is preparing for our 2015-2016 Whitetail Deer Harvest in accordance with our Wildlife Management Plan. 

If your family would like to participate in the harvest this year, please let General Manager Dale Richey know as soon as possible so that we can coordinate a time and date for you. Safety is our highest priority.

If your family is not participating in the harvest this year, but will be visiting the ranch trails during hunting season, please let us know and follow the mandatory Trail Closures for your safety.

Are you familiar with the program the Preserve at Walnut Springs HOA is currently participating in through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division?  The Land Incentive Program is matching HOA funding for onsite wildlife and habitat improvement projects.

Most of the work is taking place on the South side of the ranch. Below are a few goals of this impressive project: 

1.    to protect two spring sites (Cuellar Spring and Walnut Springs) from degradation, 
2.    to improve the diversity of the mixed oak-juniper plant communities in the adjacent canyons and riparian zones, and 

3.    to promote the establishment of native herbaceous vegetation. The ultimate goal is to manage for habitats that are appealing to a diversity of native wildlife species including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler, while also enhancing water infiltration and groundwater recharge.

We have three new longhorns calves on the ranch. Born 8/12/15, 8/13/15 & 8/20/15. 

Last year three calves were born and in keeping with the tradition on the ranch, names were submitted based on the letter "G" -selected for the 2014 year.

Here's a photo of the three taken last year below the community clubhouse:

The two calves (both boys on the left & center) were born only days apart May 12, 2014 and May 14, 2014.
Their names are Gemstone & Gelato. 

The third calf, born on August 7, 2014 by Butter Pecan was a female cow, now named Gail's Gold. 
The two boys -now yearling steers, are still great pals on the ranch. Here's a recent picture of the two from 2014 & again today. Checkout the horn growth! 

By: Jane Jones

Some more not-so-great weather for the Fall count. Perhaps that’s the tradition and I should just get used to it.  Or as Dale suggested, next time you need rain, call out the birders and you’re sure to get some.  Interestingly, we saw exactly the same number of species (40) as last year but lots more birds (nearly 400 largely due to sparrows and a couple of large flocks of Robins that swelled the numbers).  It was no surprise that the warm fall kept some species away… most notably the ducks & hawks.  

At the 11th hour some turkeys finally decided to show themselves but nary a quail. The most fun was all of the sparrows. Last year, hardly any, this year everywhere…including 2 LeConte’s Sparrows which are the first reported on the property.  The sparrows are no surprise though since the grasses are high and bursting with seed.