Healthy ecosystems for healthy flora and fauna
The Cibolo Preserve’s land stewardship goal is to manage the land utilizing a science-based ecosystem management approach. Healthy ecosystems are the basis for vigorous wildlife populations and diverse native plant communities. Healthy ecosystems result in watersheds that are resilient and produce abundant and high-quality water.
Land management activities will support research and employ those findings in a way that will continually improve management and stewardship. Through sound management we will facilitate the education of our community and future land stewards.
Planned prescribed burns are an important land management tool to maintain healthy ecosystems. Utilizing a professional prescribed burn service and selecting an optimal time, the Cibolo Preserve will at times conduct a prescribed burn to reduce fuel loads, such as dead vegetation and thick brush, which will lessen the risk of future wildfire while maintaining healthy ecosystems. Safety will always be a top priority and advance notice will be circulated. Prescribed burns reverse woody plant encroachment, stimulate grass growth, improve watershed health, benefit wildlife, and provide future wildfire mitigation and buffer zones by removing volatile underbrush and promoting healthy grass growth, naturally.
By integrating both professional and citizen scientists into our research program, we simultaneously have a robust research and teaching model that provides feedback to us for refinement of our land stewardship approaches. This model also allows citizen scientists to take this information back to other land owners in the local community based on their experiences.
