Brown Ranch receives Texas Leopold Conservation Award

Brown Ranch is the recipient of the 2023 Texas Leopold Conservation Award.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who are improving soil health, water resources, and wildlife habitat on their working land.

Mark and Cheryl Brown looked at land as an investment before they became invested in their land.

Located in Fayette County, the restored Blackland Prairie found on Brown Ranch has nearly disappeared in Texas. The ranch is located between Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, where a growing human population leads to shrinking parcel sizes and greater fragmentation of ecosystems.

While Brown Ranch might have started as a passion project, its owners have stretched their conservation ethic far beyond their ranch gates. The Browns are leaders in the Fayette Prairie Chapter of the Native Prairie Association of Texas and the South Central Texas Prescribed Burn Cooperative.