Two friends restored overgrazed Texas ranch; wildlife returned

 Two friends, Jim Willis and John Webb, bought a 225-acre overgrazed ranch in Texas in 2000 that could support little beyond cattle. They gradually restored native prairie, planted 3,000 sand plum trees, added a five-acre wetland and changed grazing practices. The work transformed the property into habitat for bobwhite quail, grassland birds, deer, ducks and other wildlife, while also encouraging nearby landowners to join a larger habitat corridor project. Two friends, Jim Willis and John Webb, bought a 225-acre overgrazed ranch in Texas in 2000 that could support little beyond cattle. They gradually restored native prairie, planted 3,000 sand plum trees, added a five-acre wetland and changed grazing practices. The work transformed the property into habitat for bobwhite quail, grassland birds, deer, ducks and other wildlife, while also encouraging nearby landowners to join a larger habitat corridor project.