Decie Ranch

Although it’s not clear yet whether the next generation of Harte heirs will accept the stewardship mantle for Brewster County’s Decie Ranch, Sarah Harte was certain that the one-of-kind property should remain open, productive and intact.

“By this time, I hoped that the next generation of our family would be ready to take on the joy and responsibility of stewardship,” Harte said. “They’re not quite there yet, but that didn’t stop me from taking steps to keep the ranch intact. This land is too important for its future to be left to fate.”

With its stunning desert scenery and history of large ranches, the Trans Pecos is one the region’s hit hardest hit by the impacts of fragmentation, including depletion of scarce water resources. With its size, well-drained soils, and an annual rainfall of 10-15 inches, the Decie Ranch plays a vital role for water recharge in the Marathon Basin, supporting the area’s rare desert grasslands.

All photos taken by Wyman Meinzer. 

“As a state, we need to be more proactive in conserving landscapes,” she said. “Agriculture offers a strong conservation option because it offers an opportunity for economic benefit.”

Situated on the southern edge of the Glass Mountains, Decie Ranch is also home to an important regional sky island, unique ecosystems known for the diversity of their plant and animal communities.

“Since the land came into our family, we’ve tried to leave very little imprint on it,” Harte said. “When you stand on the property, there is very little between you and the rest of the universe. It just reiterates that nature is so much bigger than we are, creating a spiritual connection to the land.”

Preserving the scenically vast landscape and the diverse life forms that include species of concern like black bear and black-tailed prairie dog is a gift to the Harte’s neighbors.

“In remote areas like this, the concept of being a neighbor is taken very seriously,” she said. “Neighbors have a responsibility to one another.”

Her all-encompassing definition of neighbors includes people who live nearby and those who are just passing through. With more than nine miles of highway frontage along US Highway 90 just west of Marathon, the Decie Ranch provides scenic vistas for the public, numbering about 500,000 annually, who travel the roadway en route to area state and national parks. The ranch borders the city of Marathon.

“Our conservation easement not only protects the ranch, but the unique character of Marathon,” she said. “Because our ranch will not be developed, neither will the western gateway into Marathon. Generations from now, travelers will experience the sensation of approaching Marathon without encountering sprawl.”

Because of its size, the ranch also helps maintain dark skies in the Trans Pecos, home to the McDonald’s Observatory, one of the worlds’ largest astronomical research stations. Light pollution, which increases with fragmentation, growth and development, is the primary impediment to astronomical research and casual astronomy.

“Whether the motivation is protecting the dark skies or the vast landscape, we have to take action and strike a balance,” Harte said. “Enacting a conservation easement is not an easy decision, but if you’re concerned about issues of control in perpetuity, consider this: how can you go wrong putting the intrinsic, ecological value of the land over the materialistic desires of someone far in the future?”

All photos taken by Wyman Meinzer.

Holly Farms
The Dixon Water Foundation
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