Bonnie and billypat mckinney

Manager and Wildlife Coordinator, El Carmen Land and Conservation Co.

Terlingua, TX

10/29/22

Bonnie and BillyPat welcomed us back onto land at the end of our river trip after we hosed down our dusty, damp river gear (and ourselves in the process). They manage the Adams Ranch, a conservation project funded by multinational cement and materials company, Cemex. The property used to be a working ranch, but now provides contiguous habitat spanning the gap between Big Bend National Park and Black Gap State Park in Texas, along with swaths of habitat owned by Cemex in Mexico. Bonnie explained the variety of wildlife that call this region home or migrate through the area, including black bears, desert bighorn sheep, and mule deer.

Bonnie then asked us to take a moment to listen for birds. Quails, turkeys, elf owls, and a multitude of other birds migrate through here in the fall, so she would expect a cacophony of chirps outside of the screened-in porch where we sat. We strained our ears, but were met only with quiet – this year has had concerningly low numbers of birds, continuing a trend that worries Bonnie and BillyPat.

We piled into two trucks later that day to visit one aspect of Bonnie and BillyPat’s restoration work: water storage tanks that collect and store rainwater to expand desert habitat. They call the metal contraptions “Quail Condos,” as they provide water, protection, and food blocks for migrating birds. Bonnie and BillyPat strive to support wildlife in multiple other ways as well, conserving desert species to counteract Cemex’s impact on the planet.

By Ellen Haney