Submitted by Courtenay Smith, Executive Director | Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc.
The Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc. invites the public to an engaging hands-on presentation on the Sustainability of Native Grasses in Pastures and Landscapes at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 9, Kawi Kahni, 1016 West Second Street, Goldthwaite, Texas 76844.
Presented by Tommy Head and Jonathan Bartek, the presentation will explore the practical and ecological benefits of native Texas grasses such as buffalograss, blue grama, side oats grama, little bluestem, big bluestem, Indiangrass, and switchgrass.
Attendees will learn how these resilient species adapted to Central Texas’ unique climate and can be used effectively in landscaping, prairie restoration, and livestock forage. The interactive session will include grass samples gathered from local fields, giving participants an up-close look at the biodiversity thriving in our region.
The Head family’s goal for their own historic Pigfoot Ranch is to develop and sustain an ecosystem true to the way it existed before their family acquired the land in 1885. A key priority is restoring the ranch to predominantly native rangeland. By promoting plants that have evolved over thousands of years into stable ecosystems, the family has successfully conserved soil, clean air, and water. Their mission extends beyond environmental stewardship to include free-roaming livestock and healthy wildlife efforts that are both ecologically sound and economically viable. Their family motto of “Keep it, preserve it, and share it with future generations” guides their daily work an outreach.
The family’s stewardship earned them a 2019 Lone Star Land Steward Award from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for exemplary conservation efforts in the\ Cross Timbers region, as well as a 2023 Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award from the Texas section of the American Society of Range Management in collaboration with the Texas Grazing Land Coalition and Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association.
Tommy Head is Vice President of the Board of Directors at the Texas Botanical Gardens and Native American Interpretive Center, Inc. and a lifelong advocate for sustainable agriculture. Jonathan Bartek graduated from Tarleton State University in 2024 with a degree in Agricultural Mechanics and Ranch Management. He is the owner of Bartek Ranch Services LLC and co-manages the historic Pigfoot Ranch in Mills County with the Head family.
The presentation is free for TBG&NAIC members and $5 for nonmembers.