Voluntary Conservation Practices Bulletin
To obtain a digital copy of Voluntary Conservation Prac- tices: Balancing Wildlife Conservation and Oil and Gas Development in the Eagle Ford Shale Region of South Texas, go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website —
tpwd.state.tx.us — and search “Voluntary Conservation Practices Eagle Ford Shale.” Or go to the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute web- site —
ckwri.tamuk.edu — and click on “South Texas Natives” and then “Restoration Seeding Information for Eagle Ford Shale” and fi nally “Voluntary Conser- vation Practices.”
Their far-ranging discussions resulted in a bulletin outlining more than 40 voluntary conservation prac- tices (VCPs). The VCPs are organized under these categories: gen-
eral guidance, operations, reclamation and monitoring. The recommendations range from “Minimize habitat
fragmentation by using existing roads and corridors whenever possible” to “Identify monitoring procedures for adherence to the SUA, construction activities, rec- lamation results, and potential problems with invasive plants or hazards to wildlife.” The VCPs are not ‘pie in the sky’ ideals but rather
practices that have actually been implemented on ranches in oilfi eld settings, Evans says. Of course, not every practice listed has been implemented every time. Smith says, “Part of the impetus behind the bul-
letin was to make landowners aware of the types of things they should be considering before they begin negotiating with an oil and gas company. Obviously, each ranch is different, and individual needs should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but landowners who allow energy development without considering these sorts of things are taking a big risk.” While the VCPs were developed based on observa-
tions and experiences in the Eagle Ford, the application is much broader. “With the advent of horizontal drilling, I tell people,
‘If you don’t have it [energy development], you probably will,’” says Evans. “While the VCPs were originally designed for the Eagle Ford, the principles can apply to the state as a whole as energy development moves forward.” Evans anticipates that the original document will be amended to create a second bulletin with a statewide focus. Smith says, “It’s much easier to conserve habitat
70 The Cattleman May 2014
than it is to restore it, so it’s in everyone’s best inter- est for landowners to be informed early on and work with oil and gas companies to minimize the impact.”
Practical advice To be successful at the negotiation table, landown-
ers need to know their properties from geographic, topographic, ecological and production perspectives, Evans says. It is also important that they are clear about their personal, long-term goals because the sheer expense of the conservation work makes it impossible to accomplish every recommendation. “In a negotiation, no one ever gets everything they
want, so it’s vital that a landowner identify the things that are most important to them,” Evans says. “Then, when decisions have to be made, there is a scale of priorities to weigh the options against.” Evans, who began working with oil companies when
he was an area cattle manager for King Ranch in the 1990s, says his “make or break” priorities are protecting the topsoil because its integrity and fertility are key to rangeland restoration; minimizing the original imprint of the development by using existing roads, creating development corridors or limiting development to the
Restoration takes work, patience and a vision. It’s helpful to look past the current development and see wildlife and agri- culture as the primary future use.
perimeter, where practical; and focusing on top-notch reclamation efforts, investing some of the royalties or damages back into the land to ensure that oil and gas production is not its ultimate end use. One of the biggest lessons to come out the Eagle Ford
experience involves topsoil integrity. In the middle of the Eagle Ford region the subsoil is saline, and when it is mixed with the topsoil it “sterilizes” the topsoil. Landowners and researchers have seen fi rsthand the importance of keeping subsoil and topsoil separate. Smith says, “From a restoration standpoint, there is only so much that you can do with seeds and ma-
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100