This is the visionary who managed to transform 5,500 acres of wrecked Texas land into paradise
Fifty years ago, David Bamberger bought the worst land he could find, in a bid to bring it back to life.
Bamberger was born into poverty, but became a hugely successful fast food tycoon before assuming the role of Totally Inspiring Steward of the Land, according to Tree Hugger. After selling his company, he took to the hills to begin his work. “My objective was to take the worst piece of land I could possible find in the Hill Country of Texas and begin the process of restoration,” he says in the short film Selah: Water from Stone.
He eventually settled upon a 5,500 acres of wasteland, where “there wasn’t any grass, there wasn’t any water” and “nobody wanted it”. “Working with Mother Nature instead of against her,” Bamberger managed to bring life to the land and create Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.
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The man explained that the preserve’s name, Selah, means “to stop, to pause, to look around you and reflect on everything you see. To me that’s like Thoreau was to Walden Pond, it gives us a chance to say, ‘what’s my duty as a steward of this ranch land?’ And I believe it’s to take care of it and share it.”
For anyone inspired to create something similar, Bamberger’s advice is simple. “You don’t need a bulldozer,” he says. “You need a chainsaw, wheelbarrow, axes, hand tools, and a lot of friends coming out from time to time, and a little time. You can buy used equipment – don’t waste your money on new – and you can accomplish on your property what I’ve done here.”
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