Shield Ranch Barton Creek earns Urban Night Sky designation
arkSky International officially certified Shield Ranch Barton Creek as an Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP). Shield Ranch joins three neighboring designated International Dark Sky Places: Dripping Springs and Bee Cave, Texas — both International Dark Sky Communities — and Travis County Milton Reimers Ranch Park — an International Dark Sky Park — augmenting the regional effort to protect the night sky.
“Shield Ranch is Texas’s 20th International Dark Sky Place certified in the International Dark Sky Places program. In addition to three Developments of Distinction, there are now 23 internationally recognized sites in the state that have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of improving light pollution and educating the public about the importance of dark sky conservation. It is exciting to see how much the dark sky movement has grown in the state, especially in such a rapidly growing area,” Amber Harrison, International Dark Sky Places program manager, said.
special to the record
Shield Ranch is located on the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, just 18 miles west of downtown Austin. It is a 6,400-acre nationally designated historic district and protected wildland comprising 10% of the Barton Creek watershed. Fred and Vera Shield of San Antonio purchased the property in 1938 and the land continues to be stewarded by the Shield/Ayres/Bowen family and the Shield Ranch Foundation. Through an evolving program of land stewardship, four generations of the family have gradually restored the Ranch to a mosaic of habitats that today is home to a diverse community of native plants and animals.
Shield Ranch is sustainably managed for the benefit of people and nature. To support the land management program, the Ranch partners with conservation organizations, universities, and governmental entities. It is protected in perpetuity by two conservation easements held by The Nature Conservancy and the City of Austin. The easements preclude commercial development while allowing traditional agricultural and recreational activities and limited development within strict parameters for a small number of family residences, ecotourism activities, and facilities for nonprofit and community group use.
The owners and managers of Shield Ranch understand the ways well-managed rangelands benefit a rapidly growing region, providing water and air quality, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas and access to natural areas both during the daytime and at night.
“As advocates for wildlife conservation, we understand the importance of reducing outdoor lighting to reduce harmful impacts to wildlife including migrating birds, as well as moths and other insects that are active at night,” Robert Ayres, co-owner of Shield Ranch, said.
Shield Ranch will serve as a model to support, and increase, the number of dark sky initiatives in the area.
— Blake Murden, CEO “We look forward to joining other Dark Sky Places in the region,” Blake Murden, CEO of the Shield Land Stewardship Group, said. “Shield Ranch will serve as a model to support, and increase, the number of dark sky initiatives in the area.”
Becoming a Dark Sky Place allows for not only sharing the pristine nature that exists at the Ranch during the daytime but also its natural nocturnal environment with visitors.
