Texas women are frequently praised for their toughness, grit and flinty determination. And when it comes to conservation here, those qualities have been central. Since the 19th century, women have been leaders in preserving and defending Texas nature. Yet their stories are rarely told.
A new book aims to correct that – and to inspire emerging female conservationists. On April 25th, Alpine’s Front Street Books hosts an event to celebrate the publication of “Wild Women for Good,” from Texas A&M University Press. Author Jennifer Bristol will be on-hand, for a panel discussion with several West Texas women featured in her book.
“We'd see a little plaque in the corner of some park or nature center,” Bristol said, “and it was dedicated to a woman who clearly made all this happen, and you didn't really know who she was. And we're like, ‘See, that's who we want to know more about.’”
The idea for Bristol’s new book emerged in conversations with her mother, Valerie Scott Bristol; as an Austin-area public official and attorney, Valerie herself was pivotal in Hill Country conservation efforts. It was 2009, and neither knew who would write such a book.
But a decade later, Bristol left a career with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to become a full-time writer. She’s since published two birding volumes. But writing “Wild Women for Good” presented unique challenges.
Unlike male interviewees, Bristol found, women were often hesitant to talk about their accomplishments. And as she dug into the archives, she encountered a basic obstacle – of naming historic figures. Up until the 1960s, Texas newspapers only identified woman by their husband’s names.
But Bristol ultimately compiled a sweeping account of Texas women in conservation. Some standout characters are tied to West Texas.
“If I could go back in time and know one of these women, I would pick Jeffie Wardlaw,” Bristol said. “Reading about her, I just thought, ‘This woman is cool.’ And clearly everybody she encountered thought she was cool too, because she just had this magnetism.”
Jeffie Davis Pringle Wardlaw played an important role in establishing Big Bend National Park. The Fort Worth resident explored Big Bend on horseback – and then advocated for park creation to Rotary Clubs, cattlemen’s groups and other gatherings statewide. She had a gift for “painting word pictures,” Bristol said; Wardlaw enthralled listeners with descriptions of a landscape unlike any they’d seen.
Bristol calls some of the women she profiles “amplifiers”: figures who’ve used their wealth or power for conservation ends. That includes Jane Sibley. From a Pecos County ranching family, Sibley fought tirelessly to create Seminole Canyon State Park. Then there’s Laura Bush – whose many conservation initiatives include the Jenna Welch Nature Study Center in Midland, which honors her nature-loving mother.
In Texas, conservation relies on private landowners, and Bristol highlights several. One of them is Carolyn Ohl-Johnson. Through decades of patient work, she’s added water features and native plants at her Terlingua Ranch property. Olh-Johnson’s Christmas Mountains Oasis is a wildlife hotspot, and she welcomes visiting birders.
Ohl-Johnson will participate in the Front Street panel, as will Cecilia Riley and Madge Lindsay. After careers in conservation, both women retired to the Davis Mountains, where they’re organizers of the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration. In her book, Bristol recounts Lindsay’s pioneering work in nature tourism, which includes creating the nation’s first birding trail.
Inequities persist, Bristol said, but her book also underscores women’s advances and contributions in conservation.
“I think about, what would Jeffie Wardlaw think today?” Bristol said. “She'd be cheering us on. I mean, there was no way she could have been a park ranger at Big Bend National Park. I think we’re in a really cool and interesting time.”
The April 25th event at Front Street Books is from 1 to 3 pm.
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