David Bamberger died Jan. 17 at his beloved Selah Bamberger Ranch near Johnson City. Photo by Rusty Yates.
Many in the Texas environmental movement are mourning the loss of J. David Bamberger, a Texas conservationist who died Saturday, Jan. 17, at his home Selah Bamberger Ranch near Johnson City. He was 97.
"After touring the ranch all day, we stood on top of the Bat Cave that evening as tens of thousands of Mexican free-tail bats poured out of the cave and into the sky at dusk, an estimated 10,000 of them, swirling all around us like living brushstrokes against the dwindling light...It was one of the most spiritual and emotional experiences of my life, a powerful reminder of how beautifully intentional creation can be when we choose to protect and nurture it." — Andrea Ridout on David Bamberger's Seleh Ranch.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
A former chairman of Church’s Fried Chicken, Bamberger was best known in later life for his extraordinary stewardship of the 5,500-acre ranch in Blanco County that he named Selah — a Hebrew word meaning “Pause and Reflect.” What began more than five decades ago as what he described as “the worst piece of real estate in Blanco County” became one of the most celebrated examples of ecological restoration in Texas.
Bamberger purchased the ranch with proceeds from the sale of his Church’s Fried Chicken holdings and spent the next 56 years restoring a parched, exhausted landscape that was largely devoid of water. Through decades of patient experimentation, innovative land management, and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, he helped heal the land. Springs returned. Streams flowed again. Lakes appeared. Though often regarded as a maverick, Bamberger ultimately demonstrated that degraded land could be brought back to life through commitment, observation, and humility.
To ensure the long-term protection of the property and its lessons, Bamberger established the nonprofit Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, which today welcomes landowners, conservation professionals, and researchers from across the United States and beyond. Thousands of schoolchildren have also passed through Selah, participating in conservation education programs that introduce young Texans to both the joy and responsibility of caring for the land.
Before his conservation legacy took root, Bamberger built an equally remarkable business career. He began as a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman before teaming up with Bill Church to grow a San Antonio-based fried chicken operation, Church’s Fried Chicken, into a national brand.man emeritus of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and William Penn Mott, former director of the National Park Service.
Bamberger’s life and work were chronicled widely through books, films, and media reports, including Water from Stone by Jeffrey Greene; Seasons at Selah by Andrew Sansom with photos by Rusty Yates and David K. Langford; My Stories, All True by Pamela LeBlanc; the documentary Selah: Water from Stone by Ben Masters’ Fin & Fur Films; a feature on Texas Country Reporter; and a landmark profile in Texas Monthly. His conservation work was also highlighted in Repairing Mother Nature, published in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Texas Monthly published a tribute to Bamberger on Jan. 18: J. David Bamberger, Church’s Chicken Tycoon Who Made Land Conservation His Mission, Dies at 97
SOURCE: Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.