2022 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration Honoring Camp El Ranchito

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2022 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration to Honor Camp El Ranchito

The Board of Directors of Travis Audubon is honored to announce that the 2022 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Honoree is Camp El Ranchito, a nature-immersion summer camp and education program of the Shield Ranch Foundation. For the first time, this award will honor a community: El Ranchito campers, children of all backgrounds and their families whose growing passion for nature inspires them to be the next generation of Central Texas conservationists; Camp El Ranchito staff, who create and carry out the immersive curriculum that provides life-changing experiences in the outdoors; and the Shield-Ayres family, who established the camp to share their historic Hill Country ranch. Central Texas birds and their habitats play an important role in the memories the campers make, and Travis Audubon is thrilled to celebrate the meaningful work Camp El Ranchito does, both for nature and for the young people who love it.

Camp El Ranchito was founded in 2007 to connect children with the outdoors. Campers who otherwise may not have opportunities to immerse themselves in nature spend their sessions learning, exploring, and making friends at Shield Ranch. Summer sessions consist of two camp programs: Nature Discovery Camp for 4th through 9th graders and Conservation Corps for 10th through 12th graders. Camp El Ranchito serves approximately 90 kids each summer with more than half being returning campers. Once summer is over, the camp continues to connect kids and their families to nature with gatherings and campouts throughout the year. The scholarship-based camp experience is supported by the Shield-Ayres family, as well as by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations in our community.

Since 1998, the Shield-Ayres family has protected the historic Shield Ranch through conservation easements with the Nature Conservancy and the City of Austin, driven by a desire to share the property in ways that educate, inspire, and transform. This fall, the Foundation will open the newly constructed Campsite at Shield Ranch, an artfully designed and sustainably built facility that will enable the expansion of Camp El Ranchito and the introduction of new outdoor programming.

Travis Audubon looks forward to honoring the campers, who use their camping experiences to take local action in conservation; El Ranchito staff, who share their passions for the magic of the Hill Country; and the Shield-Ayres Family, for their vision to protect the beautiful 6,400-acre property to ensure that future generations of Central Texans experience the joy of time in nature.

We will host our 13th annual Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration on the evening of Thursday, October 6, 2022 at the Austin Country Club. Travis Audubon is excited to commemorate Camp El Ranchito’s vital work of inspiring “Wild for Good.”

We hope you will join us for the festivities. Tickets and sponsorships at all levels are available starting July 1, 2022. A portion of each ticket sold will be a donation to Camp El Ranchito.

 

About Travis Audubon:

As an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society, Travis Audubon promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of native birds through inclusive environmental education, habitat protection, restoration, and management, and conservation advocacy. Travis Audubon manages four wildlife sanctuaries in the Austin area, including protected habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Since 1952, Travis Audubon and its members have recognized the importance of protecting the ecological balance necessary for healthy, sustainable, and habitable communities, both for people and wildlife. Get involved and learn more at www.travisaudubon.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter @TravisAudubon, and Instagram @TravisAudubonSociety.



Committee Honorary Chairs

Victor Emanuel & Carter Smith

Committee Chairs

Jennifer & Valarie Bristol

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Sponsors



Former Recipients

2021
Greg Lasley
Photographer & Naturalist

2020
Shelia Hargis
Conservationist

2019
Chris Harte
Conservationist

2018
George Cofer
Founding Chief Executive Officer, Hill Country Conservancy

2017
Mickey Burleson
Prairie Conservationist

2016
Valarie Bristol
Former Travis County Commissioner

2015
Bob Ayres
Trustee, Shield-Ayres Foundation

2014
Georgean Kyle and Paul Kyle
Chaetura Canyon Stewards

2013
David Bamberger
President, Bamberger Ranch Preserve

2012
Carter Smith
Executive Director, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

2011
Andrew Sansom
Executive Director, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University-San Marcos

2010
Victor Emanuel
President, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours