40 years ago, Dave Bamberger bought more than 500 acres of some of them most overgrazed and eroded land in the Texas Hill Country.

Since then, Bamberger has literally created water from stone by removing unwanted brush and planting native grasses.

Rotating cattle, hunting to control deer populations and restoring endangered plants and trees back into their native habitat are all part of the game plan at the Bamberger Ranch Preserve.

The ranch was awarded this year's Lone Star Land Steward award from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.