At Cactus Construction, we’re very pleased that we are part of creating a major center for research and education in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

Members of our team were present on April 3 when a ceremonial concrete pour was held, celebrating completion of the foundation for the Margaret Bamberger Research and Education Center in Johnson City.

Four generations of Bamberger family members were present and put their handprints into the new research center’s foundation.

“This ceremony helped provide a great opportunity to celebrate the Bamberger family’s dedication to keeping Margaret’s vision alive,” said Grant Dean, owner of Cactus Construction. “It was quite an honor to start the building’s foundation, and now we’re moving forward toward fully completing the project. The Bamberger family has given so, so much to the community and it’s just such an honor to be a part of creating this center.”

The center, which will be located on the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve itself, provides space for a museum-quality collection to document Selah’s biodiversity. It also will offer a classroom and laboratories for scientists to work and learn. It will house a comprehensive collection of insects gathered from Selah, along with protected and secured cages of live snakes and amphibians.

The vivarium will be complemented with a live bee hive and ant farm, visibly contained in an exterior wall. Students will be active participants in collection, identification and documentation of specimens. The building itself will be a model of conservation and feature the latest innovations in “green” design.

Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is uniquely positioned for a project of this caliber. Many scientists believe Selah’s 5,500 protected acres is large enough to be considered a functioning ecosystem. With climatic conditions changing and surrounding urban populations growing, understanding and documenting the biological communities on the ranch and then studying them over time is of utmost importance to conservation efforts now and in the future.

For more information, visit Cactus Construction’s website at www.cactuscompanies.com and to make a donation or to learn more about the Research Center, visit www.bambergerranch.org.

Photo by D.K. Langford. The image will appear in the upcoming legacy book on Bamberger Ranch Preserve, to be published by Texas A&M University Press.