Ivy Payne Preserve: Continuing a Legacy of Conservation

Apr 17

*Pineywoods at Ivy Payne Preserve. // Sean Bibby*

Dr. Earl Matthew, long-time TLC board member, dreamed of becoming a wildlife biologist as a child. “I was on the land my whole life,” he says “I grew up with an outhouse and a water well with a cistern.”

“We were fairly close to nature. It was around me all the time, but I didn’t really think about preserving it, or fighting for causes, until I got involved with Ivy.”

Ivy Payne Preserve is what drew Earl to TLC. While his early passion for biology led him to the career of infectious disease physician, Earl has now spent decades devoted to conservation, both locally in his coastal home of Rockport and statewide with TLC.

*Ivy Payne feeding the wildlife and enjoying the creek at Ivy Payne Preserve.*

As executor of the estate of Ivy Payne, Earl worked closely with the woman responsible for preserving the 465-acre refuge near Palestine. “Ivy was an independent woman,” says Earl. Initially she had intended to share the land with her family members, but she was concerned that others wouldn’t care for the land. Along came NAPA (the Natural Areas Preservation Association, now Texas Land Conservancy) and Ned Fritz.

With only two months to live, Ivy went into negotiations with TLC. She wanted to see her land protected and cared for, but she was still concerned, says Earl, that the organization was too radical. By convening conservationists from all backgrounds, Earl convinced Ivy that TLC could steward her property. They worked out the terms of the land management plan in April 1987. Ivy died soon after, but happily, according to Earl, and on the land she loved. “Every deer, every bird, and other little critter from the county came by her backyard on her last day as she sat by the window.”

Having worked so hard to preserve the land and respect Ivy’s wishes, Earl fondly remembers the dedication ceremony. “That had to be a pivotal point in my life. Ned was there and about sixty others.”

*Dedication ceremony at Ivy Payne Preserve.*

Earl is passionate about access to Ivy’s for educational purposes, but he admits it’s been a challenge. TLC's transition to a regionally-focused organization with staff in North and East Texas has increased the accessibility of Ivy's to the public. Previously run by volunteers, campouts and open preserve days are now organized regularly by staff. Visitors can explore the preserve during Spring and Fall weekends, either independently or with a guide, and many choose to camp under the towering pine trees for the entire weekend.

“Ivy’s goal was to get kids and Scouts outdoors,” he says. Outdoor recreation has been essential to his own conservation journey; he remembers well the early campouts and outdoor gatherings with Ned and Genie Fritz. While Earl remarks that land preservation is the answer to climate change, it’s also critical to provide space where people can enjoy outdoor spaces. “In Texas it is so important, because we don’t have large amounts of public land.”

*2022 visitors at Ivy Payne Preserve. Earl center right.*

Spring at Ivy’s is, according to Earl, one of the best times to enjoy the preserve. He remarks on the beauty of the dogwood trees blooming and the diverse overlapping of flora and fauna to be found on the property. “This place where the piney woods and the post oak savannah come together. The confluence of these Texas’ ecosystems are all represented at Ivy’s.” It’s this beauty that first drew him as a child to study and understand the natural environment he grew up in, and it is what compels him to keep it alive for the next generation. “We need to preserve these iconic locations,” he says, “so that in fifty years our kids can enjoy nature unspoiled.”