LITTLEFIELD, Texas – John Roley never thought he’d win. The longtime landowner and former car dealer had his doubts when he was nominated for the 2025 Texas Land Steward Award from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We’re in West Texas — it doesn’t rain,” he said. “They came to film in the middle of a drought, and I didn’t think I stood a chance.”

But Roley’s persistence and dedication to conservation earned him the prestigious recognition — and he says the experience has been well worth the wait.

“Conservation isn’t about making dramatic changes overnight. It’s about showing others what’s possible when you give nature a little room to breathe — and then watching it come alive.”

Roley’s 2,200-acre ranch, fondly known as Little Las Vegas, sits along the Yellow House Draw in southern Lamb and northern Hockley Counties — the headwaters of the Brazos River. The land has a colorful past, once serving as a gambling site, a buffalo hunting camp, and a strategic outpost for Comanches and Union soldiers. Today, it’s become a model for modern restoration.

“I bought it to hunt doves,” Roley said with a laugh. “But it’s become a place where wildlife thrives — quail, mule deer, sandhill cranes, red-winged blackbirds. It’s amazing what shows up when you give nature the space and resources it needs.”

With help from the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative and technical support through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Roley restored one playa on his property — fencing it off from cattle, rerouting runoff through a filtration system, and managing surrounding vegetation for long-term health.

Found at the lowest point of a watershed, playas are round, shallow basins lined with clay soil that collect and hold rainfall and runoff, forming temporary wetlands. These natural recharge basins play a vital role in replenishing groundwater and supporting wildlife.

The playa restoration process wasn’t quite as Roley expected.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he admitted. “I was used to running a dealership, where you get immediate results. But this? It takes time. You’ve got to trust the process.”

That trust has paid off. His playa is now a magnet for wildlife and serves as a vital water source in a region where rainfall is scarce. Roley says his restored playa has also increased the value of his land — proof that good stewardship makes good economic sense.

He encourages other landowners — especially retirees or those new to agriculture — to give conservation a try.

“Your best resources are your neighbors and the folks at NRCS and Texas Parks and Wildlife,” he said. “Be friendly. Ask questions. Learn. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen — and you’ll be glad you did it.”

Roley now hosts field days, scout troops, and wildlife students on his property. He sees it as a way to give back.

“If you’ve been fortunate enough to own land, you’ve also been given an opportunity,” he said.

“Conservation isn’t about making dramatic changes overnight. It’s about showing others what’s possible when you give nature a little room to breathe — and then watching it come alive.”

Learn more about Roley’s conservation efforts in this video about the 2025 Lone Star Land Steward Award winner.

PLAINVIEW, Texas – Danny Glenn doesn’t just talk about habitat — he builds it. As president of the Plainview Pheasants Forever chapter and a lifelong landowner in the Texas Panhandle, Glenn has restored multiple playas across Hale, Swisher, and Briscoe counties to bring back the cover, water, and insect life that upland birds — and entire ecosystems — depend on.

“Restoration isn’t just about the past. It’s about leaving something better behind.”

Found at the lowest point of a watershed, playas are round, shallow basins lined with clay soil that collect and hold rainfall and runoff, forming temporary wetlands. These natural recharge basins play a vital role in replenishing groundwater and supporting wildlife.

“We’ve lost so much habitat over the years, it’s alarming,” Glenn said. “I just couldn’t stand by and watch places I hunted as a kid disappear.”

That personal connection to the land, combined with his leadership in the nation’s leading upland habitat organization, sparked Glenn’s commitment to restoration. His local chapter has supported playa buffer projects for nearly a decade, recognizing playas as one of the last strongholds for pheasant nesting and brood-rearing in the region.

“Habitat is everything,” he said. “If you don’t have it, you don’t have wildlife.”

Even during long stretches of drought, Glenn has seen firsthand how a single rainfall can bring a playa back to life — sprouting diverse plants, attracting insects, and giving pheasants the conditions they need to reproduce. And playas require no constant maintenance — just space, stewardship, and a little patience.

“I’ve hunted areas my whole life that are gone now,” he said. “But when we restore these playas, it’s like flipping a switch. You suddenly have cover, food, water — and wildlife starts coming back.”

Today, Glenn has approximately 600 acres enrolled in conservation and has worked with multiple partners to restore these wetlands, including the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative. While drought remains the biggest challenge, the actual restoration process, he says, has been straightforward.

Since 2017, the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative has worked with landowners to restore nearly 3,900 acres of playas across the Texas Panhandle. The program offers 100% cost-covered restoration and technical support, as well as a one-time incentive payment, helping producers bring these wetlands back to life.

“They hired the contractor, handled the technical stuff — I just had to stay out of the way,” Glenn said with a laugh. “It was easy. And it works.”

Glenn sees this work as critical not just for pheasants, but for pollinators, monarch butterflies, and future generations of hunters and landowners alike.

“If we don’t start now, we’re not going to have anything left,” he said. “Restoration isn’t just about the past. It’s about leaving something better behind.”

His advice for other landowners or conservation groups thinking about playa restoration?

“Start yesterday. Talk to your local NRCS office. Work with people who know the programs. You’ll be amazed how quickly things can improve — and how much more beautiful your land becomes.”