NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2025

Media Contact:
Dr. Louis Harveson
432.837.8225
harveson@sulross.edu

ALPINE — The Borderlands Research Foundation has named J. Luther King, Jr., as the 2025 West Texas Conservationist of the Year, honoring his decades-long commitment to land stewardship and wildlife conservation across Texas. King was recognized during a special event held April 17 in Fort Worth, Texas.

A native of Odessa, King has spent much of his life working to conserve the wide-open spaces of Texas. At a time when land fragmentation poses a growing threat to conservation, King and his family have taken the opposite approach—thoughtfully assembling and managing more than 100,000 acres across six Texas counties.

His work includes the 4K Livermore Ranch in the Davis Mountains, one of the highest-elevation private properties in the state, which the family has managed since 2014.  In the Northwest Hill Country, the family’s 4K Brady Creek Ranches represent a return to ancestral land—tracts once settled by King’s great-grandfather in the 1880s and reclaimed by Luther over the course of several decades. The 4K Brady Creek Ranch has been honored with several conservation awards, including the prestigious Lone Star Land Steward Award for the Edwards Plateau in 2003.

“Luther King is a true conservationist whose actions speak louder than words,” said Dr. Louis Harveson, founding director of the Borderlands Research Institute. “He’s not only restoring Texas landscapes—he’s restoring family heritage and demonstrating what it means to care for the land across generations. His leadership and humility have made a lasting impact on the future of wild places in Texas.”

King’s conservation ethic extends beyond the ranch. He and his family have supported a variety of conservation-focused organizations and projects, always with an eye toward sustaining the land, water, and wildlife that define the Texas landscape.

A video tribute honoring King’s conservation legacy can be viewed here: Watch the video

The West Texas Conservationist of the Year award, presented annually by the Borderlands Research Foundation, recognizes outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to conserving the natural resources of West Texas. Past recipients include landowners, philanthropists, and business leaders who have set a high standard for private land conservation in the region.

To learn more about the Borderlands Research Foundation and its mission to support conservation in the Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands, visit www.borderlandsresearchfoundation.org.

Since 2007, the Borderlands Research Institute has encouraged effective land stewardship of the Chihuahuan Desert. Housed at Sul Ross State University, the Borderlands Research Institute builds on a long-lasting partnership with private landowners, the university’s natural resource program, cooperating state, federal, and non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders. Through research, education and outreach, the Borderlands Research Institute is helping to conserve the last frontier of Texas and the Southwest.

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