Shield-Ayres-Bowen Family Awarded the Texas Children in Nature Network Champions Legacy Award

From left to right: Kathleen Ayres, Elizabeth Ayres Domenech, Margie Ayres, Bob Ayres, Patricia Shield Ayres, Vera Ayres Bowen, Marshall Ayres Bowen, Mallory Ayres Bowen, and Gentry Ayres Bowen.
From left to right: Kathleen Ayres, Elizabeth Ayres Domenech, Margie Ayres, Bob Ayres, Patricia Shield Ayres, Vera Ayres Bowen, Marshall Ayres Bowen, Mallory Ayres Bowen, and Gentry Ayres Bowen.

The Shield-Ayres-Bowen family will receive the  Champions Legacy Award at the Texas Children in Nature Network (TCiNN) Summit award reception to be held at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin, Texas on Dec. 8. TCiNN honors individuals or organizations that have gone above and beyond to improve the lives of children in Texas through strengthening their access to and connection with nature.

The family was recognized for their multigenerational commitment to the conservation of their ranchlands in the Hill Country and Trans-Pecos region of West Texas; decades of financial support to conservation and environmental organizations through the Shield-Ayres Foundation; the vision, execution and support of Camp El Ranchito, a program of the Shield Ranch Foundation now in its 16th year, having served more than 1,000 children in Central Texas; and, most recently, the completion of The Campsite at Shield Ranch, an artfully designed and sustainably built facility that serves as the new home for Camp El Ranchito and provides year-round nature-immersion experiences for people of all ages.