25 Jul Bill Lindemann

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Bill Lindemann (1937-2021)

Founder and Past President of the Friends of the Fredericksburg Center

Twenty years ago, Bill initiated the creation of the Fredericksburg Nature Center and the supporting Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center (FFNC) and has guided both entities through the ensuing years. On any given day, Bill could be found at the FNC attending to some task and demonstrating his commitment. Bill announced in January 2021, that he was retiring from the President’s role but would continue to serve the organization in a reduced role. Following is Bill’s story and only an abbreviated list of his many accomplishments in service to our community. 

Bill Lindemann was born on October 12, 1937, on a farm in Gonzales County, Texas. He graduated from Gonzales High School in 1955 and went on to pursue college studies at the University of Texas at Austin from which he graduated in 1960 with a BS in geology and an MA in geology in 1963. He married Janet Hagler Lindemann in 1960, and they share two children and three grandchildren.

After university completion, Bill was employed by Exxon as an exploration geologist. He worked for 32 years with Exxon in the search for oil, gas, uranium, coal, synthetic fuels, and copper. During this period, the Lindemanns lived in Australia for three years, and Bill travelled extensively in Indonesia, Thailand, China, and other Far East and African countries. 

He retired from Exxon in 1994 and re-located to a 29 acre tract in Fredericksburg. Although he did not have immediate connections to the community, his grandfather had served as a circuit Methodist minister in the area in the late 19th century.

After retirement, Bill found time to purse his many interests in the natural world. Adding to his long history as a birder, he proceeded to become expert in his knowledge of native plants, butterflies, and dragonflies. He began writing a weekly birding column for the Fredericksburg Standard Radio-Post and the Kerrville Daily Times which lasted nineteen years until he retired after writing his 1,000th column in 2016. Bill also became a frequent speaker in the Hill Country region of Texas and the southwestern US on natural history subjects to schools, garden clubs, professional, and service organizations. His pursuit of an interest in photographing nature subjects has resulted in many of his beautiful photos enhancing the pages of this newsletter (the Editor sends his thanks!). His stated interests were promoting historical and natural preservation in the Texas Hill Country through education, outreach, and example. 

In retrospect, Bill did not really retire, he simply changed careers by volunteering his leadership skills to many local organizations who were supportive of his interests in natural and historical preservation. His new career as volunteer leader did not pay well in monetary terms, but the personal rewards no doubt satisfied his civic spirit. He became involved with numerous local and regional non-profit organizations over the years and following is a summary of them.

  • In 1997, re-started the local chapter of the Native Plant of Society (NPSOT) and served as President
  • State President of the Native Plant Society of Texas (2001 and 2006)
  • Founder and President of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center since its founding in 2000 to 2021. 
  • Chair of the Wings Over the Hill Nature Festival steering committee for eight years.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Hill Country Land Trust since 2003; served as president for four years (2009-2013); retired in 2018.
  • Serves on the Board of Directors for the Hill Country Historical Foundation. 

Following is a list of awards that Bill has been presented for his volunteer service.

  • Received the “Star of Texas” award from the Gillespie County Historical Society in 2006 for his work in creating the Fredericksburg Nature Center and for the preservation of the natural and historical heritage of the Texas Hill Country.
  • Awarded the Nancy Benedict Memorial Award by the Native Plant Society of Texas (10/03) for an act of Conservation/Public Service for establishing the Fredericksburg Nature Center and the FFNC organization
  • Awarded the Benny J. Simpson Fellows Award by the Native Plant Society of Texas (10/06) for service by a member for the enrichment of the society
  • Fredericksburg City Council proclaimed December 4, 2017 as “Bill Lindemann Day” for contributions in developing the nature center in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. 

And now for a brief history of Bill’s leadership accomplishments in founding and leading FFNC.

In 2000, Bill germinated the idea to create a Fredericksburg Nature Center as a result of two converging events. He had recently visited the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne in response to a friend’s request to assist but found the drive too far. At about the same time, the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) requested from Bill some birding locations to advertise to tourists, but Bill found that he had few local options to offer that were public venues. Marrying the two events, the idea for a local nature center was born. 

After working with Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation, Bill identified the current acreage in LBJ Municipal Park as a candidate. The city considered the inaccessible plot as not being conducive to the type of development defined in their park master plan. What Bill found in the site was an amazing diversity of wildlife suitable for a nature center, because it was left alone for many decades. After signing a service agreement with the city, the Fredericksburg Nature Center was hatched. In subsequent years, a supporting non-profit organization entitled Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center was formed to recruit and provide volunteer labor and raise financial support for the fulfilment of their mission statement. The stated mission statement is “to enhance, protect and interpret the natural ecosystem of the Texas Hill Country while providing educational and quality of life opportunities for members of the community and visitors.” An immediate goal of FFNC was to provide a venue for outdoor classrooms for local and area schools to study nature and enjoy hiking in a natural setting.

The last 20 years of FNC’s history has been one of constant additions and improvements to the nature center under Bill’s leadership with the constant support of our members and volunteers. After the initial formation of the organization, trail work began resulting in the Live Oak Wilderness Trail. By 2002, the Vista Oaks Trail was completed followed in later years by the Handicapped Awareness Trail (HAT) which provides access to views of Live Oak Creek, the butterfly garden, geology exhibit, and bird blind. 

In pursuit of our goal to educate our youth, the creation of 3rd Grade Day in 2004 brings over 200 students annually to the park to learn about an array of nature subjects. “Wings Over the Hills Nature Festival, a Celebration of Natural Flight” came to fruition in 2010 in partnership with the Fredericksburg Rotary Club and continued for eight years. 

In 2012, FFNC took responsibility for the deteriorating rose garden near the municipal pool and converted it to the Pollinator Garden. Even in pandemic stricken 2020, we managed to complete a water feature in the bird blind and revamp the bird blind area funded by an LCRA grant. Finally, after several generations of bridges over Live Oak Creek, Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation constructed an engineered bridge that provides better trail access and improved flood resistance. 

What an amazing list of consistent accomplishments over the years under Bill’s leadership to provide an evolving nature center for the education and enjoyment of the local community and visitors. The Board and members of FFNC, the city of Fredericksburg, and the local community will be forever indebted for his leadership in demonstrating the vision and perseverance to create the nature center and necessary support organization to sustain the effort and ensure its continuance for perpetuity. After his retirement as President, we looked forward to his continued participation with FFNC and were saddened at his recent death. His leadership, mentorship, and guidance will be sorely missed. Without Bill, the Fredericksburg Nature Center and its supporting organization would not exist, and our community and lives would have been the lesser for it.