Dreams of the late Gay Dahlstrom for turning part of her family’s vast ranch into a space for ecological stewardship and education is slowly coming to fruition.

With the help of $100,000 in state grants, Hays County earlier this year began construction on a public 3.15-mile trail system located within the 384-acre Gay Ruby Dahlstrom Preserve. The preserve is part of a 2,254-acre conservation easement, or protected natural land, located along FM 967 that’s owned by the Dahlstrom family...