Today we’d like to introduce you to Metha Haggard.
Hi Metha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The 5H (Haggard) Ranch was managed or mismanaged as an abused, depleted peanut farm when the Haggard family purchased the property in 1948. Mr. and Mrs. Haggard, with the help of the Soil Conservation Services and the blood, sweat, and tears of their many children, revived the land, and now the 246-acre property that encompasses Unbroken Circle Green Cemetery is in a conservation easement with Texas Parks and Wildlife through Green Spaces Alliance. This means the property will remain essentially as it is today, “wild and whole,” undeveloped and undivided. There will be no apartments or warehouses suddenly appearing next to your loved one’s gravesite. During your cemetery tour, Metha will point out the unique flora, fauna, wildlife, and birds that reside there and call it home. Over 200 species of birds have been identified on the property. You may access this list of birds by going to ebird.com, Haggard Ranch (restricted access). Metha has held a multitude of jobs, from waitress to QC/RD in an explosive manufacturing plant to an environmental consultant to ditch digger and rancher and oil worker—what’s the term for oil roughneck? Metha cannot knit, but she can weld.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The 5H (Haggard) Ranch was managed or mismanaged as an abused, depleted peanut farm when the Haggard family purchased the property in 1948. Mr. and Mrs. Haggard, with the help of the Soil Conservation Services and the blood, sweat, and tears of their many children, revived the land, The establishment of the green cemetery began with one woman with a desire and property but no knowledge and another woman who had knowledge and expertise but no property. Neither had money. It has been a slow but steady process with some failures but more successes. It has definitely not been a smooth road but it has been a gradual uphill road.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Deep in the heartland of Texas, Unbroken Circle Green Cemetery is San Antonio’s first and only Conservation Burial Ground. Our 6.5-acre green cemetery captures the expansive Texas landscape and is encompassed within our 246-acre Wildlife Conservation Center. Furthermore, in honor of beloved pets, we have established a pet cemetery adjacent to our green cemetery.
Conservation burial is a natural burial practice that serves a significant conservation purpose. It involves the internment of human remains in a way that supports the natural process of decomposition in healthy soil, recycling elements from the body into nutrients for the ecosystem. This practice minimizes the environmental disturbance and promotes sustainable practices. We are in partnership with conservation organizations that include a conservation management plan and perpetual protection of the land to keep it “wild and whole.”
How do you think about luck?
This is only Metha speaking: I do not believe in luck. I believe in the Providence of GOD. I thank GOD that my folks bought this property back in the Forty’s. I would not have been able to afford property like this. I thank GOD for my health. At 81, I can still walk (slowly but still under my own power) over the place. I thank GOD for connecting Susan and I. I had the will and the property to establish a green cemetery but I had no knowledge. Susan brings the knowledge, expertise, and experience. Mainly, I thank GOD for Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://UnbrokenCircleGreenCemetery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unbroken_circle_gc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unbrokencirclegreencemetery/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unbrokencirclegreencemetery
