--- title: Gin and Thanksgiving – Being Grateful and Giving Back - WildGins Co. description: "By: Molly Cummings WildGins Founder & Biology Professor at the University of Texas at Austin Nov 21, 2024 We all have so many blessings for which we are thankful— family, friends, and the fact we’re alive.  I’m grateful for all these gifts. In addition, I’m really grateful for trees. Showing Gratitude for our Trees Trees […]" image: https://blog.wildgins.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Molly-Tree.png --- ![](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Molly-Tree.png?width=550&height=550&name=Padded-Molly-Tree.png) Molly Posts # Gin and Thanksgiving – Being Grateful and Giving Back ![Molly Cummings](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Molly Cummings November 22, 2024   By: Molly Cummings ### WildGins Founder & Biology Professor at the University of Texas at Austin Nov 21, 2024 We all have so many blessings for which we are thankful— family, friends, and the fact we’re alive.  I’m grateful for all these gifts. In addition, I’m really grateful for trees. ## Showing Gratitude for our Trees ![](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Molly-Tree-300x300.png?width=510&height=510&name=Padded-Molly-Tree-300x300.png)Trees are the silent givers of the world.  They give us oxygen, and shade, clean up our pollution, cool our climate, create homes for cute critters, and keep our hillsides from turning into chronic mudslides.  They give us all of this, plus delight our senses. And… they give us [*WildGins*.](https://wildgins.com/) WildGins wouldn’t exist without an extraordinary set of trees.  And these special Texas trees wouldn’t exist without the wild and unique lands they live on.  We make gin that depends on redberry juniper and alligator juniper—trees that thrive in the unique universe that is called West Texas—so giving back to these lands feels essential. Our ‘Give Back to the Land’ Campaign ### ![](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Gins-TNC-300x300.jpg?width=510&height=510&name=Padded-Gins-TNC-300x300.jpg)To meet this need to give back to the wilds that give us *WildGins*, we started a Give Back to the Land campaign three years ago.  In November 2021, we launched our [“Give a Wild Buck”](https://wildgins.com/give-a-wild-buck/) campaign which we run during the giving season (November through February) and continue to do every year. ### It’s a simple premise.  For every bottle of our gin that is purchased (at the liquor store or by bars and restaurants), we give $1 to [The Nature Conservancy](https://www.nature.org/en-us/) and earmark it for the West Texas Chapter.  Last year’s gift was larger than the one before, and we want to see that gift grow every year. ## The Nature Conservancy & West Texas’ Biodiversity ### ![](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Molly-Treetop-300x300.png?width=510&height=510&name=Padded-Molly-Treetop-300x300.png)The Nature Conservancy does a fantastic job of buying up lands to keep them wild.  And keeping lands wild allows Mother Nature to do what she does best—churning out biodiversity.  And what she’s given us out in West Texas is truly astounding. ### There is a single county in West Texas that is home to 4 species of junipers.  That is four times more juniper species in this single Texas County than the entirety of the modern British Empire. ### The reason that biodiversity abounds in certain places like the Davis Mountains in West Texas is that they are [‘sky islands’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_island).   Sky islands are isolated mountains with distinct climates from the lowlands that surround them.  Their elevated environment is different than surrounding geography and they become a hot spot for biodiversity and unique species not found anywhere else. ### The West Texas Chapter of the Nature Conservancy is fully committed to keeping our very special [Texas sky island](https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/davis-mountains-preserve/) preserved for posterity.  They know there are multiple species of plants and animals found in the Davis Mountains that are not found anywhere else.  And they are doing their best to keep them alive, wild, and thriving. ## Call to Action—Supporting WildGins and Conservation ### So please help us give back to the unique part of Texas that gave us these uniquely Texas Gins. Help us help The Nature Conservancy do what they do best in preserving the wilds of Texas.  ### If you are thinking of a spirit to elevate your holiday spirit during this giving season, we ask that you consider selecting [*WildBark* *West Texas Dry*](https://wildgins.com/our-products/) or [*WildJune Western Style Gins*](https://wildgins.com/our-products/).  ### It’s a win every way you look at it —You’re drinking a wild part of Texas while giving back to the folks keeping Texas Wild. ### Happy Thanksgiving & Thank you for your support. We’re ‘wildly’ grateful for you!   ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.wildgins.com%2Fblog%2Fgin-and-thanksgiving-being-grateful-and-giving-back](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.wildgins.com%2Fblog%2Fgin-and-thanksgiving-being-grateful-and-giving-back) ## Keep reading [![A diverse group of people in hats gathers in front of the towering Davis Mountains, enjoying West Texas](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025%20Favorite%20for%20Wild%20Buck.jpeg?width=510&height=287&name=2025%20Favorite%20for%20Wild%20Buck.jpeg) Give a Wild Buck ### Sipping Wild, Giving Back: WildGins Helps Preserve Texas Biodiversity ](https://blog.wildgins.com/blog/sipping-wild-giving-back-wildgins-helps-preserve-texas-biodiversity) [![](https://blog.wildgins.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WidBark_Berries_HandsHeart%20510-1.jpg?width=510&height=360&name=WidBark_Berries_HandsHeart%20510-1.jpg) Molly Posts Texas gin WildGins ### WildGins 101:  From Berry to Bottle –  How We Make WildBark & WildJune Gin ](https://blog.wildgins.com/blog/wildgins-101-from-berry-to-bottle-how-we-make-wildbark-wildjune-gin) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Molly Cummings", "url" : "https://blog.wildgins.com/blog/author/molly-cummings" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-19T16:03:41.633Z", "datePublished" : "2024-11-22T07:43:29.000Z", "headline" : "Gin and Thanksgiving – Being Grateful and Giving Back - WildGins Co.", "image" : [ "https://blog.wildgins.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Padded-Molly-Tree.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.wildgins.com/blog/gin-and-thanksgiving-being-grateful-and-giving-back", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.wildgins.com/hubfs/Transparent%20WG%20Logo.png" }, "name" : "WildGins Co." } } ```