Full Name
Danna Orr
Job Title
Land Owner
Company
Chapman Ranch
Speaker Bio
Danna Orr
Danna spent her early years in Corpus Christi, Texas, about sixteen miles north of the Chapman Ranch, where her grandparents lived and farmed land shared among four Chapman families.
She has always been deeply passionate about the visual and performing arts, nature, animals, and children. After studying abroad in Madrid, she attended SMU in Dallas, earning a BFA in acting and being invited to join the master's program for her final year. She later created the assistant director role at Stage #1, an equity company founded by the SMU Theatre department, and held that position for three years while also assisting with Shakespeare in the Park productions. Though she once planned to pursue a master's in directing in New York, she remained in Dallas, exploring design and staging. Over the past twenty-five years, she has also been a dedicated volunteer, including work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, reading weekly in a nursing home, and spending thirteen years in the Special Care Nursery at Presybterian Hospital.
Danna has never taken for granted the land gifted to her or the responsibility that comes with it. She holds deep respect for the man who farmed her family's land for fifty-three years, and whose son now continues farming her Chapman Ranch property, growing cotton and grain sorghum. With a strong desire to give back, she began considering how to dedicate a portion of her land in a way that aligned with her respect for the environment.
About ten years ago, she began working with conservation attorneys and scientists to find the best environmental use for a 240-acre tract bordering Petronila Creek. After eploring several options, she learned that agricultural fertilizer runoff was contributing to algae blooms and fish kills in Baffin Bay. That discovery led to the idea of creating a wetland.
With a completed hydrology study, a partnership with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and initial funding from the Deepwater Horizon spill for engineering and design, Danna now awaits final approval to move forward. She has named the project Aguanita de Chapeno, a personal tribute to someone connected to the Chapman Ranch. Confident in its future impact, she envisions walking the finished wetland one day, filled with gratitude and a sense of purpose in improving water quality in Baffin Bay.
Danna spent her early years in Corpus Christi, Texas, about sixteen miles north of the Chapman Ranch, where her grandparents lived and farmed land shared among four Chapman families.
She has always been deeply passionate about the visual and performing arts, nature, animals, and children. After studying abroad in Madrid, she attended SMU in Dallas, earning a BFA in acting and being invited to join the master's program for her final year. She later created the assistant director role at Stage #1, an equity company founded by the SMU Theatre department, and held that position for three years while also assisting with Shakespeare in the Park productions. Though she once planned to pursue a master's in directing in New York, she remained in Dallas, exploring design and staging. Over the past twenty-five years, she has also been a dedicated volunteer, including work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, reading weekly in a nursing home, and spending thirteen years in the Special Care Nursery at Presybterian Hospital.
Danna has never taken for granted the land gifted to her or the responsibility that comes with it. She holds deep respect for the man who farmed her family's land for fifty-three years, and whose son now continues farming her Chapman Ranch property, growing cotton and grain sorghum. With a strong desire to give back, she began considering how to dedicate a portion of her land in a way that aligned with her respect for the environment.
About ten years ago, she began working with conservation attorneys and scientists to find the best environmental use for a 240-acre tract bordering Petronila Creek. After eploring several options, she learned that agricultural fertilizer runoff was contributing to algae blooms and fish kills in Baffin Bay. That discovery led to the idea of creating a wetland.
With a completed hydrology study, a partnership with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and initial funding from the Deepwater Horizon spill for engineering and design, Danna now awaits final approval to move forward. She has named the project Aguanita de Chapeno, a personal tribute to someone connected to the Chapman Ranch. Confident in its future impact, she envisions walking the finished wetland one day, filled with gratitude and a sense of purpose in improving water quality in Baffin Bay.
Speaking At
