Tentative Schedule
Registration Expected To Open September 1st
DAY 1- FIELD EXPERIENCES
Thursday December 6, 2012 | 9:00AM-5:30PM
FIELD EXPERIENCE Option 1: Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center PENDING | Half-Day
Details to follow:
FIELD EXPERIENCE Option 2: South Texas Natives | Half Day 1:30 – 5:30PM
Description: details still forming
Limit: 50 people
Food and drinks: please bring your own water
Meeting place: South Texas Natives
Transportation:
Field Experience organizer:
FIELD EXPERIENCE Option 3: - PENDING | Full Day |10:00 – 5:30PM
Description:
Limit:
Food and drinks: Lunch provided
Meeting place:
Transportation:
Field Experience organizer: Susie Doe, Texas Master Naturalist
DAY 2- Kleberg Wildlife Center
Friday December 7, 2012 | 8:30AM-8:00PM
Registration Fee includes Lunch and Dinner
This day of the State of the Prairie Conference will be held in the auditorium of the Caesar
Kleberg Wildlife Center, Kingsville. Presentations will focus on the importance of our native
prairies within the context of watersheds and the bigger picture.
Fri. Dec.7
Time
8:30-9:30
9:30-9:45
9:45-10:45
10:45-11:00
11:00-12:00
12:00-1:30
1:30-2:30
2:30-2:45
2:45-3:45
3:45-6:00
6:00-8:00
All sessions will be in the auditorium. Lunch and dinner will be served on the patio. Posters will be set-up in the auditorium,
patio, and foyer
Registration and poster set-up
Welcome and speaker introduction
Jaime Gonzalez
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Fred Bryant
Topic:Prairies, watersheds, and the big picture
Break
Dr. John Jacob
Topic: Geology, watersheds and prairies
LUNCH
On the patio
Dr. Bill Bartush
Topic: Strategic conservation: connectivity
Break
Joesph Fitzsimmons
Topic: Landowners rights
Poster Session
Social and Cash bar
DINNER
On the patio
6:45-8:00
Carolyn Fannon
Forrest Smith
Title: South Texas Natives & Texas Native Seeds
DAY 3- Texas A & M Kingsville
Saturday December 8, 2012 | 8:30AM-8:00PM
Registration Fee includes Lunch and Dinner
This day of the State of the Prairie Conference will be held at Texas A&M, Kingsville, in the
Student Union building, rooms 219A, 219B and 219C.
Carolyn Fannon
Sat. Dec. 8
Time
Sessions will be in rooms 219a-c. Lunch and dinner will be served in Ballroom A. Posters will be set-up through-out the area.
Education
8:30-9:00
9:00-9:45
Topic: Conservation reserve programs,
farm bills, etc.
Speaker:
Chuck Kowaleski
TPW
Title: Maintaining the Integrity of Native
Prairies Through Grazing Management
Speaker: Dr. Alphonso Ortega,
Texas A&M Kingsville
Topic: Nuts and bolts of managing the
land
Speaker: Eric Grahmann
Texas A&M Kingsville
Break
Topic: Landowner Rights and other legal
matters
Speaker: Gaye McElwain
Texas Railroad Commission
10:45-11:00
11:00-11:45
Management
Registration and poster set-up
9:45-10:00
10:00-10:45
Restoration
Topic: You’ve been drilled, how to
recover your land
Speaker: Pending
Topic: Fire Co-ops
Speaker: Kirk Feuerbacher
Texas Nature Conservancy
Break
Title: Restoring Prairie Habitat- One
HAT at a Time
Topic: Creating prairie corridors
Speaker: Jim Willis
Wildlife Habitat Federation
Topic: Economics, What is the real
cost of converting a field to native
grasses
Speaker: Mike Hayman
Land manager
Topic: Invasives- Grasses and
Woodies
Speaker: Dr. Timothy Fulbright
Texas A&M Kingsville
LUNCH
In the ballroom
12:00-1:30
Saturday, Day 3 continued
Time
Education
Restoration
Management
1:30-2:30
Topic: I’m Teaching Now?! That’s not
what I’m trained to do!
Speaker: Jaime Gonzalez
Community Education Manager, Katy
Prairie Conservancy
Title: The Benefit of Commercially
Produced Ecotypic Native Seed Material
Speaker: Tony Falk
South Texas Natives, Manager seed
collection and evaluation
Topic: Insect diversity and density in
coastal tall grass prairies
Speaker: Chelsea Prather
University of Houston
2:30-2:45
2:45-3:45
Break
Topic: How to recognize a good
prairie/what’s worth conserving
Speaker: Jim Eidson
Texas Nature Conservancy
3:45-4:00
4:00-4:45
4:45-6:00
6:00-8:00
6:45-8:00
Title: Factors Influencing Native Seed
Cost
Speaker: Keith Pawelek
South Texas Natives, Assistant Director
Topic: Managing for grassland birds
Speaker: Jon Hayes
Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture
Break
Open discussion to follow ‘What is a
good prairie’. Could it be the plants,
animals, location, size, all of the above?
Moderator: Pending
Topic: Wetlands
Speaker: Ducks Unlimited
Social time, poster session, cash bar
DINNER
In the ballroom
Speaker: Jaime Gonzalez, Prairie Visions,
Award presentations
Topic: History and management of
Welder Wildlife – What we’ve
learned and where are we going
Speaker: Dr. Tim Blankenship
Director Welder Wildlife Foundation
DAY 4- FIELD EXPERIENCES
Sunday December 9, 2012 | 10:00AM-12:30PM
Details still forming
10 people must register for this field trip to take place
Greg Lavaty
FIELD EXPERIENCE: Welder Wildlife Foundation | Half-Day |10:00AM-12:30
Description: Details still forming
Restrictions: MINIUM 10 PEOPLE, 10 people must register for this field trip to take place.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Welder Wildlife Foundation
Transportation: 12 seater vans
Field Experience Organizer: Jaime Gonzalez, Community Education Manager, Katy Prairie Conservancy
Presenters and Presentations
Anthony Falk, Manager, Seed Collection & Evaluation, South Texas Natives, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Biography: Tony grew up in north west Illinois and attended college in Ripon, Wisconsin where he received a bachelor of arts in Biology and
Environmental studies. Following his undergraduate work he was employed by EnCAP inc. an environmental restoration firm located just outside of
Chicago, Illinois. He moved to south Texas in January of 2006 to peruse a master’s degree in range and wildlife management. As part of his master’s
project he worked with South Texas Natives to restore retired crop land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Upon completion of his master’s degree in
2009 he transitioned into a full time position with South Texas Natives where he is employed as the Evaluations and Collections Coordinator.
Presentation Title: The benefit of commercially produced ecotypic native seed material
Presentation Description: Native plants are not native everywhere. There is much debate on how “local” restoration material needs to be. In research
conducted by South Texas Natives we have found that from a performance standpoint in restoration, adapted material can describe a fairly wide region
of origin for some species, while in other species a very narrow region of adaptation exists. In selecting material to be used in restoration projects one
needs to select appropriate material. Appropriate can often be determined by soil characteristics and climate, defined commonly by ecoregion. Plant
material from the same ecoregion as the planting site is typically called “ecotypic” plant material. Along with selecting ecotypic material, high quality
seed material produced in an agronomic environment generally provides better quality results in our experience. Although commercially produced
materials have often been chosen because of outstanding traits, most have not been bred or genetically altered in any way. Research indicates
commercial material often contains the same genetic diversity of wild stands, and many available seed sources may actually have greater genetic diversity
than wild harvests from a single source. Another benefit of these commercial products is production oversight by regulatory authorities insuring a better
product to consumers, one of known quality and origin, and one that is free of weed seed or seeds of other crops such as exotic grasses. Cost for
commercially produced seed are generally cheaper on a per acre planting basis than alternative sources.
Keith Pawelek, Assistant Director, South Texas Natives, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Biography: I was born and raised in Jourdanton, Texas, where I grew up on a working farm and ranch. I received my B.S. in Range and Wildlife
Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2005. As an undergraduate, I was active on the Plant Identification Team, President of the
Student Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, a member of the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and a student work at South Texas Natives. Upon
graduation, I became a permanent member of South Texas Natives as a Research Associate, and now serve as the Assistant Director.
Presentation Title: Factors influencing native seed cost
Presentation Description: There are many factors that influence the cost of native seed. I will outline many of these factors and explain how and why
they relate to the price of native seed. Consumers often only see the retail price of native seed, and never think about what it actually takes to produce it.
The first step is commercial seed production; this entails many costs that influence consumer price, from land rent to irrigation, planting, and many
items in between. After establishment, reputable seed companies are required to have the seed fields certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture,
to ensure production conditions meet the requirements of existing seed laws. There are fees and added cost to the consumer for this certification. After
fields are certified and seed is produced, harvesting begins; many native seeds require special harvesters which must be purchased specifically for certain
species, again an added cost component. Once seed is produced and harvested it must then be processed and cleaned, adding cost of cleaning machines
(if there is a machine that can be purchased), and labor to operate, maintain, and clean them. After native seed is cleaned it must be stored until sold,
which requires bagging, warehouse space, and occasionally cold storage rental units. After all of these costs are added up, seed companies often have to
sit on their products and wait for the market to emerge or appropriate weather for planting to occur before sales are realized. Given the inputs required,
market uncertainty, and acceptable margins for growers, seed cost to the consumer is a complex equation.
Forrest Smith, Director, South Texas Natives and Texas Native Seeds Projects, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Biography: Forrest Smith is the Director of the South Texas Natives and Texas Native Seeds Projects at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.
Forrest is a native of Texas, and grew up near the small ranching community of Mullin. He attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, earning a
degree in Range and Wildlife Management. He has worked for STN since 2001, and has held most every position within the organization, from
student technician to director. His work with STN has included the collection, evaluation, and increase of thousands of native plant populations
resulting in the release of 20 native plant restoration seed sources. He and his staff have led >50 on-the-ground restoration seeding projects across south
Texas and adjacent regions over the past few years, in addition to consulting with projects on thousands of acres of public and private lands. Forrest
duties include overseeing the staff of STN and TNS, development work in support of these projects, and frequent presentations about the need for
restoration, threats of invasive exotic grasses to wildlife and biodiversity, and importance of native plants. Forrest has authored or co-authored 15 peerreviewed scientific publications, more than 50 popular articles, and gives an average of 20 presentations per year native plants and restoration in Texas
to various audiences. Forrest is a native plant enthusiast, and a passionate hunter, fisherman, and conservationist. He lives in Kingsville with his wife
Patricia and 3 children, Mary Anna (6), Grant (4), and Lila (2).
Presentation Title: South Texas Natives & Texas Native Seeds
Presentation Description: An overview of the goals, beginnings, and accomplishments of the South Texas Natives Project (STN) of the Caesar
Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute will be given. STN is a private landowner driven initiative began in 2001, and is funded by private, state, and
corporate contributions. Goals of the project are to develop native seed sources for South Texas, conduct research to discover practical and effective
native plant restoration techniques, and to disseminate project results, educate constituents, and promote the use of native plants in land management
activities. Major accomplishments of the project have been the development and release of 20+ ecotypic native plant seed sources with the help of a
number of collaborators. Many of these seed sources have been successfully commercialized and are mass produced by the commercial seed
industry. As a result, these seeds are now used in restoration projects on thousands of acres in southern Texas each year. Through the work of STN,
restoration and reclamation practices of state and federal agencies, the oil and gas industry, and numerous private landowners have been positively
influenced and improved. In 2010, new project with a state-wide emphasis, called Texas Native Seeds (TNS) was begun under the leadership of
CKWRI. TNS is modeled after STN, and is currently working throughout south, central, and west Texas, with a goal of one day serving native plant
restoration needs in the entire state.
Jim Willis, Wildlife Habitat Federation
Presentation Title: Restoring Native Habitat—One HAT at a Time
Presentation Description: A growing number (especially new-to-the- land types) of landowners are emerging who have the right resources (e.g. remnants
of native grasses and forbs) and passion for restoring wildlife or native prairieland; but, most are not sure how to proceed. The Wildlife Habitat
Federation has been able to get more channeled in restoring wildlife habitat by providing the equipment, know-how and personnel through Habitat
Action Teams (HAT’s). This ability to meet landowner needs coupled with a desire to plant drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly and non-fertilizer
dependent native grass has resulted in an expansion of WHF’s wildlife corridor over the last year or so from 12,000 to more than 36,000 acres covering
six counties. Participation is still based on getting landowners convinced and this usually takes multiple trips. Once an agreement is reached, WHF no
longer waits for the landowner to initiate something or for funding from government sources to be finalized. A HAT (a two or more man team that runs
or manages the equipment) becomes the de facto initiator of the wildlife management plan. Nothing convinces a landowner better than showing up at
the front gate with a big tractor or dozer and the personnel to get the job done. This also makes sure it’s done at the right time and the right way. HAT
personnel are better able to make follow-up visits, which has been sorely lacking and greatly welcomed by not only landowners but also by those
biologist and botanists participating in these and similar programs.