A conference devoted to helping women manage natural resources in the Edwards Plateau will take place in Fredericksburg Oct. 5-6, 2015 at the Inn on Barons Creek.
The 2015 Women’s Natural Resource Management Conference is funded by the Ruth and Eskel Bennett Endowment, said Dr. Larry Redmon, co-chair and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Bennett Trust specialist.
The women’s conference is an extension of the Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference, which has been held twice in Kerrville, Redmon said.
“More and more women are becoming landowners through inheritance and other means, and we want to help these women be a success in the management of their natural resources,” he said. “By offering a ladies conference, we hope women will feel more comfortable with attending and participating. We also want to encourage mothers to bring their daughters; it is a generational thing.”
Cost of the two-day conference is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs.
“Everyone involved in the planning process is excited about our new Edwards Plateau Land Stewardship conferences,” he said. “And thanks to the Bennett’s generosity, this will be a unique learning opportunity for all of us for years to come.”
Dr. Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension specialist from Uvalde, said the conference will include “the best and wisest, accomplished stewards, visionaries and legacy-leavers as educators for this conference. Those with a passion for natural resource stewardship and a love for the Texas Hill Country will want to be there.”
Among the speakers will be wildlife biologists, animal scientists, range scientists, estate attorneys and financial planners.
The conference’s preliminary agenda for the first day includes a presentation on the history of the Hill Country plants, animals and early people found in the region, and how the region has changed with time and the challenges those changes present.
Additional discussions will cover estate planning, using wildlife as agriculture to satisfy the 1-d-1 Open Space Lands tax valuation, and discussion regarding development of a wildlife management plan to satisfy county chief appraisers.
Learn more and register