Media Contact: Julia Stanford, info@txser.org or 817-301-9371
The Texas Society for Ecological Restoration will hold their 23rd Annual Conference November 9-11, 2018 at San Antonio River Authority in San Antonio, TX. Making Restoration Work in Texas is the theme as students and professionals in the field of ecological restoration share their successes, solve problems, and network. Anyone with an interest in natural resource conservation and the future of our treasured Texas environment is encouraged to attend! Find more information at www.txser.org.
Known to its members as TXSER, the Society was formed in 1995 as a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers to restore Texas ecosystems and the vital services they provide. The goal of the annual conference and membership meeting is to share state-wide and regional expertise, experience, and ideas to increase scientific dialogues and collaboration among restoration ecologists throughout Texas. The annual conference also serves as an important training ground for young professionals and students in the field of restoration ecology.
Highlights of the conference include a lunch-and-learn and restoration workday on the banks of the San Antonio River, networking among young professionals and food truck fare at the Friday night social, general sessions, group discussions, and an awards banquet at Freetail Brewery Tasting Room in Southtown. General and concurrent sessions include topics such as invasive species control, watershed management, fire ecology, natural flood control, environmental policy, grassland restoration, wildlife habitat, and native plant studies. The conference keynote, presented by Dr. Joseph Veldman, will take place on Saturday, November 10th at San Antonio River Authority (SARA) headquarters at 100 E. Guenther St. in San Antonio. In their support of ecological restoration, SARA has generously donated the use of their facilities for the conference.
Keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Veldman is a plant ecologist who spent the past decade studying the role of fire in the conservation and restoration of tropical and subtropical savannas. In 2017, he joined the faculty of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University, where he also serves as a core faculty member of the program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Veldman conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where he studied pine and oak savannas of the southeastern USA, and Iowa State University. In his address to TXSER, Veldman will discuss the relevance of his “old- growth grassland” concept to restoration ecology and how it can help overcome the ecological and social challenges that hinder savanna conservation in Texas and globally.
Hill Country highlights from the agenda include:
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Thomas Arsuffi, Director of the Texas Tech University Llano River Field Station in Junction, will share a presentation titled “Healthy Watershed Approach To Managing Streams in a Dynamic World for Resistance, Resiliency and Restoration: Role of Science, Stakeholders, Education and Partnerships.” It will detail the development and implementation of a Watershed Protection Plan for the Upper Llano watershed.
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Hill Country landowner David Davidson will present “The Art & Science of KR Bluestem Restoration,” detailing his successes in restoring native grasslands.
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The Nature Conservancy will share a presentation about population and habitat changes in the black-capped vireo, one of the Hill Country’s endangered (until recently) bird species.
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Two presentations about restoration on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River from our partners at San Antonio River Authority.
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Several talks will touch on prescribed burning as a restoration tool.