On September 30th, Selena and I attended a very informative bird and pollinator workshop hosted by NPAT’s Fayette Prairie Chapter at a beautiful property in Ammannsville, Tx. We learned things like how the National Audubon Society got started, the amount of Texas land and habitat that is lost daily to commercial development, the genetic diversity of insects, birds and plants throughout Texas and how conservation efforts by private land owners help keep species alive and thriving. Below is the list of speakers that were present at this event as well as links to resources they’re involved with. We hope this information will be a beneficial tool that helps you flourish in your journey with conservation. -TSG
-Romey Swanson, Director of Conservation Strategy with Audubon Texas
-Will Newman, Farm Bill Coordinator for Texas Parks & Wildlife and Quail Forever
-Biologist Ray Moranz with the Xerces Society
-Tim Siegmund, Private Lands Program Leader with TPWD
-Matthew Machacek, Rangeland Management Specialist with United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service
-Gary Kocurek with NPAT and the Smaller Acreage Restoration Project (SARP).
Print your step by step pollinator habitat guide and follow the migratory path of Monarch butterflies through Texas at https://houstonwilderness.org/mfs
If you’re interested in dedicating your smaller acreage to prairie restoration and pollinator habitat, contact NPAT for information about their partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on the Smaller Acreage Restoration Project. This program helps with funding for upfront costs of herbicide and native grass/forb seeds for qualifying land owners. https://texasprairie.org/fayette-prairie-chapter/
Learn about preserving prairie while maintaining private ownership of your land with conservation easements. https://texasprairie.org/conservation/
Learn more about the history of your property and how to manage for things like cattle grazing while maintaining a healthy habitat for wildlife and pollinators with the Rangeland Analysis Platform. This resource utilizes 36 years of satellite data to map vegetation in the past, present and future for a healthy rangeland. https://nativeland.info/blog/topics/native-agriculture-land-use/new-tool-for-native-land-caretakers-the-rangeland-analysis-platform-rap/
Prescribed burning as a land management practice https://www.pbatexas.org/
The Pastures for Upland Birds Program provides cost-share incentives and technical guidance to private landowners to restore native grass and forb vegetation dominated by exotic grasses. https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/post_oak/upland_game/pub/
Join the Christmas Bird Count with the National Audubon Society. https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count
