ABILENE - The Texas Section-Society of Range Management will hold its 53rd annual meeting Oct. 9-11 in Abilene’s Ambassador Suites Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites).
Organizers urge anyone interested in rangeland preservation and improvement to attend whether they are Society members or not.
On-site registration will be available throughout the day.
Thirteen “Certified Professional in Range Management” continuing education units can be obtained for attending all sessions.
“Our annual meeting is meant to provide an educational setting for professional range managers, but we invite anyone interested in rangeland preservation to attend,” said meeting chairman Dr. Bob Whitson, head of the department of rangeland ecology and management at Texas A&M University.
“Part of the talks are of a strictly technical nature aimed at a scientific audience. But traditionally most of the presentations and all of the field trips center around an important regional issue affecting land holders with a few acres or thousands. This year’s theme is Watershed as the Interface Between Rangelands and Urban Areas’.
“Whether it’s people, livestock or wildlife, water availability is the single most limiting factor governing our state’s stocking rate.’ Water and rangeland conservation go hand-in-hand. As our population grows, conservation efforts and proper management of our natural resources will increasingly become a leading issue for policy makers and rural and urban citizens alike. This year’s annual meeting is meant to provide a knowledge exchange forum for the many facets surrounding our fast-emerging water issue.”
Mike Mecke, Texas Cooperative Extension water management specialist at Fort Stockton, will kickoff the annual meeting during the general session at 8 a.m. Oct. 9 with a welcome and opening remarks.
The morning session will continue with a riparian restoration workshop. Scheduled speakers are Wayne Elmore, Bureau of Land Management state riparian specialist, Pineville, Ore.; Steve Nelle, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), biologist, San Angelo; and Ken Mayben, NRCS engineer, Terrell.
Elmore will present “Water and Rangelands: The Situation, Nationally and Internationally”, “Grazing Management for Riparian Areas” and “Making Changes on the Land.” Nelle will speak on “Riparian Function/Values/Vegetation” and “Riparian Restoration and Management Through Conservation Programs.” Mayben will discuss examples of riparian restoration projects.
Following lunch at the convention hotel, the afternoon will be devoted to a 1-5 p.m. riparian restoration tour of Fort Phantom Lake and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River.
The first day’s activities will end with a 5:30-7:30 p.m. mixer and social at the Ambassador Suites Hotel.
Activities on Oct. 10 will start with an 8:30 a.m. “Plenary Session” moderated by Larry Butler, NRCS, director of the Grazing Lands Technology Institute, Fort Worth. Speakers and topics for the session will be:
-“When the Reservoir Runs Dry”, Corky Redden, Throckmorton County Extension agent;
-“Texas Regional Water Planning”, Bill Mullican, Texas Water Development Board, deputy executive administrator for the office of planning, Austin;
-“Role of Texas Rangeland on Texas Water Policy,” Joseph Fitzsimons, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department commissioner, San Antonio;
– “Water Marketing: Implications for Landscapes,” Ron Kaiser, Recreation, Park and Tourism Department professor, Texas A&M, College Station; and
– “Water Issues on the Edwards, How it Works-Surface Ground Water Interaction,” Gary Schindel, chief scientific officer, Edwards Aquifer Authority, Austin.
The Society’s annual awards luncheon is set for noon. The luncheon will be immediately followed by the meeting’s technical session lasting from 1:30-4 p.m.
Speakers and topics will include:
-“Overview of the State Brush Control Program,” James Moore, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board executive director, Temple;
– “Overview of Salt Cedar Control Projects,” Donnie Dipple, Texas Department of Agriculture, pesticide coordinator, Austin;
-“Changes in Riparian Vegetation on the Rio Grande as Affected by Water Resource Management,” Susan Watts, research assistant professor, Texas Tech University, Health Sciences Center, El Paso;
– “Recent Research on Brush Management’s Effects on Rangeland Hydrology,” Allan Jones, Texas Water Resource Institute director, Texas A&M, College Station; and
– “A Review of the Previous Vegetation Management Programs for Influencing Hydrologic Responses,” Brad Wilcox, associate professor, rangeland ecology and management, Texas A&M.
The afternoon session will end with a 5 p.m. plant identification contest. A 7 p.m. banquet at Perini Ranch at Buffalo Gap will round out the day’s activities.
On Oct. 11, oral presentations by young professionals will begin the day at 8 a.m. Following a break, the annual meeting will conclude with the installation of new officers and the announcement of plant identification and photography contest winners. Adjournment is set for noon.
The Texas Section-Society of Range Management is a 400-member organization designed to educate its members in the latest technology of proper range management. Members are agency personnel, students, educators, land owners and producers.
For more information contact Dr. John Walker, director of research, Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, San Angelo at (915) 653-4576.
For registration information check out www.tssrm.org then click on “53rd Annual Meeting.”
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