The Land Stewardship Blowout, a presentation by the Ozona Chamber of Commerce, will be Feb. 18-19 at the Crockett County Fair Park Convention Center, 1301 Ave. AA in Ozona. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is serving as a supporting organization.
The cost is $35 for both days and includes lunch and dinner on Feb. 19. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the Ozona Chamber of Commerce at 505 15th St. Attendees will receive a wrist band and can come and go as they choose over the two days.
Speakers, including those from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M Forest Service, will cover a variety of land stewardship topics including range management, prescribed burns and conservation over a range of scheduled seminars on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19.
“This event will be a great opportunity to raise awareness among local landowners of the benefits of using prescribed fire as a land management tool,” said Dawson Owens, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Crockett County.
Prairie project seminar
John Walker, Ph.D., AgriLife Research rangeland specialist, San Angelo, is one of the featured speakers. His seminar on Feb. 19, Prairie Project: Prescribed Fire and Goats to Restore Prairies, will cover the award-winning project grant-funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which works to promote new land stewardship strategies across the Great Plains on order to increase livestock production and improve rangeland health.
“Encroaching cedar is a serious problem that reduces livestock and wildlife abundance from Texas to the Dakotas,” Walker said. “The Prairie Project is a collaborative project between Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State and the University of Nebraska to promote prescribed fire and multispecies grazing using goats as a sustainable method to manage encroaching cedar.”
Prescribed burn training
On Feb. 18, an optional prescribed burn field training is available for an additional $40 for those participants interested in hands on education to better understand the steps involved in conducting a burn. The cost will include breakfast.
Representatives and instructors from Texas A&M Forest Service, Quail Forever, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burn Association and the Nature Conservancy will lead the prescribed burn seminars. One track is geared for established burn managers while the other is for those new to prescribed fire.
“We have worked hard to put together a unique range of topics hosted by well-respected speakers in their field,” said Philip Walker, Ozona Chamber of Commerce president. “We feel the diverse lineup will have something to appeal to anyone who cares about land stewardship. Afterall, have you ever been to a conference that discusses range management, pollinators, prescribed fire, horned lizards and donkey adoptions?”
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