Keynote Speakers:
Jaime Gonzalez
Mark Kramer
Dr. John Jacob
Bill Neiman
Dr. Fred Smeins
Keynote Speakers:
Jaime Gonzalez, Community Education Manager of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, is responsible for developing and implementing an annual schedule of activities and outreach programs to augment public access and awareness of the prairie. Mr. Gonzalez’s duties also involve expanding collaborative efforts with other organizations and agencies, including local universities. He earned a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction – Science Education at the University of Houston-Main Campus (2007); he also received his B.S. Biology (1996) from the University of Houston-Main Campus.
Mr. Gonzalez has been awarded the Elizabeth Hull Abernathy Award (2011) from the Garden Club of America for outstanding contribution to the environmental education of youth and the Army & Sarah Emmott Conservation Award (2009) from the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition for his prairie conservation efforts. He is President of the Coastal Prairie Partnership, a grass-roots coalition comprised of local, state, federal, and non-profit institutions, private landowners, individuals, businesses, and educators working to achieve common prairie conservation, restoration, and educational goals. Additionally, he serves as a Steering Committee member for the Texas Children in Nature Coalition.
Topic: Prairie Restoration as Barn Building
Lessons Learned in Community-based Conservation
Traditional communities have long built (raised) barns as a way of strengthening community bonds while at the same time meeting a very real need – creating new barns. Involving local communities in restoring habitats, including prairies, can have similar benefits. Conducting a systematic, community-based restoration can increase awareness and ownership of habitats, help create educational spinoffs, and help restorationists find non-traditional funding and volunteer resources. This lecture will focus on the successes and challenges of one community-based prairie restoration project (Project Blazing Star) and will engage participants in a discussion on how such projects can be scaled up to meet ever-more-ambitious conservation goals.
Dr. John Jacob is the director of the Texas Coastal Watershed Program, and holds a joint appointment with the Texas A&M Sea Grant Program and with Texas Agri-Life Extension Service through the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Science. He has coastal-wide responsibility for inland environmental problems that have a direct impact on the quality of our bays, estuaries, and coastal waters. Preeminent among these issues are the mitigation and abatement of runoff pollution from both rural and urban sources, and the preservation and restoration of valuable natural habitats such as wetlands. His current project, Coastal CHARM (Community Health and Resource Management), focuses on enabling coastal communities in Texas to improve quality of life in cities and towns while preserving and enhancing the natural coastal environment.
Mr. Jacob holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in soils and natural resources. He is registered as a Professional Geoscientist with the State of Texas and is a Professional Wetland Scientist. Mr. Jacob is a recognized expert on Texas wetlands, having been active in consulting and research aspects of wetlands for more than 20 years, and is coauthor of Texas Sea Grant Resilient Coast series on the built environment and wetlands.
Topic: An Overview of the Ecology of the Texas Coastal Wetlands
The Upper Gulf Coast of Texas presents a world-class diversity and quality of wetland habitats that is little appreciated by most that live here. In this presentation, I review the geologic origin and biophysical evolution of this unique landscape. I will also address prospects for the conservation of ecologically intact remnants of this once-vast landscape. Finally, I will review regulatory issues associated with our Gulf Coast pothole wetlands and some recent research that might have some impact in this arena.
Mark Kramer is the Stewardship Coordinator at Armand Bayou Nature Center. His job includes all aspects of land management, wildlife management, habitat restoration and environmental education. Mr. Kramer is a Pasadena native and began exploring Armand Bayou in his youth. He currently participates as a Board Member and Steering Committee member of several organizations including the Environmental Institute of Houston, Galveston Bay Estuary Program’s Invasive Species Work Group, and the Armand Bayou Watershed Partnership. He enjoys speaking about topics including habitat restoration, the use of prescribed fire and wilderness preservation.
Topic: Armand Bayou Nature Center
A Case Study in Coastal Prairie Preservation, Restoration and Management
The Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) is a 2500 acre urban wilderness preserve located in southeast Harris County. ABNC actively manages 700 acres of coastal tall-grass prairie through an integrated strategy of prescribed burning, mowing, herbicide treatment and monitoring. Additionally, locally rare prairie plants are cultivated in the ABNC native plant nursery and re-introduced into prairie landscapes. These large-scale plantings are accomplished through the collaborative efforts of service learning projects, which are attended by local school groups and community based restoration events. This is one of the few publicly accessible prairie remnants in Harris County, allowing it to serve as a living classroom for students and a place where local residents may enjoy one of the rarest views remaining in Texas, coastal tall-grass prairie.
Bill Neiman, along with wife Jan, is the founder and owner of Native American Seed (NAS) of Junction, Texas, which is the principal supplier of native wildflower and grass seeds in Texas. In addition, NAS provides grass seed and consulting services for many prairie-restoration projects being done by national and state agencies as well as private landowners. The Neimans are leaders in the movement to conserve natural resources and to restore and maintain the health of the environment and are dedicated to educating the public about ecologically-sensitive land management. Mr. Neiman is an inspirational and entertaining speaker, who spends most of his precious little free time talking to school classes and adult groups on these topics. Bill and Jan Neiman were honored with the Benny J. Simpson Award for special service to NPSOT in 2011.
Topic: What on Earth Are We Doing with Texas?
With a tour around the eco-regions of our Lone Star state, Neiman shares a lifetime wealth of experience. Harvesting, planting and long term management of native habitats including the Trans-Pecos, Brush Country, Edwards Plateau, Black-lands, Cross Timbers, Piney Woods, and finally zooming in on the Coastal Prairies. Practical hands-on actions will provide inspiration and encouragement for all who are engaged in sustainable land management. Your ability to take measurable steps at home will lead others by example in building a better future.
Texas, with its historically abundant clean rivers, native woodlands, grass/rangelands and coastal marshes, provided easily exploitable natural resources. Sadly, not much of our huge region remains in big, unbroken parcels. Texas, with strong pro-property rights ethos, is comprised of over 95% private lands. Unfortunately, our great state ranks 50th in its ability to provide open space to its burgeoning citizen population. The early stages of common urban sprawl are often overlooked while large-scale fragmentation of our ecosystems is exponentially increasing.
If anything is going to change this picture in Texas, it must come from the stewardship of individual landowners. What remains of the Texas landscape is nothing short of ecological treasures worthy of celebration.
Dr. Fred Smeins is Professor of Ecology in the Ecosystem Science and Management Department at Texas A&M University. His research and teaching interests center on understanding the structure and dynamics of rangeland (grassland, wetland, shrub-land, and savannah) plant communities as influenced by herbivory, soil, fire and climate. He has conducted research in tall grass and mixed grass prairies, oak savannahs, Chihuahuan desert, longleaf pine savannah, prairie pothole and coastal marshes of North America, and savannah/shrub-land systems of Kenya, Morocco and Venezuela. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Natural Resource Ecology and Management.
Topic: The Coastal Prairie Landscape
The Coastal Prairie Eco-region is one of North America’s most ecologically diverse landscapes. It was historically a matrix of upland tall grass prairies bisected by riverine bottomland forests, bounded by live oak, post oak, and pine savannahs, inclusions of South Texas shrub-lands and a long sinuous transition of estuaries, bayous and coastal marshes along the Gulf . The long growing season of warm temperate to subtropical climates and diverse soils provide for highly productive ecosystems with great floristic and faunistic diversity. While the general pattern of coastal prairie ecosystem still persists, most of it has been greatly altered, fragmented or destroyed by human activity. In spite of these impacts, many opportunities still exist for preservation of remaining semi-natural patches of these ecosystems, and for re-connection and restoration of areas back to semblances of the original natural character of these systems. To accomplish this requires continued education of the public, private individuals, public officials, and agencies dedicated to this cause and the political persuasion to assist in this effort.
Break-out Session Speakers:
Cecil Carter has been a management consultant to colleges and other non-profit organizations working in this sector for the past 12 years. Mr. Carter is a member of 6 different non-profit boards, including the Trinity Forks Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. Besides being a NPSOT member, he has served as chapter publicity chairman and Program Chairman. He served as the chairman of the photography contest at the 2010 Symposium. He is currently the chapter’s President Elect. Mr. Carter has delivered over one thousand papers, workshops and seminars on various management subjects. For 20 years, he served on the adjunct faculty of Oklahoma State University’s Oklahoma City branch.
Topic: Management – the Vital Ingredient
To sustain progress toward achieving their mission, all organizations need good management. Over the years, I have encountered non-profit organizations with no plan, no budget, no history of minutes, and in one public organization, no by-laws. Non-Profit organizations are much harder to manage. For one thing, there is almost always a disconnect between the revenue stream and those receiving services. Another issue is that management of many non-profits came to management through the service organization itself. While they tend to be expert at delivering services, they in all likelihood are not professionally trained administrators. Many never had formal training. This workshop deals with organization, planning and budgeting, and how they meld together to help the organization achieve its mission. It is a highly interactive workshop designed to impart the maximum amount of knowledge in a short period of time.
Jane Crone has been the President of the Fredericksburg NPSOT Chapter on two separate occasions while maintaining her NPSOT membership for over 10 years. She was a founding member of the Hill Country Master Naturalist Chapter and has continued to hold the Master Naturalist certification through her on-going community service work involving naturalist projects. Ms. Crone is on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center and is a member of the Texas Ornithological Society.
Topic: (co-presented with Bill Lindemann) Membership Management: Principles for Success
Nurturing and growing our NPSOT membership is a desirable and even necessary goal for our organization which can only be accomplished by local chapter leadership. In this session, key principles and techniques for the both the recruitment and retention of members will be presented. The results from a chapter leader self-assessment previously sent out to chapter leaders will be shared to help understand where we are today with best practices in membership management. Time will be allowed after the presentation for an interactive sharing by the audience of ideas that have been successful in various chapters for growing their membership.
Jim Dobberstine is a member of the environmental science faculty at Lee College. He is the former Land Conservation Programs Manager for the Galveston Bay Foundation and currently serves as the president of the Texas Association of Environmental Professionals.
Topic: (co-presented with Cindy Howard) Functional Assessment of Coastal Marsh Plant Communities at Four Restored Sites in the Galveston Bay System
Coastal marsh ecosystems anchored by smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) are extremely productive and provide a number of ecologically critical functions and services. In response to the substantial loss of marsh communities in Galveston Bay over the past 50 years, active restoration of numerous coastal wetland systems has been undertaken. The restoration of Pierce Marsh, in the lower Galveston Bay system (1999-2006), employed four different design techniques: 1) filled levees; 2) grid terraces, 3) sinusoidal terraces; and 4) zigzag terraces. Each restored area was planted with S. alterniflora on approximate 3-ft centers. In 2007-2008, we evaluated the functional success of each restoration design compared to a natural marsh reference site, focusing on S. alterniflora density, biomass and productivity, sediment macronutrients, and diversity of naturally established marsh plants. The reference site functional measures exceeded those of all four restoration designs, particularly in sediment macronutrients and corresponding shoot densities and plant productivity.
Katy Emde graduated from USC with a B.A. in Telecommunications and has been a member of the Native Plant Society since the mid-1990′s. She is also a member of the Audubon Society and the Outdoor Nature Club – Botany Group. She serves on the Memorial Park Conservancy Conservation Committee and on the Advisory Board of the Bayou Land Conservancy. In addition to being a Master Naturalist with the Gulf Coast chapter, she operates a small native plant nursery, MD Native Plants.
Topic: Moths, Why We Need Them and How to Create Habitats for Them Using Native Plants
There are ten times as many moths as butterflies, but because so many moths are either nocturnal or lack bright coloring, they often go unnoticed and unappreciated. Some moths serve as important pollinators, most serve as important food for wildlife, and some are stunningly beautiful insects that bring us joy. Some of the more prominent groups, such as the silk moths, the sphinx moths, the owlet moths, and the micro-moths, will be discussed, and there will be photographs of many moths and their caterpillars. The presentation will include information about different moths’ habits, their caterpillars, and their host plants – native plants. The object is for the audience to learn more about moths and to point out another very important reason for growing natives, a reason that many attendees may not have known.
Carolyn Fannon is a published photographer with a lifelong interest in grasses and insects and who has been photographing Texas Coastal Prairie for the past 15 years. For the last few years, she has photographed areas of The Big Thicket. Carolyn is a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, Native Prairies Association of Texas, and Coastal Prairie Partnership.
Topic: The Quiet Beauty of Our Coastal Prairie: Valuable, Vulnerable, and Vanishing
Between the new green of spring and the bright gold of autumn, our grasslands support a wonderful array of native plants and animals that make our coastal prairies rich. Wildflowers attract important insect pollinators. Insects attract birds and other animals. Many of these animals are small and not easily seen. Hundreds of species of colorful butterflies and dragonflies, bees and wasps, ants, grasshoppers, and beetles make their home on the prairie. Tall-grass prairie grasses thrive in the good prairie earth and reach heights of six to nine feet. Fibrous roots go down deep, twelve to twenty-one feet. When we think of grasses, we usually think of them in quantity – like a forest full of trees. But, once we know the forest consists of a variety of trees and we begin to see their individual characteristics, we no longer take them for granted. So it is with grasses, even though there are several hundred species in Texas.
Diana Foss is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where she has worked for 18 years. Prior to that, she was the Education Director for the native animal Texas Zoo for 10 years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Texas A&M University, College Station. She specializes in habitat development projects, often working with landowners, cities, counties, and schools to conserve or enhance existing habitat, as well as to create habitats for student learning. Ms. Foss monitors wildlife populations, including bats, and coordinates the Houston Bat Team, a group of community volunteers dedicated to education about bats and monitoring bat populations in the greater Houston area. She is also a member of the Texas White-nose Syndrome Task Force (bats). In 2002, she was honored with the TPWD Employee Recognition Award for Community Education, and in 2009, she was a member of the Urban Wildlife Program that was awarded the TPWD Employee Recognition Team Award. In 2008, she was awarded the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition Synergy Award for Environmental Education.
Topic: Wildscapes: Habitats Attract a Diversity of Wildlife, but Insects Are the Key to Success!
You’ve heard the saying “Plant it and they will come!” That’s the motto for any Wildscape garden. By carefully selecting the appropriate plants to provide the nectar, seeds, fruit, and larval foods for wildlife, we can create a working habitat. However, the true measures of success for any habitat are the insects in residence! From dragonflies to tiny pollinators, insects serve important roles in the habitat.
Carol Fraser has a doctorate in law and an undergraduate degree in English. She works for Harris County Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) 132 as a designer/manager for water conservation demonstration and their research garden, that is participating as a pilot site for the Sustainable Sites Initiative sponsored by the National Botanical Garden, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the National Association of Landscape Architects. She is a Master Gardener and chair of the speaker’s bureau for Harris County Master Gardeners. Ms. Fraser is also a Master Naturalist with the Gulf Coast chapter and a member of the advisory board for the National Gardening Association’s web site. She is a frequent speaker in the Houston area on gardening topics and can also be viewed on YouTube presenting educational tutorials related to gardening.
Topic: Sources, Shallows and Serendipities of Water in Your Landscape
Why not use rainwater, ac condensate, grey water, and morning dew for maintenance in your landscapes rather than the unsustainable practice of conventionally treated water? Have you considered easy to build earth-soil sculptures/structures – shallows, dips, basins, and bogs – that help with storm water management while providing slowly percolating water to your flora and fauna?
Are you aware of water-conservation serendipities in the landscape resulting from products we’ve manufactured or naturally occurring materials that have significant impacts on water in our landscapes? Learn how you can become a better water steward by employing low-cost, low-tech practices in your home landscape to capture and retain precious water.
Cullen Hanks studied Biology at Cornell University and received a master’s degree from the University of Texas where he studied biodiversity conservation and wildlife exploitation. He has extensive experience collecting biological data in the field in Texas and Latin America. Currently, he works for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. on the Texas Natural Diversity Database (TXNDD) where he compiles information, and provides training on the use of GPS and GIS when monitoring rare species.
Topic: The Texas Natural Diversity Database (TXNDD): A Tool for the Conservation of Rare Populations of Plants
The TXNDD is a clearinghouse for information on rare species maintained by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Currently, the TXNDD tracks over 200 species of plants in Texas. In this talk, I will review how we collect, map, organize, and disseminate data essential for informing conservation decisions. We follow a methodology developed by Natureserve which is used in all 50 states. In many states, there is a powerful relationship between similar programs and native plant societies. We are a valuable resource for NPSOT members interested in the conservation of rare species in Texas. In this presentation, I will review how members can contribute, and how their observations will impact the conservation of rare plants.
Cindy Howard is a professor of biology and environmental science at UHCL, where she teaches ecology, environmental toxicology courses. She has been studying the coastal marsh ecosystems of Galveston Bay for over 20 years and also leads annual research and natural history study expeditions to the Brazilian Amazon.
Topic: (co-presented with Jim Dobberstine) Functional Assessment of Coastal Marsh Plant Communities at Four Restored Sites in the Galveston Bay System
Coastal marsh ecosystems anchored by smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) are extremely productive and provide a number of ecologically critical functions and services. In response to the substantial loss of marsh communities in Galveston Bay over the past 50 years, active restoration of numerous coastal wetland systems has been undertaken. The restoration of Pierce Marsh, in the lower Galveston Bay system (1999-2006), employed four different design techniques: 1) filled levees; 2) grid terraces, 3) sinusoidal terraces; and 4) zigzag terraces. Each restored area was planted with S. alterniflora on approximate 3-ft centers. In 2007-2008, we evaluated the functional success of each restoration design compared to a natural marsh reference site, focusing on S. alterniflora density, biomass and productivity, sediment macronutrients, and diversity of naturally established marsh plants. The reference site functional measures exceeded those of all four restoration designs, particularly in sediment macronutrients and corresponding shoot densities and plant productivity.
Kay Jenkins is a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department State Parks Regional Natural Resources Coordinator who has worked as a coastal ecologist on the upper and lower coasts of Texas, and currently works in East Texas. She has a BS and MS in Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University and a MS in Environmental Science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She is the past-president and current treasurer of the Friends of Connie Hagar, Inc. in Rockport, a board member of the Texas Society for Ecological Restoration, and president-elect of the Tyler chapter of NPSOT.
Topic: Restoring Estuarine Marsh Habitat with Beneficial Use of Dredged Material at Goose Island State Park
Goose Island is exposed to wind-driven waves crossing Aransas Bay on the central Texas coast. GIS analyses of historical aerial photographs indicated that approximately 25 acres of emergent marsh habitat were lost due to erosion between 1969 and 2001. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with assistance from federal, state and local partners initiated a habitat restoration project to stabilize the shoreline, protect near-shore sea-grass beds, and restore estuarine emergent marsh. An offshore rock breakwater was constructed to stabilize the island, and earthen levees were constructed on the north side of Goose Island to form containment levees surrounding two marsh restoration cells in 2005. Since then, dredged material from nearby boat channels has been placed into the cells to raise the elevation of the bay bottom in the 25-acre restoration site to support emergent marsh. Volunteers planted Spartina alterniflora from nearby marshes to facilitate natural colonization of the site.
Bill Lindemann graduated from the University of Texas with BS and MA degrees in geology and worked for 32 years with Exxon as an Exploration Geologist, working extensively in the Far East. He was twice President of the Native Plant Society of Texas (2001 and 2006) and in 2003 was awarded the Nancy Benedict Memorial Award by NPSOT for an act of Conservation/Public Service in establishing the Fredericksburg Nature Center and the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center organization. Subsequently, in 2006, he was also awarded the Benny J. Simpson Fellows Award by NPSOT for service by a member for the enrichment of the society. He has written a weekly birding column in the Fredericksburg Standard Radio-Post and the Kerrville Daily Times since 1997. He currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center and as President of the Hill Country Land Trust while also serving on the Board of Directors for the Hill Country Historical Foundation. In 2006, the Gillespie County Historical Society awarded him a “Star of Texas” award for his work in creating the Fredericksburg Nature Center and for the preservation of the natural and historical heritage of the Texas Hill Country. Mr. Lindemann is a frequent speaker in the Hill Country on natural history subjects to schools, garden clubs, professional and service organizations, teaches classes on birding and nature at nature centers and adult education schools, and actively promotes historical and natural preservation in the Texas Hill Country through education, outreach and example.
Topic: (co-presented with Jane Crone) Membership Management: Principles for Success
Nurturing and growing our NPSOT membership is a desirable and even necessary goal for our organization which can only be accomplished by local chapter leadership. In this session, key principles and techniques for the both the recruitment and retention of members will be presented. The results from a chapter leader self-assessment previously sent out to chapter leaders will be shared to help understand where we are today with best practices in membership management. Time will be allowed after the presentation for an interactive sharing by the audience of ideas that have been successful in various chapters for growing their membership.
Shelly Maher lived under East Texas red oaks until she transplanted to South Texas to attend college at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She graduated with a degree in Horticulture in 2000, and received a Masters of Biology in 2008. Ms. Maher has worked as a research scientist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Serivce, E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials Center in Kingsville since 2002. In her work, she performs greenhouse plantings, field evaluations and seed germination tests on native Texas plant species. The research at the PMC leads to commercial seed releases and technology for restoration and conservation across the United States. Ms. Maher lives in Bishop, Texas, with her husband, Christopher.
Topic: The Pollinator Game
The Pollinator Workshop includes a PowerPoint based game similar to Jeopardy. Participants are divided into 3 or 4 groups. Groups are asked questions in order to discuss and learn about pollinators rather than use a standard lecture style. Afterwards, handouts are given discussing pollinator habitat, building nest boxes, and pollinator friendly plants. We bring a bee box as an example and also have them construct cane tube bundles for cavity nesting bees.
Minette Marr is a plant conservationist for Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. As a graduate student at Southwest Texas State University, Ms. Marr managed a wetlands restoration nursery near the headwaters of the San Marcos River and surveyed the flora of a natural area along the Lower Colorado River. Loss of floristic diversity at both sites highlighted the need for controlling invasive species and re-introducing endemic species. Her position in the Conservation Department at the Wildflower Center allows Minnette to collaborate with land stewards and citizen scientists to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native plants and landscapes.
Topic: Partners and Protocols for Plant Conservation – Becoming a Citizen Scientist
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center promotes the sustainable use and conservation of native plants and landscapes. By providing regional workshops and online resources, the Wildflower Center encourages residents in each natural region to collaborate with landscapers, plant nursery managers, educators, academics, and land stewards to create, preserve, and restore the native habitats that define the region. Use of established protocols for monitoring invasive species and reporting endemic species allows native plant enthusiasts to track changes in native habitats over time. Furthermore, participation in established information networks encourages native plant enthusiasts to focus limited resources in the most threatened native habitats. Widespread use of these protocols and information networks transforms local groups of volunteers into regional teams of citizen scientists. This workshop will provide an overview of the citizen science programs offered through the Wildflower Center.
Pam Middleton is the State Coordinator for the NPSOT state office located in Fredericksburg.
Topic: An Overview of Leaderweb – NPSOT’s Chapter Management Tool
Leaderweb is an electronic utility residing on the NPSOT website that provides various tools for chapter leaders to manage their membership rolls, communicate with their members via email or mailings, and submit chapter financial reports amongst many other capabilities. Additionally, chapter leaders have access through Leaderweb to much needed reference information such as NPSOT by-laws, State Board information, State Board contacts, and other vital information. An overview of the capabilities of this important utility will be provided to chapter leaders which will help improve their efficiency and effectiveness as NPSOT leaders.
Brent Ortego is a Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He has worked for TPWD since 1982 in a variety of roles mostly associated with nongame and habitat management. He has worked for the last 11 years assisting landowners with Coastal Prairie restoration as part of the Coastal Prairie Conservation Initiative.
Topic: Avian Responses to a Changing Coastal Prairie
The Coastal Prairie has been greatly modified by Anglos and there are few examples of large blocks of native grasslands greater than 10,000 ha. remaining. Standard 40 km U.S. Geological Survey Breeding Bird Survey routes were used to compare breeding bird density in a former Coastal Prairie (McFaddin) that contained 12% native grasslands to those in a nearby (5 km) large block of actively managed Coastal Prairie (Goliad) that contained 75% native grasslands. Both routes averaged 52 species during annual surveys. The Goliad route averaged more Mottled Duck, N. Bobwhite, White-tailed Hawk, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cliff Swallow, Cassin’s Sparrow, Dickcissel, and E. Meadowlark which are species better adapted to large grasslands with little brush. The McFaddin route averaged more Inca Dove, Barred Owl, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, E. Bluebird, N. Mockingbird, Lark Sparrow, N. Cardinal and Brown-headed Cowbird which are species better adapted to brush and forest lands. Thirty additional species did not occur at significantly higher numbers on either route.
Jason Singhurst received a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Science from Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. He has conducted field research on vegetation ecology of the West Gulf Coastal Plain for the past 14 years. His expertise includes natural areas inventory, plant community ecology, and plant taxonomy. He has served as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department botanist/ecologist in Texas for the past 13 years. He has extensive field knowledge with rare plant species in eastern and central Texas. He has authored or co-authored over 40 scientific publications and in 2007 co-authored a book on Rare Plants of Texas. He has described two plant species new to science that are endemic (restricted) to Texas. Mr. Singhurst has in-depth experience with vegetation mapping, descriptive vegetation classification, and natural resource surveys on public and private lands. Jason has a strong interest in prairies and prairie fens (prairie wetlands) as he has conducted many botanical surveys of these floristically rich plant communities in Texas, Oklahoma, and southeastern Kansas where he was raised and spends as much time with his family as he can. He has concentrated the past few years on rare and endemic plant surveys of coastal prairies, including defining a few un-described prairie swale plant communities in the Coastal Bend region of Texas.
Topic: Some Rare and Endemic Plants of the Texas Coastal Plain
Mr. Singhurst will present some of the rare and/or endemic plants of the Coastal Plain and why they are important to the continued health of this eco-region
Carolyn White is a Project Manager for the Harris County Flood Control District Environmental Services Division. She currently manages projects under the water quality and re-vegetation programs, including wetland planting for water quality enhancement, detention basin layout, ongoing water quality monitoring, and preparation of landscape and planting plans for capital improvement projects. Prior to joining the District, she was an environmental consultant at ENTRIX, Inc. for 11 years. Ms. White holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture/Environmental Planning from The University of California – Berkeley and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Geology from Carleton College, Northfield Minnesota. She is chair of the Restoration Committee of the Coastal Prairie Partnership.
Topic: Flood Damage Reduction Projects Support Native Habitats
The Texas legislature created the Harris County Flood Control District (the “District”) in 1937 to identify and mitigate flooding problems that plagued the populated coastal plain of the Upper Galveston Bay watershed. In practice, the District achieves flood mitigation by siting, designing, and maintaining flood damage reduction and drainage facilities. These facilities mitigate runoff impacts, reduce peak flows, and in some cases enhance the quality of storm-water discharged from developed areas. Storm-water treatment systems implemented by the District include the creation of wetland areas within wet bottom detention basins and riparian channels. The District initiated a program to re-vegetate these facilities using native plant species from local sources. The goals of the District’s re-vegetation program include site stability, water quality enhancement, habitat diversity, permit compliance, and reduced maintenance costs. Generally, the District installs plants to create wetlands, riparian corridors, reforestation areas, and coastal prairie habitats. This presentation will provide an overview of the District’s re-vegetation program, and present information regarding the installation, monitoring, and maintenance of these habitats.