TWA Wildlife Convention 2021TWA Wildlife Convention 2021
JW Marriot, San Antonio, TX July 2021
2021-07-15 11:30:00
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    • Educational Seminars
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  • Schedule
  • Events
    • Educational Seminars
    • Private Lands Summit
    • Youth Activities
  • Auction
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  • Testimonials
  • Sponsors
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Seminars

Educational Seminars

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH
9:00 AM — 9:55 AM
Ecology and Management of Invasive Wild Pigs

Presenter: John Kinsey, Wildlife Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

10:00 AM — 10:55 AM
Aoudad: Wildly Popular, But An Increasing Concern

Presenter: Froylan Hernandez, Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

11:00 AM — 11:55 AM
Battling for Bats: TPWD’s Response to Imminent Threats to Bats in Texas

Presenter: Nathan Fuller, Bat Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

LANDOWNER AWARENESS AND OPPORTUNITIES
9:00 AM — 9:55 AM
Freshwater Mussels and Opportunities to Protect Them

Presenter: Charles Randklev, PhD, Professor, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute College Station, TX

10:00 AM — 10:55 AM
Conservation Easements

Presenters: James Oliver, Texas Agricultural Land Trust

11:00 AM — 11:55 AM
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)

Presenter: Richard Heilbrun, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

EDUCATION/ OUTREACH
9:00 AM — 9:55 AM
The Rise of Small Acreage Landowners

Presenter: Amanda Gobeli, Project Coordinator, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute

10:00 AM — 10:55 AM
American Ocelot Documentary

Presenters: Michael Tewes, PhD, Research Scientist and Regents Professor, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and Ben Masters, Director and Founder, Fin and Fur Films

11:00 AM — 11:55 AM
Wildlife Killing Contests

Presenters: Filipe DeAndrade, Director and Producer, Comfort Theory Production Company and Camilla H. Fox, Founder & Executive Director, Project Coyote

HABITAT MANAGEMENT
9:00 AM — 9:55 AM
How Cows Benefit Wildlife! The Art of Grazing

Presenters: Jenny Pluhar, Executive Director, Texas Grazing Lands Coalition and Charles Kneuper, State Resource Conservationist, Natural Resource Conservation Service

10:00 AM — 10:55 AM
Using Prescribed Fire to Improve Wildlife Habitat

Presenter: Sandra Rideout, Professor, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

11:00 AM — 11:55 AM
Using Drones for Wildlife and Habitat Management in Texas

Presenters: Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Bethany Friesenhahn, Annalysa Camacho, and Jesse Exum, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Past Education SeminarsView Videos By Clicking On The Images

Aoudad: An increasing challenge in desert bighorn sheep restoration

Recently, TPWD also initiated an aoudad disease monitoring and surveillance program to look for pathogens and/or diseases that could potentially be transmitted to desert bighorn sheep. Preliminary results are finding a pathogen in the same group of pathogens that leads to bighorn die-offs in some western states. Therefore, to protect the habitat, as well as the native wildlife populations that inhabit the land, aoudad populations need to be drastically reduced. But recognizing the growing popularity of aoudad hunting, this level of reduction will be difficult to achieve. Aoudad hunting continues to be a supplemental source of income for some landowners, which adds to the challenge. Until the detrimental impacts of high aoudad densities are better understood, it will be difficult to make progress.

Froylan Hernandez

Building Bird Ecotourism on Your Ranch

While some wildlife recreation, such as hunting, has seen a decline in participation, birding is an activity that has grown. In Texas, private landowners have an opportunity to build bird ecotourism into their management plans as an alternative income source for their property. In this talk, we will discuss the basics of birding that you should know as a landowner, the different types of birding activities, and some management strategies to improve your bird habitat.

Dr. Maureen Frank

Financial Assistance Programs for Conservation Practices on Private Lands in Texas

THE FARM BILL WORKS FOR WILDLIFE

Representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Department will be presenting on cost share programs designed to assist private landowners with conservation habitat practices on their lands for the benefit of healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We’ll be covering programs from the NRCS Farm Bill, TPW Programs & the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Will Newman
TPWDLandownerIncentiveFeatured.

TPWD Landowner Incentive Program

Representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Department will be presenting on cost share programs designed to assist private landowners with conservation habitat practices on their lands for the benefit of healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We’ll be covering programs from the NRCS Farm Bill, TPW Programs & the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Arlene Kalmbach
GrasslandRestorationUplandBirds Featured

Grassland Restoration for Upland Birds

Representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Department will be presenting on cost share programs designed to assist private landowners with conservation habitat practices on their lands for the benefit of healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We’ll be covering programs from the NRCS Farm Bill, TPW Programs & the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Tim Siegmund
Partners for fish and wildlife Featured

Partners for Fish and Wildlife

Representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Department will be presenting on cost share programs designed to assist private landowners with conservation habitat practices on their lands for the benefit of healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We’ll be covering programs from the NRCS Farm Bill, TPW Programs & the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Cyndee Watson

Hunt to Table Campfire Cooking

GRILLED SUMMER TOMATO & CORN CHOWDER WITH STICKY HABANERO PEPPER QUAIL

Whether you are new to cooking wild game or looking to sharpen your culinary horizons, in this video you will learn simple campfire cooking techniques with a unique take on preparing wild game. Featuring Kristin’s original recipe for grilled summer tomato & corn chowder with sticky habanero pepper quail, this simple recipe is sure to impress family and friends at your next outdoor gathering.

Kristin Parma
FarmTableJavelina

Javelina Scallopini with White Wine & Caper Sauce

Whether you are new to cooking wild game or looking to sharpen your culinary horizons, in this video you will learn simple campfire cooking techniques with a unique take on preparing wild game. Featuring Kristin’s original recipe for javelina scallopini with white wine and caper sauce, this take on a classic dish is sure to win over those who may have had their doubts about Texas’ native peccary.

Kristin Parma

Landowner Liability Protections for Texas Landowners

When it comes to landowner liability, unlike many other legal issues, astute landowners can play offense instead of defense. This presentation will cover definitive steps that will help limit liability and prevent negative outcomes.

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet

Plants Out of Balance: The Basics of Using Herbicides to Control Noxious Plants

Managing land for plant diversity is a goal for most landowners interested in wildlife.  When invasive or noxious plants interrupt the balance within a native plant community, landowners are often faced with deciding the best tool to control the problem plants.  Although land managers would certainly like to limit the amount of herbicide used on their properties, this is often one of the best tools for correcting noxious weed and brush issues.  Additionally, new herbicide technologies continue to be developed within the range and pasture industry to more effectively control these plants with more environmentally friendly herbicides and techniques.  Herbicides also limit soil disturbance and provide flexible opportunities to selectively remove individual plants with foliar, stem, or cut stump treatments or to broadcast herbicides where populations are too large.  Keeping up with regulations, understanding herbicide labels, and knowing where to turn for the most accurate information can be overwhelming.  This presentation will start with the basics and build a knowledgebase about herbicides to impower land managers to make data-based decisions that will be best for the long-term health of their land.

Dr. Megan Clayton

Private Land Stewardship Lessons: A New Teaching Tool

Private Land Stewardship (PLS) lessons are a series of free-to-access online courses which present wildlife and natural resource conservation topics in a fresh and engaging way. There are now over 15 lessons ranging from biology and ecology (as in “Anatomy of a Quail” and “Learn About the Western Chicken Turtle”) to landowner How-Tos (“How to Find Natural Resource Professionals in Texas” and “Learn How to Construct Wildlife Ramps”) and overviews of major conservation challenges (“Texas Bats and the Growing Threat” of white-nose syndrome). Each lesson features elements of self‐guided learning, interactivity, links to resources for more information, and a simple quiz to gauge understanding of key concepts. We will demonstrate how these lessons can be used not only as a new form of distance education, but also as a means of increasing the reach and impact of some of our most important face-to-face programs.

Amanda Gobeli

Snake In The Grass: Taxonomy and Ecology of the Western Massasauga

The Western Massasauga is a small rattlesnake of the North American prairies. We studied the genetic relationship between populations and also used modeling to determine the current distribution as well as looking at past and future hypothesis of distribution. All of this work is meant to help with a listing decision for the Desert Massasauga subspecies.

Toby Hibbitt

The Art of Grazing

This presentation will highlight the ART OF GRAZING and how any landowner can utilize grazing to complement their wildlife habitat. Much like an artist creates a painting, so a land manager stewards a landscape. Each property is unique and each artist creates a different landscape, utilizing the knowledge in their palette. It is our goal to increase that skill set and empower landowners with the skills and/or contacts and resources they need to successfully create the landscape they desire.

Jenny Pluhar Charles Kneuper

The Landowner's Guide to Wind and Solar Leases in Texas

WindSolarLeasesFeatured

This presentation describes the issues a Texas landowner should consider when he or she is presented with a wind or solar lease. It begins with preliminary questions covering fundamental issues such as whether or not you want renewables on your property and, if so, should you hire an attorney to represent you. For most landowners, a critical consideration concerns how many acres will be leased, the length of the lease term, and how much compensation will he or she receive. This presentation not only covers those issues but also other essential clauses which should be included in any wind or solar lease such as a removal bond for cleanup of the property, insurance, indemnity, site rules, damage payments for construction and reimbursement of attorney’s fees. Lastly, the presentation weighs the pros and cons of signing both a wind and solar lease in terms of surface use, value, disturbance, and concurrent possession of the property.

Rod E. Wetsel

The Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project: Preserving A Texas Icon

Once abundant throughout Texas, the Texas Horned Lizard’s population has declined or disappeared altogether in many parts of the state, so much so that it is now on the state’s threatened species list. To preserve the abundance of the State Reptile of Texas, San Antonio Zoo launched the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project. This program uses GIS data, genetics, and current knowledge about horned lizard ecology and distribution to release large numbers of captive-born individuals in suitable habitats.

Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp

The Use of Pen-Raised Bobwhites for Restoration

PenRaisedBobwhiteFeatured

For decades, conservationists and managers have looked for a “silver bullet” to reverse declining bobwhite quail populations across their range. Many have looked to using pen-raised quail as the potential solution, but these birds have notoriously low survival rates. In this presentation we will explore potential causes of this low survival rate, the methods that have been used to try to increase their success in the wild and the future of using them as a potential tool for restoration efforts here in Texas.

Shelby McCay

Wildlife Valuation - Managing Native Wildlife As An Ag Use

ManagingNativeWildlifeFeatured

Since 1995 managing for native Texas wildlife has been an accepted Agricultural use in Texas. Designed to allow the good folks out there in production to have a slightly easier time of things, it has grown to be a very popular Ag use. There are many misconceptions from how many acres are required to can I still build a bonfire on my property, and a multitude of other more common misunderstandings about the valuable program. This short presentation will answer many of those questions and provide enough of an understanding of Wildlife Exemption or Valuation for any landowner to be able to make and educated decision about whether Wildlife Management is right for them and their property.

Shane Kiefer

Redirect Educational Seminars

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Tom Vandivier

President Texas Wildlife Association
Tom has been a member of TWA since 1995 and currently serves as the current President of TWA, Chair of Deer Management Committee, Chair of the Permanent Building Committee and he is current member of the TWA executive committee. He is also a current member of the TYHP Advisory Board, TPWD White-tailed Deer Advisory Committee and Upper Llano Rivers Watershed Protection Plan Committee.
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David Yeates

Chief Executive Officer Texas Wildlife Association
David Yeates has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Texas Wildlife Association for the last six years.  TWA focuses on natural resource education, hunter recruitment and retention, and robust advocacy at the Texas Capitol.  Yeates graduated with an Agricultural Economics degree from Texas A&M University, and completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.
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Illiana Peña

Director of Conservation Programs for Texas Wildlife Association
liana A. Peña, Director of Conservation Programs for Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), holds a BS in Wildlife Ecology from Texas A&M Univ. and a MS in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M Univ.-Kingsville. Prior to coming to TWA, Iliana spent 14 years at Audubon Texas serving in multiple administrative roles including Center Director of the Mitchell Audubon Center, Director of Education, and Interim State Director.
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David Brimager

David Brimager

Director of Public Relations Certified Wildlife Biologist ® Texas Wildlife Association
David Brimager joined the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), located in San Antonio, in 1999 as the Director of the Texas Big Game Awards. In 2007 he became Vice President of Hunting Heritage for TWA, then Marketing Director in 2010, and now is the Director of Public Relations.
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Shane Kiefer

Director of Ecological Services Plateau Land & Wildlife Management
Shane Kiefer is the Director of Ecological Services for Plateau Land & Wildlife Management. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and Registered Property Tax Consultant with 15 years of experience working with private landowners to manage ranches of all sizes in over 100 counties across 8 different ecoregions.
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Carter Smith

Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Carter has a wildlife management degree from Texas Tech and a master’s degree in conservation biology from Yale University.  As a wildlife biologist, he has worked on projects across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Prior to joining TPWD, Smith worked in conservation for the Katy Prairie Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Texas (TNC), where he served as the Texas State Director. 
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Kristy Oates

State Resource Conservationist USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
Kristy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Sam Houston State University and she is a graduate of the US Department of Agriculture Emerging Leaders Development Program from The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. Outside of work, Kristy enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to new destinations.  
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Kellie Boone

Art Director

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Wayne Carlson

CEO of Eventic

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Amanda Gobeli

Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Amanda Gobeli works for the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) as a Project Coordinator for the Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative (RQDI), a conservation program which seeks to address the decades-long decline of quail populations in Texas through research, education and outreach.
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Shelby McCay

Project Coordinator, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Shelby joined the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute in August 2017 as a student technician and currently serves as a Project Coordinator I. As a part of the engagement team, her work focuses on managing and expanding the Institute’s distance education program for Texas A&M students and land stewards.
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Dr. Megan Clayton

Associate Professor and Extension Range Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
For the past 10 years, Dr. Megan Clayton has been an Extension Rangeland Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University in College Station.
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Froylan Hernandez

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Froylán Hernández got his B.S. from Texas A&M in 1999 and his M.S. from Sul Ross State University in 2005. He worked for US Fish and Wildlife Service and Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute prior to coming to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
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Jenny Pluhur

Jenny Pluhar

Executive Director, Texas Grazing Land Coalition
Jenny is the Executive Director of Texas Grazing Land Coalition.  I also manage three ranches in the Texas Panhandle and one in Montana.  Graduate of Montana State University and Texas A&M University.  Passionate about grazing land stewardship and educating and encouraging people.  
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Charles Kneuper

Range Management Specialist USDA-NRCS
Charles Kneuper is the Texas state rangeland management specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has worked in the Brownwood, Hamilton, Gatesville, and Meridian field offices and the Weatherford zone office.
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Dr. Maureen Frank

Assistant Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist
As an Extension Wildlife Specialist, Dr. Frank leads outreach programs that connect people to their local natural resources.
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Kristin Parma

Texas Wildlife Association
Kristin is the Membership Coordinator for Texas Wildlife Association and a hunting guide for New School of Traditional Cookery. She serves as a certified Huntmaster for the Texas Youth Hunting Program, an instructor for South Texas Bobwhite Brigade and is a freelance writer for Lone Star Outdoor News.
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Arlene Kalmbach

TPWD
Arlene has been managing the LIP Program in Texas for 14 years. She has a master’s degree in Ecology with a research focus on the impacts of exotic invasive plant species on  neotropical migrant birds in Central Texas and a bachelor of science degree in Agriculture Studies.
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Will Newman

Coordinating Wildlife Biologist at Quail Forever
Will Newman is the Farm Bill Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he assists wildlife program and field staff in best using USDA programs and funding to deliver wildlife habitat and conservation education.
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Tim Siegmund

Private Lands Program Leader TPWD
Tim was born and raised in Giddings, TX. A bachelor’s degree and graduate research at Stephen F. Austin State University was followed by employment with TPWD in 2009. In  College Station, Tim was responsible for 7 counties performing wildlife surveys, public outreach, technical guidance, prescribed fire assistance,
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Cyndee Watson

Partners For Fish And Wildlife Program Coordinator U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Cyndee Watson is a native Texan and comes from a family with ranching and farming background. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Geography with an emphasis on Resource Management with a Zoology minor. She later received her Masters degree in Biology from Texas State University. While there, she conducted her thesis on Estimating the Probability of Detecting golden-cheeked warblers.
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Rod E. Wetsel

Wetsel, Carmichael, Allen & Lederle, L.L.P.
Rod Wetsel is the senior partner at Wetsel, Carmichael, Allen, & Lederle, LLP in Sweetwater, Texas, where he has practiced law for over forty years.He is now an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University School of Law, where he teachers both wind law and Texas mineral titles. He is board certified in oil, gas and mineral law and has served as an assistant editor of the Title Standard Joint Editorial Board since 191.
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Toby Hibbitts

Research Scientist Texas A&M NRI
Dr. Toby Hibbitts joined the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute in 2012 as a research scientist. His research program focuses on amphibians and reptiles.
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Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp

Director- Center for Conservation & Reseach, San Antonio Zoological Society
Andy has over 20 years of experience as a biospeleologist and conservation biologist and he served as State Herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for seven years.
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Tiffany Dowell Lashmet

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Agricultural Law Specialist
Tiffany Dowell Lashmet is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Law with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. She focuses her work on legal issues affecting Texas agricultural producers and landowners. She serves State Bar of Texas John Huffaker Agricultural Law Course Planning Committee and
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Bernice Bates

CEO of HugeFact

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Clint Burns

CEO of ArtDev

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Irvin Douglas

PR Director

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Margarita Rose

Creative Director

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Matthew Thomas

Executive Director

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The most awaited Wildlife conference of the year!
JW Marriot, San Antonio, TX, July 16-18 , 2021

Latest News
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About TWA

The Texas Wildlife Association is a statewide membership organization that serves Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

Visit us online at texas-wildlife.org.

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