Three agencies join forces to provide plant experts each quarter.
By Kay Ledbetter
It’s a virtual rangeland plant “party,” and all are welcome to attend, beginning Dec. 16.
Free quarterly rangeland plant webinars will be hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-NRCS.
The three agencies will provide experts on various focused topics in short, 15-minute presentations from 10:30 a.m. to noon at each meeting. The first session on Dec. 16 will focus on brush.
Participants must register and will be sent the link to join the webinar the day before. Door prizes will be available for attendees.
Scheduled talks on Dec. 16 will include:
– Brush identification tips, Ricky Linex, USDA-NRCS wildlife biologist, Weatherford.
– Endemic or rare plant species, Jason Singhurst, TPWD botanist/plant ecologist, Austin.
– Brush sprouting mechanisms, Bob Lyons, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension rangeland specialist, Uvalde.
– Restoring brush diversity, Jimmy Rutledge, co-author of “A Field Guide to Common South Texas Shrubs” and former TPWD technical guidance biologist, Carrizo Springs.
– Managing brush with the new Invora herbicide, Megan Clayton, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist, Corpus Christi.
Anyone from agriculture and natural resource professionals, landowners, Texas Master Naturalists, Texas Master Gardeners, 4-H youth and the general public are invited to join in, Clayton said.
“Our Texas Grass Gathering held this past September was such a hit that we, as three partnered agencies, decided to keep the fun going,” she said.
For more information, email Megan.Clayton@ag.tamu.edu, Tim.Siegmund@tpwd.texas.gov or Charles.Kneuper@usda.gov.
