Promoting healthy watersheds through sustainable land management
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is hosting a Hunter and Land Owner Field Day on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 8:15 am to 3 pm at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit near Decatur. For more information, contact Marty Morgan, Cooke County Ag Extension Agent, at 940.668.5412.
The first Chihuahuan Desert Riparian and Pond Management Workshop will be held at on April 13 at the the Dixon Water Foundation’s Alamito Creek Preserve. This workshop is a collaboration between the foundation and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Sul Ross State University, Borderlands Research Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Nature Conservancy.
Registration is set from 8:30-9 a.m. at the Marfa National Bank, 301 S. Highland Ave. in Marfa. At 9:15 a.m. participants will caravan to the Alamito Creek Preserve for the remainder of the workshop.
“This workshop will be fast-paced and held in the field on rough terrain and walking to various sites will be required,” said Jesse Lea Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent in Presidio County and a workshop coordinator.
She said proper dress, for example sturdy shoes and a hat, are a must.
“Please bring your own lunch and plenty of water,” she said. “In the event of inclement weather, the workshop will be rescheduled.
“Our Chihuahuan Desert Riparian areas are some of the most misunderstood and underappreciated of the ecosystems. Our hope is to make this an annual event to bring educational opportunities to landowners and enthusiasts across the area.”
Individual registration is $10. RSVP by April 11 by calling 432-295-0342.
Topics and speakers include:
– Introduction to Dixon Water Foundation, Alamito Creek Preserve, Robert Potts, Dixon Water Foundation president and CEO, Presidio County.
– Pond Ecology and Fish Stocking, Peter Woods, AgriLife Extension fisheries program specialist, Bay City.
– Riparian Vegetation and Best Management Practices and Ecohydrology of Streams and Springs, Jeff Bennett, National Park Service physical scientist and hydrologist, Big Bend National Park.
– Linking Pasture to Stream, Dr. Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Fort Stockton.
– Grazing Riparian Zones, Dr. Bonnie Warnock, Sul Ross State University professor, Alpine.
– Water and Wildlife, Benefits and Nuisance Control, Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, San Angelo.
– Waterfowl and Wetland Management in Desert Landscapes, Dr. Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Sul Ross assistant professor.
– Farm Bill Programs, Carrie Koennecke, Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationist, Marfa.
– Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Landowner Incentive Program and U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Arleen Kalmback, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department landowner incentive program coordinator, Austin.
– Experiences From a Land Manager, Chase McRory, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department district biologist, Sanderson, and Casey Wade, Dixon Water Foundation manager, Presidio County.
For more information, call Russell Martin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department natural resource specialist, Alpine, at 432-837-2051, ext. 228 or Schneider at 442-295-0342.
The Southern Soil Health Conference is coming up on January 12-13 in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
This conference for producers and land owners focuses solely on Soil Health, Cover Crops and Grazing. At least 75% of registrants are people directly involved with the land—production agriculture (crops and/or livestock) and land owners. This conference will also be producer driven with almost all the speakers and presenters being farmers. Keynote speakers will include: Dr. Allan Williams, Steve Tucker, John Heerman, and Darin Williams.
In addition, we will have 8-10 Texas and Oklahoma producers sharing about their individual experiences with Soil Health and how it has affected their farming operations. Some of these speakers are Jimmy Emmons, Craig Watson, Yates Adcock, Max Martin and more…
This conference is about knowledge and learning and not selling products. We will not be having a commercial trade show to promote individual companies or products.
The Southern Soil Health Conference is sponsored in part by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Farm Foundation, No-Till on the Plains, Southern SARE, Texas Grazing Land Coalition, Dixon Water Foundation, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Sand County Foundation, and the Natural Resource Defense Council.
Learn more and register on the Green Cover Seed website.
The sixth National Conference on Grazing Lands, a unique conference for livestock producers by livestock producers, is coming up December 13-16 in Grapevine, Texas. The program lineup includes a tour of Dixon Ranches Leo Unit and soil health presentations by ranch manager Robbie Tuggle and science advisory board members Dr. Lisa Bellows and Dr. Richard Teague.
Learn more about or register for the conference on the National Grazing Lands Coalition website or in this article by Hugh Aljoe, foundation board member and Noble Foundation producer relations manager.
Both drought and intense rain storms are here to stay. What can you do to reduce risks in the years to come? A series of free Soil Talks presented by the National Center for Appropriate Technology this fall will help landowners cope with these conditions through grazing management.
On November 13, Sechrist and Walt Davis, a rancher and Dixon Water Foundation board member, will discuss how agricultural enterprises can manage for improved soil function and greater profit at the same time. Learn about financial sustainability at this talk from 9 am–5 pm at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 E. U.S. Hwy 290, in Fredericksburg.
All Soil Talks are free and open to the public, but please RSVP to soilforwater@ncat.org.
Landowners will find information from previous Soil Talks about grazing planning and ecosystem function and monitoring are online, along with presenter biographies.
Soil for Water is a project of NCAT in collaboration with the Hill Country Alliance with support from the Dixon Water Foundation.
Come see the Josey Pavilion during a tour with the U.S. Green Building Council and North Texas Living Building Collaborative this Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 to noon. Corey Squire with Lake|Flato Architects will lead the tour. The pavilion is located on Dixon Ranches Leo Unit near Decatur and is on track to be the first building in Texas to meet the Living Building Challenge.
Register for the tour through Eventbrite.
The tour will include coffee and breakfast at the pavilion.
Participants are encouraged to carpool to the tour site. For those who wish to join a carpool, we will meet at a predetermined location near Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville. More information will be emailed to registered participants closer to the tour date.
We have applied for 3 CEUs to be available from Living Future and from USGBC.
Landowners in Cooke County are invited to a one-day workshop on October 2 with Texas A&M AgriLife at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit. From 7:30am to 4pm, participants will learn about recognizing the cross timbers, wildlife habitat management & tax appraisals, range management, conservation easements, soils, and invasive plants. Admission is $20. CEUs available. For a complete program, download a PDF of the Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop agenda.
Check out the walking trail at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit and learn to identify native grasses during the Overlook Trail Grand Opening on September 26 in Marfa.
The opening kicks off at 9:30 am at the ranch headquarters at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. There will be an introduction to the Dixon Water Foundation’s mission and the grazing methods being used to improve the land and watershed at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit.
Then at 10 am, Dr. Michael Powell will lead a free grass-identification workshop. Powell is Director of the Herbarium at Sul Ross State University, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology, and author of numerous books and journal articles on plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert Region.
Following the grass workshop, practice your new plant-recognition skills during a group hike to the Overlook viewing area, designed by Marfa’s Joey Benton. Local flora and fauna experts from the Texas Master Naturalists Tierra Grande Chapter will be in the group to answer questions along the way.
There is no cost for the workshop or trail access. Reservations for the grass workshop are requested by September 18. Please submit this online registration form or email media@dixonwater.org.
The 2.5-mile walking trail at Mimms is open during daylight hours and features exhibits about grazing management and the high-desert environment. The trail ends at the Overlook viewing area, where visitors can sit and appreciate spectacular views of the Marfa grasslands and surrounding mountains.
The foundation’s West Texas office and the trailhead are at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. Please read and respect the guidelines for trail visitors posted at the entrance to the ranch. Dogs must remain leashed. Bicycles, motorized vehicles, camping, and firearms are not permitted.
The Dixon Water Foundation promotes healthy watersheds through sustainable land management to ensure that future generations have the water resources they need. The foundation demonstrates environmentally and economically sound ways to manage rangeland, while producing grass-finished beef, at the four Dixon Ranches in Texas.
North Texas Land Scholars is a five-day leadership camp that fosters a passion for land stewardship through hands-on activities like hunter safety, plant and insect collections, quail habitat analysis and dissections, and much more. A partner of the Dixon Water Foundation, UNT Quail created this program to encourage youth to become responsible leaders and land stewards, and ultimately to restore the ranch and wildlife legacy of Texas. The application deadline is July 1, and the 2015 camp runs July 26-31 at Camp Grady Spruce. Financial assistance is available, and scholarships are awarded during the camp. For more information and an application, visit the North Texas Land Scholars website.
A Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Workshop in the Hickory Creek Watershed will be held on May 21 in Denton. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Dixon Water Foundation and is being co-hosted by the City of Denton and the Upper Trinity Conservation Trust. Learn more about this program and similar riparian workshops on the Texas Riparian Association’s website. RSVP required by May 15.
