Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Larry Redmon, 979-845-4826, l-redmon@tamu.edu
Dr. Rick Machen, 830-278-9151, r-machen@tamu.edu
FREDRICKSBURG – A conference devoted to helping women manage natural resources in the Edwards Plateau will take place in Fredericksburg Oct. 5-6 at the Inn on Barons Creek.
The Women’s Natural Resource Management Conference is funded by the Ruth and Eskel Bennett Endowment, said Dr. Larry Redmon, co-chair and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Bennett Trust specialist.
The women’s conference is an extension of the Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference, which has been held twice in Kerrville, Redmon said.
“More and more women are becoming landowners through inheritance and other means, and we want to help these women be a success in the management of their natural resources,” he said. “By offering a ladies conference, we hope women will feel more comfortable with attending and participating. We also want to encourage mothers to bring their daughters; it is a generational thing.”
Cost of the two-day conference is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs.
“Everyone involved in the planning process is excited about our new Edwards Plateau Land Stewardship conferences,” he said. “And thanks to the Bennett’s generosity, this will be a unique learning opportunity for all of us for years to come.”
Dr. Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension specialist from Uvalde, said the conference will include “the best and wisest, accomplished stewards, visionaries and legacy-leavers as educators for this conference. Those with a passion for natural resource stewardship and a love for the Texas Hill Country will want to be there.”
Among the speakers will be wildlife biologists, animal scientists, range scientists, estate attorneys and financial planners.
The conference’s preliminary agenda for the first day includes a presentation on the history of the Hill Country plants, animals and early people found in the region, and how the region has changed with time and the challenges those changes present.
Additional discussions will cover estate planning, using wildlife as agriculture to satisfy the 1-d-1 Open Space Lands tax valuation, and discussion regarding development of a wildlife management plan to satisfy county chief appraisers.
Machen will make a presentation on land stewardship in the Edwards Plateau, followed by a panel discussion by women with a track record for land stewardship and natural resource management, and identification of agencies with the ability to provide financial assistance for ranch ownership.
Day two of the conference will provide unique “behind the scenes” tours, Machen said. Attendees will load buses and visit several local operations that will include traditional and non-traditional agricultural enterprises.
Lunch at a local winery will include a presentation regarding ecotourism and marketing natural resources. It will be followed by a second stop aimed at plant identification, demonstrations on how to manage brush species using individual plant treatment strategies, and a mock prescribed fire, Redmon said.
The tour will highlight both livestock and wildlife management, as well as the hunting industry in the Edwards Plateau, he said, adding, “for as long as I can remember, this region has attracted hunters from all over the state, nation and world.”
For more information regarding the upcoming Bennett Trust Land Stewardship program, contact Redmon at l-redmon@tamu.edu, Machen at r-machen@tamu.edu or an AgriLife Extension agent in the region.
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