SAN ANTONIO — Jared Beaver is serving in the newly created position of program coordinator for water and natural resources for Bexar County.
Beaver, who began on Oct. 1, works from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office, which is located in the Conroy Square business complex, 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, San Antonio.
Jared Beaver is the new water and natural resources program cordinator for Bexar County. Beaver, who started Oct. 1, works out of the AgriLife Extension office in northwest San Antonio. (Photo courtesy of Jared Beaver)
The new position is a joint appointment of AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources/Texas Water Research Institute and Bexar County, officials said.
“A primary focus of the new position is to promote water conservation in Bexar County,” said Dr. Roel Lopez, director of the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources/Texas Water Research Institute in San Antonio. “The potential water savings through urban water conservation efforts is tremendous. A critical function of this position is to work with partners like San Antonio Water System San Antonio River Authority in collectively promoting urban water conservation efforts.”
Lopez said Beaver will work to promote a collaborative partnership with these entities and other key stakeholders throughout Bexar County.
“Jared is knowledgeable of the issues related to water and natural resources in the region, and we anticipate his educational programs to have an immediate impact,” added Marvin Ensor, AgriLife Extension regional program director for agriculture and natural resources, San Angelo. “His experience, love of nature and interest in wildlife management will benefit Bexar County residents as programs are developed to address issues in the urban-rural interface.”
Beaver said his love of nature stems from the influence of his family and growing up in North Carolina, where he “hunted, fished and enjoyed the many other outdoor activities afforded by the state’s Piedmont region and God’s grace.”
He attended Wake Forest University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2008. While attending Wake Forest, he said, his sense of adventure and passion for conservation led him to opportunities for traveling and working in South America and Africa.
“In South America, I traveled to the Amazon rain forest of Peru to assist with various ecological research projects at Cocha Cashu Biological Station located in Manu National Park,” he said. “In Africa, I served as team leader for water conservation and agricultural enrichment in rural Zambia, where we helped educate village leaders and local agricultural schools in water conservation, including establishing tower gardens designed to utilize gray water.”
Upon his return to the U.S., Beaver attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned his master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences in 2011. Prior to accepting a graduate research assistantship at the University of Tennessee, he worked with the National Park Service in the Great Smoky Mountains, assisting with elk restoration, feral hog management and nuisance bear control.
After completing his master’s, Beaver moved to Texas to work on a white-tailed deer fawn mortality study with Texas A&M—Kingsville. In August 2011, he accepted a graduate research assistantship to pursue his doctorate at Texas A&M University in College Station. His work in his current pursuit of a doctoral degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences involves the study and assessment of white-tailed deer population ecology and habitat management at Joint Base San Antonio – Camp Bullis.
Beaver’s field experience and professional skills include population estimation and survey techniques; white-tailed deer restraint and monitoring; telemetry using electronic tracking collars for elk, black bear and white-tailed deer; vegetation sampling methods and plant identification; conducting and coordinating prescribed burns with private landowners; food plot establishment and management; capturing and controlling feral hogs; controlling non-native invasive species; working with hunters developing management recommendations and communicating with the public.
He is a member of the Gamma Sigma Delta agriculture honor society, The Wildlife Society, Ducks Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association, Golden Key International Honor Society — Tennessee Chapter and Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society.
“I’m excited to get started in this new position and hope to make a difference throughout our community and state through helping inform people about various water and other natural resource issues,” Beaver said. “I’m also looking forward to working within collaborative partnerships devoted to water conservation and ensuring adequate water and other natural resources for ourselves and for future generations.”
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