January

The Texas Wildlife Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are sponsoring the Wildlife for Lunch 2016 lunchtime webinar series, airing on the third Thursday of every month. These webinars provide science-based information about wildlife, habitat and natural resource management.

The Academy for Ranch Management will host two rangeland prescribed burning workshops in February and March at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Sonora Station, located on State Highway 55 between Sonora and Rocksprings.

Private landowners and managers tend to shy away from the use of prescribed fire for maintaining rangeland and forest ecosystems in spite of the known benefits because of potential liabilities, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study.

For the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) and the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), 2015 marked another successful year as they partnered in water and natural resource research and education. The institutes are anticipating the important work ahead in 2016 and reflecting on a productive 2015, said Dr. Roel Lopez, IRNR director and former TWRI director.

The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) has awarded 2016 Mills Scholarships to four graduate students conducting water-related research at Texas A&M University.

The Colorado River Alliance, in partnership with the Texas Water Development Board, has created a free, interactive game called Texas 2040. The game helps Texans better understand the water challenges the state’s rivers will face in the next 25 years, said Brent Lyles, the alliance’s executive director. 

The Texas Well Owner Network has received a Superior Service Award in the team category from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

New strategies for protecting the Texas Hill Country came out of a recently published study by regional planning experts and graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) School of Architecture. The study addresses threats to water resources, scenic beauty and cultural heritage in the face of rapid population growth in the region, according to the authors.

The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) has announced the Request for Proposals for the FY 2016 National Competitive Grant Program by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources.

A group of 40 international scientists led by a Texas A&M University professor says three of the earth’s mightiest rivers are being damaged in the name of progress.

The Texas Water Journal has published “Conjunctive groundwater management as a response to socio-ecological disturbances: a comparison of 4 western U.S. states,” its first paper in Volume 7, Number 1.

Farming is a business, and the actions of farmers will be based on economics—even when it comes to water conservation, according to a recent study by Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

There are several new publications from the Texas Water Resources Institute.

The Texas Water Resources Institute’s (TWRI) Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program will host a workshop from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 3 in Lampasas for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the Lampasas River watershed.