Podcasts Culture Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State - Live with the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Part 2

Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State - Live with the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Part 2

Published: April 7, 2023, 6:46 p.m.

This is the second of two live episodes that were recorded at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society\u2019s 2023 annual meeting in Houston, Texas. The topic of this panel discussion was Achieving Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State. As you learned in the previous episode, Texas has very little public land compared to other western states, so large-landscape conservation in Texas brings with it a number of extremely unique challenges and opportunities. In this conversation, we heard from four of Texas\u2019s most respected conservation leaders\u2013 individuals who are finding ways to achieve ambitious conservation goals using their own unique skillsets and approaches.

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I was joined on stage in front of an audience of nearly 600 people by Roel Lopez, Director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute; Chad Ellis, CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust; Terry Anderson, co-founder of Conservation Equity Management and Conservation Equity Partners; and Billy Tarrant, Associate Director of Stewardship Services at Borderlands Research Institute. You can check out the episode notes for more information on each of the panelists and links to their respective bios and organizations.

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As you\u2019ll hear in the conversation, there are a wide range of innovative approaches and tools\u2013 from academic to non-profit to market-based\u2013 that are allowing Texas to be a trailblazer in private lands conservation in the United States. So we had a lot to cover in this hour-long session, including: The evolution and use of conservation easements, the importance of building solid relationships with landowners, new conservation tools on the horizon, how Texas has exported is private lands conservation tools to other states, data around population growth in Texas, advice for you and aspiring conservationists, and a long list of books, podcasts, and resources that have influenced these conservation leaders.

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And just before this conversation, each of the panelists did a brief presentation that summarized all of the important work they are doing in Texas. If you\u2019d like to listen to those talks and access their Powerpoint presentations, there\u2019s a link in the episode notes. However, you don\u2019t need to listen to those presentations to get full value out of this episode\u2013 but they are there if you want to go a little deeper.

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If you\u2019re interested in conservation and learning from impressive individuals who have devoted their lives to land, stewardship, and conservation, then I know you\u2019ll enjoy this episode. Once again, thanks to John Kinsey and the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society for inviting me down to Houston and for giving me the opportunity to have these meaningful conversations. Enjoy!

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • 3:00 \u2013 Introduction
  • 5:00 \u2013 Discussing the Conservation Easement as a tool, and how it has evolved
  • 10:30 \u2013 The importance of relationships in this work
  • 13:30 \u2013 What new tools do we need in private lands conservation
  • 22:00 \u2013 Discussing the private lands conservation strategies that Texas has been able to export to other states
  • 27:15 \u2013 Whether or not the experts predicted the population numbers and growth that Texas is seeing today
  • 29:45 \u2013 Advice for young professionals who want to become better storytellers
  • 40:30 \u2013 The importance of building relationships with politicians for conservation work
  • 53:00 \u2013 Books, podcasts, heroes, and other resources that have influenced the panelists
  • 56:30 \u2013 Where the panelists find hope and motivation

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