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AT: TPWD & UH Coastal Center – Prairie Practitioners Forum
April 9 - April 10
$502025 Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum – Port Aransas UT Marine Science Institute building
Please save the dates of Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10, for the 2025 Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum. Our 2025 forum will be held at the Port Aransas University of Texas Marine Science Institute located at 750 Channel View Dr, Port Aransas, TX 78373. We are looking at local coastal prairie field trip options including the Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture, the Welder Wildlife Refuge, and the Fennessy Ranch Reserve.
Plan on joining your fellow coastal prairie enthusiasts and managers at the Fourth Annual Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum on Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10, in Port Aransas, TX. The forum is co-hosted by the University of Houston Coastal Center and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
We will have an optional Tuesday (April 8) evening field tour at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture for early arrivals. There will also be facilitated prairie restoration discussions during tours of Mustang Island State Park, the Welder Wildlife Refuge, and the Fennessy Ranch Reserve.
Presentations and discussions are planned to engage people who manage and restore coastal prairie, so sessions are structured to allow presenters time for an in-depth discussion with attendees in the auditorium and in the field.
If you decide to arrive early, our early bird guided tour of the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture is from 5–7 PM on Tuesday, April 8. Be sure to bring your favorite pair of binoculars. After the tour, we will gather at the Sip Yard in Port Aransas to eat.
Day 1 presentations will be held at the Port Aransas University of Texas Marine Science Institute, located at 750 Channel View Dr., Port Aransas, TX 78373. Registration begins at 11 AM, with presentations starting at noon. Topics include drone vegetation mapping and herbicide application, soil analysis utilizing drones, how coastal prairie restoration has both ecological and economic benefits, and coastal prairie restoration case studies. After a catered dinner, we will have a sunset tour and discussion over grassland restoration at Mustang Island State Park.
Day 2 will be entirely in the field. We start the day with tours and discussions at St John’s Prairie and Miguel Lake within the Fennessey Ranch Reserve. Then, we will have a half hour drive to the Welder Wildlife Refuge where we will have a sandwich buffet lunch, followed by tour and discussion of its restoration activities. Registrants will receive detailed instructions for the Day 2 field site visits.
Registration will be capped at 50 people to facilitate effective field tours and ensure successful interaction between presenters and attendees.
The registration fee of $50/person includes registration for the optional April 8 early arrival tour, April 9 and 10 forum, field site visits, Wednesday Social & Dinner, Thursday lunch, and break refreshments.
TMNs: log individual session times from Day 1 with session title & presenter name in the description box in VMS under AT: AgriLife Seminars and Lectures. Log field time on Day 2 if restoration instruction is provided during field session. Note that travel times to and during the conference does not qualify for AT credit.
2025 Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum – Port Aransas UT Marine Science Institute building
Please save the dates of Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10, for the 2025 Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum. Our 2025 forum will be held at the Port Aransas University of Texas Marine Science Institute located at 750 Channel View Dr, Port Aransas, TX 78373. We are looking at local coastal prairie field trip options including the Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture, the Welder Wildlife Refuge, and the Fennessy Ranch Reserve.
Plan on joining your fellow coastal prairie enthusiasts and managers at the Fourth Annual Coastal Prairies Restoration Practitioners Forum on Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10, in Port Aransas, TX. The forum is co-hosted by the University of Houston Coastal Center and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
We will have an optional Tuesday (April 8) evening field tour at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture for early arrivals. There will also be facilitated prairie restoration discussions during tours of Mustang Island State Park, the Welder Wildlife Refuge, and the Fennessy Ranch Reserve.
Presentations and discussions are planned to engage people who manage and restore coastal prairie, so sessions are structured to allow presenters time for an in-depth discussion with attendees in the auditorium and in the field.
If you decide to arrive early, our early bird guided tour of the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture is from 5–7 PM on Tuesday, April 8. Be sure to bring your favorite pair of binoculars. After the tour, we will gather at the Sip Yard in Port Aransas to eat.
Day 1 presentations will be held at the Port Aransas University of Texas Marine Science Institute, located at 750 Channel View Dr., Port Aransas, TX 78373. Registration begins at 11 AM, with presentations starting at noon. Topics include drone vegetation mapping and herbicide application, soil analysis utilizing drones, how coastal prairie restoration has both ecological and economic benefits, and coastal prairie restoration case studies. After a catered dinner, we will have a sunset tour and discussion over grassland restoration at Mustang Island State Park.
Day 2 will be entirely in the field. We start the day with tours and discussions at St John’s Prairie and Miguel Lake within the Fennessey Ranch Reserve. Then, we will have a half hour drive to the Welder Wildlife Refuge where we will have a sandwich buffet lunch, followed by tour and discussion of its restoration activities. Registrants will receive detailed instructions for the Day 2 field site visits.
Registration will be capped at 50 people to facilitate effective field tours and ensure successful interaction between presenters and attendees.
The registration fee of $50/person includes registration for the optional April 8 early arrival tour, April 9 and 10 forum, field site visits, Wednesday Social & Dinner, Thursday lunch, and break refreshments.
TMNs: log individual session times from Day 1 with session title & presenter name in the description box in VMS under AT: AgriLife Seminars and Lectures. Log field time on Day 2 if restoration instruction is provided during field session. Note that travel times to and during the conference does not qualify for AT credit.