Grazing the Prairie

VMS opportunity: AT: NGO workshops and programs on wildlife conservation and land stewardship

The Fayette Prairie Chapter of NPAT is delighted to host Dr. Megan Clayton for a Zoom presentation on “Grazing the Prairie” at 6 PM, on Wednesday, 21 July. Zoom meeting link.

We know that migrating bison herds and fires played a major role in development and maintenance of prairies before settlement. We can do prescribed burns now, but can cattle grazing substitute for bison herds that once migrated over the prairies? There is probably no one more qualified to address this question than Dr. Megan Clayton.

Since 2010, Megan has been an Extension Rangeland Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University in College Station. Her responsibilities as a Rangeland Specialist have her based at the Corpus Christi Research and Extension Center and include providing support for Extension agents, specialists, clientele, and organizations through teaching, training, and providing technical expertise on management of rangeland resources.  Megan’s current interests include blending wildlife habitat and livestock range management, small acreage management, UAV (drone) research, brush management, and youth natural resources education. Her main area of responsibility includes counties in the Coastal Bend and South Texas.

Megan completed her bachelor’s at Texas A&M University – College Station in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.  Her master’s and Ph.D. were with Texas A&M University – Kingsville and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Wildlife Science. Afterwards, she spent a year as a post-doc with Texas Tech University at the Llano River Field Station in Junction, TX, as a researcher in environmental education.

This presentation should be of special interest to landowners engaged in prairie restoration/preservation, and wondering how to incorporate a beneficial grazing plan. The presentation, however, should be of interest to anyone committed to preserving the prairie ecosystem under conditions different from those under which they first developed.