This calendar includes Heartwood’s scheduled chapter, volunteer, and training events.
For a list of unscheduled (work at your own pace) volunteer activities, check out the approved chapter activities: Heartwood Volunteer Projects
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An Assessment of Lomas Along the Southern Texas Coast with Consideration for Texas Tortoise Habitat
April 22 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
An Assessment of Lomas Along the Southern Texas Coast with Consideration for Texas Tortoise Habitat
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sandra Rideout-Hanzak
Professor and Research Scientist
Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Webinar Description:
Lomas are a rare type of windblown dune that have been studied infrequently. They are found exclusively in North America, northern and western Africa, and southern Australia. Tamaulipan clay lomas (hereafter, “lomas”) are found only in coastal areas of northern Mexico and Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, and Kleberg counties, Texas, within the US. These lomas support distinct vegetation assemblages in both herbaceous and woody plant communities that vary from the coastal mainland. Current threats to lomas include storm surges, prolonged drought, and development in industries such as oil and gas. We characterized vegetation and soil on 15 lomas in southern Texas, as well as their use by Texas tortoises (Gopherus berlandieri). In this presentation, I’ll be discussing the unique features of loma elevation, soil texture and pH, herbaceous and woody vegetation, and Texas tortoise density.
Bio:
Sandra Rideout-Hanzak is a Professor and Research Scientist in the Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Her research focuses on the effects of prescribed fire and wildfire on plant and wildlife communities, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and conservation and management of at-risk species. She is a certified Senior Wildland Fire Ecologist and a Lead Burn Instructor for Texas’ Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager program.