A Private Land Stewardship Workshop has been slated from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. September 25th at the McGillivray and Leona McKie Muse Wildlife Management Area, 15 miles northeast of Brownwood off County Road 478.
The workshop is a multi-agency effort being conducted by The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Organizers said the program specifically targets landowners interested in managing their ranches for multiple uses, particularly for wildlife and cattle.
Individual registration is $15 and includes lunch and four Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units-two general and two integrated pest management. Tax appraisers can also earn 5.75 continuing education units at a cost of $25.
After lunch, attendees will tour the Muse Wildlife Management Area for a field component, which will include rangeland demonstrations, organizers said.
Many landowners in Texas are beginning to see the value of proper land stewardship. Whether you are managing for cattle, wildlife or both, challenges such as drought, invasive species, and water quality issues have made it imperative to diversify the potential of your land, and the only way to do this is to practice good land stewardship.
AgriLife Extension staff will discuss basic stewardship principles, the link between the land and the water we drink, and the benefits of prescribed fire and healthy soils.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department experts will discuss properly managing wildlife populations, use of prescribed fire as a management tool and recent efforts to reintroduce the Texas horned lizard. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service experts will speak on rangeland evaluation, stocking rate calculations and the benefits of a proper grazing system.
A particular focus will be given to pioneering conservationist Aldo Leopold’s five land management tools: the axe, cow, plow, fire and gun. Landowners now implement these tools to mimic natural processes that occurred prior to European settlement in Texas.
The workshop will be limited to the first 50 who RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Brown County by September 21st at 325-646-0386.