Journal

The Wildlife Professional: Live-streaming brings remote learning into the field

The global COVID-19 pandemic changed the course of education, including how professors taught wildlife management classes. It's difficult for students to collar a deer or capture frogs when they're in lockdown in their parents' basement, after all.

But TWS member Shelby McCay, project coordinator at the Texas A&M University's Natural Resources Institute, had the perfect prescription for the challenges online learning caused for her students.

A Virtual Approach to Field-Based Learning

In its best form, education equips others to make the best and most informed decisions—it requires preparation and constant adaptation to the environment and levels of engagement, sometimes in the very moment.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Deer Harvest Record Keeping

Lights, camera, action! We’re back with the newest episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.  During this installment we chatted with ranch manager, Steven Fulton, and retired Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist, Mike Krueger, about deer harvest record keeping methods. We also discussed how you can use these techniques for the benefit of your deer herd and  how you can use to qualify for the wildlife tax valuation program here in Texas.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Erosion Control

Lights, camera, action! We’re back with our latest episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.  We spoke with Bamberger’s ranch manager, Steven Fulton, about erosion control methods and how you can implement these practices for the benefit of soil and wildlife on the land. We had a great time talking about this tool you can use to qualify for the wildlife tax valuation program here in Texas.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Rainwater Harvesting for Wildlife

From the Texas Hill Country, we’re back with our latest episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.  During this installment, we chatted with Bamberger’s biologist, Christina Farrell, about how you can harvest rainwater for your home and for the wildlife on your property. We had a great time talking about this simple tool you can use to qualify for the wildlife tax valuation program here in Texas.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Grassland Preparation for Pollinators

We’re back with our newest episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 from the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve.  We truly enjoyed getting to connect with you to talk about another wildlife management tool that you can add to your stewardship toolbox. In this episode we talked with the ranch’s resident zoologist, Jared Holmes, about native grasslands and how they can be used to benefit pollinator species on your property.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Cowbird Trapping

We’re back with our latest installment of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we greatly enjoyed connecting with you to talk about wildlife management techniques. In this episode we spoke with the Bamberger Ranch’s resident ornithologist, Christina Farrell, about cowbird trapping and how it can be used to benefit native bird species on your property. Under the wildlife tax valuation program in Texas, cowbird trapping is listed as a qualifying management practice in the predator control category. But why? First we need to dig a little bit into the natural history of this species.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Herbicides and Brush Management

This past month we premiered our seventh episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our wonderful partners at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed connecting with you to talk about private land stewardship here in Texas. In this latest episode we spoke with Bamberger’s ranch manager, Steven Fulton, about herbicides and brush management and how this tool can help you manage wildlife habitat on your landscape.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Supplemental Water for Wildlife

In this latest episode we chatted with our own Dr. Jim Cathey and Bamberger’s resident zoologist, Jared Holmes, about supplemental water for wildlife and how you can implement it as a practice to help benefit species on your property.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2 Recap: Game Cameras

Lights, camera, Leopold Live! Last month we premiered our fifth episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our incredible partners at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed sharing more about wildlife management practices through the series.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2: Food Stations Recap

Lights, camera, Leopold Live! Last month we premiered the fourth episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our incredible partners at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed getting to share even more about wildlife management practices through this series. Our hosts, Dr. Roel Lopez and Dr. April Sansom, introduced this new chapter of Leopold Live! and explained how new episodes will be a little different from what we covered in Chapter 1.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2: Brush Clearing and Brush Piles Recap

Lights, camera, Leopold Live! Last month we premiered our third episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our incredible partners at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed getting to share more about wildlife management practices through the series. 

Leopold Live! Chapter 2: Bluebird Boxes Recap

Lights, camera, Leopold Live! Last month we premiered our second episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our incredible partners at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed connecting with you again as we continue with the series. Our usual hosts, Dr. Roel Lopez (TAMU NRI) and April Sansom (Bamberger Ranch), opened the episode by introducing this new chapter of Leopold Live! and explaining how these upcoming episodes will be a little different from what we covered Chapter 1.

Leopold Live! Chapter 2: Wildlife Valuation 101 Recap

Leopold Live is back! We have officially premiered our first episode of Leopold Live!: Chapter 2 with our incredible partners at Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, and we truly enjoyed connecting with you again as we embarked on this next part of this series.

Leopold Live: Chapter One

Just like old times, only different. Adjusting to social distancing measures allowed us to think creatively in how we approach our engagement and education work, and partnering with the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve was a smart match for our team and like-minded missions—educating land stewards by demonstration and practice. 

Leopold Live launching in one week

If clinging to routines is what keeps us moving forward in these unusual times, consider this a hat tip to the creativity spurred on by our need to connect and teach in-person. Leopold Live! is here.