Kerrville Chapter

Speaker Series – Texas Hill Country: Past, Present and Future – January 16 at 6:30 pm

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Join us at Riverside Nature Center on January 16, 2023 at 6:30 pm for an important presentation about our local natural resources – “Texas Hill Country: Past, Present and Future” by Rachael Lindsey from Hill Country Conservancy.

Rachael Lindsey is a born researcher and explorer who spent her formative years chasing wildlife in the hills and hollers of Tennessee and Kentucky (often barefoot).  Rachael’s feral-esque childhood instilled a deep-rooted passion for the outdoors with a special affinity for water and caves. Eventually, Rachael turned a love of nature into her life’s work, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management with a Forestry minor, followed by a master’s degree in Wildlife Management. Throughout her career, she has prioritized connecting people and communities to nature through ecological education, land conservation and stewardship.  Rachael dreams of millions of acres of protected, connected, and stewarded Hill Country. Rachael describes herself as a Lorax—she speaks for the trees.

Rachael is the Director of Science and Stewardship at Hill Country Conservancy where she works closely with partners and landowners to steward and perpetually protect our Hill Country paradise. Rachael serves on the Executive and Steering Committees for the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network and is the Chair of the Network’s climate change committee.

RSVP @ 830.257.4837 or RNC.Kerrville@gmail.com.

Suggested donation $5.

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About the Region

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This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason