Past Presentations

“From red and gold hues in the Fall to bright swaths of wildflower color in the Spring, Texas seasons manifest most vibrantly through the growth of our native flora. Utilizing native plant species in Texas landscapes encourages more biodiversity, healthier soil, and holds immense value to our native fauna, including pollinators. In this presentation, ERA highlights the benefits of some of our most breathtaking and instrumental native plants that are suitable for a range of conditions from soggy to crispy, revealing how these plants are used in rain gardens, and other landscapes, in Central Texas. Bring diversity home by growing native!”

Matt Buckingham is a naturalist, photographer, and protected species biologist based out of Lufkin. Matt received a bachelors in wildlife management from Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in 2007. In 2011 Matt graduated from SFA with a masters in biology with an emphasis on ecology and evolutionary biology. For his thesis, Matt studied the bird communities of Iguazu National Park, Argentina. Matt has a long history of working as a biologist with various species including American alligators, Neotropical migrant songbirds, Snowy Plovers in the Texas panhandle, and secretive marshbirds in the Chesapeake Bay. Matt previously worked as a conservation biologist for Bayou Land Conservancy, a land trust in the Houston area and as a biologist Texas Department of Transportation, where he worked on endangered species conservation, road ecology research, finding innovate ways to reduce impacts to wildlife from road construction activities, and developing solutions for wildlife/vehicle conflicts. Matt also worked as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and WIldlife Service with federally listed, proposed, and review species. Matt currently works for Ecosystem Planning and Restoration, LLC, where he works on research, conservation, and mitigation projects. Matt also works as a freelance photographer and author, and his images and articles have been published in a variety of magazines. Matt lives in Lufkin with his wife and son and spends as much time as possible exploring the Pineywoods around their home and beyond.

For more than 100 years, we’ve fought the woody brush spreading across the limestone regions of Texas called karst country. Much of this woody cover consists of native juniper trees, commonly called mountain cedars. Instead of causing harm, we now know mountain cedars act as ecosystem engineers to improve and sustain Texas karst country function.

Home landscaping from the ground up: How to create your own pocket prairie by Emily Manderson.

Doug Dalglish presents native grasses and soil health.

Riparian and Submerged Aquatic Plants presented by Casey Williams. Ever wonder what these plants and ecosystems are about? In New Braunfels, Texas, we know the importance of our bodies of water and learning how our native plants interact with them may be eye opening!