Prairie Rose Chapter

FEBRUARY MEETING

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FEBRUARY 27, 2023  MEETING

Ungulate Conservation/Grasslands Preservation
By Adam Eyres, Director of Animal Care,
of the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

Monday, February 27, 6 p.m.
at Glen Rose Citizen’s Center
209 Barnard Street

 

It’s a well-known fact that for conservation to be successful it must include all of the moving parts.  There have been numerous studies showing the benefit to grasslands through the conservation of bison.  Bison, and other prey species, have been successful through the conservation of predators.  We’ll discuss the work that Fossil Rim does for the conservation of species under our care, and extrapolate to how that creates opportunities for success, both within our fences, and in the countries these animals call home.

As the Director of Animal Care at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas, Adam has been very fortunate to work his way up at Fossil Rim from Animal Care Specialist, to supervisor, curator, and now director.  He started his career over 30 years ago and has never been a “this is my favorite animal” kind of guy—he’s always been about conservation in the larger scenario.  To that end he’s involved himself with organizations like C2S2 and the International Rhino Foundation (where he serves on their board of directors), and the International Rhino Keeper’s Association (as an advisor to their Board of Directors).  He has also been lucky to participate in the ongoing reintroduction efforts of SaharaConservation and the Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi for scimitar horned oryx, addax and dama gazelles.  He has traveled to Chad and Abu Dhabi many times to help with this project—usually as a hands-on animal care person during transports, collaring, captures, or translocations within Chad.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: prairierose

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

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