Schedule and Program
Tentative agenda for the 2025 Annual Meeting
More information about the schedule and program will be available soon!
Workshops for the 2025 Meeting
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Chris Schenk
Description:
OFFSITE
We have designed the workshop for students and resource professionals with limited exposure to prescribed fire. We plan to conduct an actual prescribed fire, pending good burning conditions. We will follow up the fire with some classroom time and very brief topics. If we don’t have a good burn day like any good fire practitioner, we have an alternate plan.
Date: 2/18/2025
Schedule: 7:30-4:30PM
Number of participants: 30
Prerequisite: none
Cost: $10
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Dr. Heather Mathewson, Associate Professor, Tarleton State University
Description:
For many in our field we often are dealing with large datasets filled with mistakes, missing data, or nuances that take hours for us to correct before we can even think about starting our analyses. In my experience, we too often fail to give adequate attention to data management, which includes anything from initial database design, quality assurance, data integrity, and manipulations for analyses and presentation. I designed this course for anyone who is new to R, as well as for those who could use some information on how to manage their data and turn a messy dataset into an organized archive for actual use. I will cover: 1) entering a dataset into R and understanding basics of R and RStudio, 2) quality checks and how to manage mistakes or missing data, 3) basic database design and manipulation, and 4) creating descriptive statistics for presentation in tables and figures. I will review some of the more popular R packages such as tidyverse and ggplot and introduce some less known but useful packages. I will use examples from my past research to demonstrate how I have managed messy datasets derived from camera traps, vegetation measurements, and nest monitoring. I encourage participants to bring a laptop to follow along. You will need to download R and RStudio. Prior to the workshop I will send out instructions for downloading the programs, the files that we will use in the workshop, and my reference guide.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Number of participants: 50
Prerequisite: none
Cost: none
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speakers: Dr. Todd Sink, Brittany Chesser, (TS) Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and (BC) Aquatic Vegetation Management Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Description:
This hands-on workshop is designed for wildlife professionals looking to deepen their understanding of pond management practices. Land management including livestock and wildlife operations directly impact aquatic ecosystems including ponds, and therefore the management of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is closely linked. Participants will explore critical considerations for effective pond site visits, learn the principles of fish stocking and management, and gain practical skills in identifying and managing aquatic vegetation.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM -12:00 PM
Number of participants: 50
Prerequisite: none
Cost: none
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Kaleb Tierce, International and nationally recognized taxidermist, owner/operator of Trophy Case Taxidermy & Wild Game Processing
Description:
Internationally recognized taxidermist Kaleb Tierce will demonstrate the start to finish process of mounting a white-tailed deer and provide opportunities for attendees to get involved.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM‒12:00 PM
Number of participants: 55
Prerequisite: none
Cost: none
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Dr. Adam Mitchell, Certified Wildlife Biologist®, ACUE, Assistant Professor of Entomology, Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources, Tarleton State University
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Description:
This workshop will provide training on practical methods to identify and survey for native bee species in the state of Texas. Activities will include review of native bee families with focus on commonly surveyed taxa, methods to survey, collect, and identify bees in natural areas, and management recommendations to improve conservation efforts for native bees across the state.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 50
Prerequisite: None
Cost: 0
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Andrew Earl , Director of Conservation, Texas Wildlfie Association
Description:
This workshop will detail Texas Wildlife Association’s Hunting Heritage programs that seek to promote and preserve Texas’ hunting tradition. Learn how the Texas Youth Hunting Program and Adult Learn to Hunt Program work, their impact on the hunting community, and how you can be involved as a hunter, volunteer, or host landowner/land manager.
Date: 2/19/2025
Number of participants: 24
Prerequisite: none
Cost: 0
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Dr. Gabriel Andrade, PostDoc Researcher here at Stephen F. Ausin
Description:
Imperfect detection of species occurs when a species is present at a site, but we do not detect it during sampling. Not considering imperfect detection can lead to erroneous conclusions and therefore to bad management decisions. In this introductory workshop we will understand how occupancy models and hierarchical models allow us to consider the effect of imperfect detection on the estimation of species presence or abundance. Through a practical exercise we will learn about the elements of the basic occupancy model, how to fit them in the R programming language and what is the correct way to interpret the model results.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 15
Prerequisite: none
Cost: $10
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Amanda Hackney, Owner, GIS and Research Consultant, Black Cat GIS
Description:
Description coming soon
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 24
Prerequisite: none
Cost: $10
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Rachel Richter, Urban Biologist, Texas Parks & WIldlife Department
Description:
This workshop will feature a keynote speaker and a distinguished panel of urban wildlife professionals, who will discuss both the successes and challenges of managing urban wildlife in Texas. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session, as well as network with the panelists and other urban ecology professionals.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 170
Prerequisite: none
Cost: none
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Dr. Reuber Antoniazza, Assistant Professor of Forest Wildlife Management, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University
Description:
An introduction to complex network analysis for beginners. Complex network analysis is a powerful tool for understanding ecological interactions, revealing emergent patterns that remain invisible when studying the species in isolation. Datasets from host-parasite interactions, stomach content, or plant-animal interactions are perfect to be used with this tool. The second part of the class is a hands-on experience constructing and analyzing networks using R, demonstrating how this analytical approach transforms our understanding of ecological systems.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 12
Prerequisite: none
Cost: $5
Workshop Contact: Activities@tctws.org
Speaker: Jesse Griffiths, co-owner & chef of Dai Due Butcher Shop
Description:
Jesse Griffiths, co-owner & chef of Dai Due Butcher Shop and the New School of Traditional Cookery, will be leading a whole hog butchery workshop where he will demonstrate butchery techniques to break down a whole hog and provide an overview of the different ways this wild pork can be butchered and utilized in several different applications. Registering for this workshop will also get you a copy of Jesse’s 2022 James Beard Award winning The Hog Book: A Chef’s Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs.
Date: 2/19/2025
Schedule: 9:30 AM-12:00 PM
Number of participants: 140
Prerequisite: none
Cost: $75
Past meeting information
2015 Techniques and Technology Workshop Agenda & Abstracts
2014 Schedule of Events (updated 2/7/14)