Borderlands Research Institute

Last month, graduate research assistant Hayley Shultz was asked to be a guest speaker at the Davis Mountains State Park Homeschool Program. Children of all ages were invited to the interpretive center to learn about birds for the month of May.

Park ranger Charlie taught the children what a bird is, about a bird’s physiology, and led a step-by-step drawing activity, where they learned to draw either a hummingbird or an owl. After learning all about the quail of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas from Hayley, the children were given a coloring page of a scaled quail, drawn by alumni Audrey Taulli!

To end the class, the children used binoculars to identify the birds they just learned about at the viewing window, where they could see and hear birds without disturbing their natural behaviors. Thank you to the Davis Mountains State Park for leading such a wonderful program to teach youth about wildlife!

We’re Hiring in Alpine, TX!

Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University is looking for a:
Visiting Assistant Professor – Habitat Restoration & Applied Ecosystem Science

This is a hands-on, research-driven role working in the Chihuahuan Desert, focused on solving real-world challenges in rangeland and wildlife habitat restoration.
✅ Lead field-based research
✅ Work with landowners & conservation partners
✅ Mentor students
✅ Publish and grow impactful science

📍 Alpine, Texas
👉 Apply here: https://sulross.peopleadmin.com/postings/9418

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Join us for a conversation about tackling issues, strengthening partnerships, and sustaining working lands that support wildlife across Texas. Learn about emerging conservation priorities, habitat restoration strategies, and innovative research on birds, bears, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife native to the Trans-Pecos, during this 3-day event, the Tran-Pecos Wildlife Conference, Aug. 5–7 in Alpine.

To register or for more info: https://cutt.ly/TPWC-event

🌸 Discover Pollinators of the Davis Mountains! 🐝

Join the Big Bend Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas for an engaging program on Pollinators in the Davis Mountains, presented by Eliana Goodwin of the Borderlands Research Institute.

📍 Location: Alpine Public Library
🗓 Date: Saturday, June 13
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM

Learn about the vital role pollinators play in our region’s ecosystems and how we can help protect them. This event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!

First confirmed U.S. case of New World Screwworm found today in a calf in Zavala County, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Early detection is critical, and it is important to report suspected infestations in live animals.

Get details on this case, how to report potential infestations, and what to watch for at screwworm.gov
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Hoy se confirmó el primer caso en los Estados Unidos del gusano barrenador del Nuevo Mundo, hallado en un becerro en el condado de Zavala, a unas 100 millas al suroeste de San Antonio.

La detección temprana es fundamental, y es importante reportar cualquier sospecha de infestación en animales vivos.

Obtenga detalles sobre este caso, cómo reportar posibles infestaciones y qué señales buscar en screwworm.gov

BRI AND DIXON WATER FOUNDATION
BRI has been doing riparian habitat work on the Mimms Ranch since 2025. With the assistance from the Alamito Creek Conservation Initiative (ACCI) and the Dixon Water Foundation, we have constructed 10 media lunas and 12 brush weirs (wooden filter dams). The logger units were placed in 2025 and will remain until 2027.

WHAT ARE LOGGER UNITS?
Recording devices collect data on the soil temperature (placed in the top 2 inches) and the amount of water in the soil (placed 6 inches deep) at different moments in time. The loggers take readings at different times of the day over the course of the year. This allows us to record long-term data while also looking into daily fluctuations. With water being the most limiting resource in arid environments, understanding how much water is in the soil and how long it stays there is imperative to making land stewardship decisions and influences how the landscape can be utilized.

WHAT ARE WOODEN FILTER DAMS?
Wooden filter dams are built using wooden posts and woven with tree branches. We placed these structures on the northwest corner of the ranch in the south fork of Alamito Creek. These structures are installed across the channel to help stabilize the streambanks and prevent further incision, while improving water availability. These structures are intended to slow and spread water onto the floodplains.

WHAT ARE MEDIA LUNAS/HALF MOONS?
Media lunas are crescent-shaped rock structures built to intercept “sheet flow”, a slow-moving and shallow form of runoff that causes a large amount of surface erosion to occur across the upland landscapes. By catching this sheet flow, the media lunas capture sediment and increase water infiltration.

BRI graduate students Emilie, Caitlin, Hayley, Ty, and Andrew recently participated in a Policy Bootcamp hosted by CKWRI at Texas A&M University–Kingsville and the Boone and Crockett Club.

During the workshop, students explored key aspects of natural resource policy and management, from understanding how legislation works to gaining real-world insight by sitting in on portions of a Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Austin.

This hands-on experience provided valuable perspective on how science, policy, and decision-making intersect to shape conservation efforts across the state.

We’re proud of these students for engaging in opportunities that strengthen their impact as future natural resource professionals! 👏