June Chapter Meeting: Texas Blackland Prairie: Past, Present, Future with Brandon Belcher

Wednesday, June 2nd at 7 pm

Brandon Belcher will be speaking on the natural history of the Blackland Prairie ecoregion, including conservation efforts protecting some of the last remaining areas of virgin prairie. The program will focus on the survival adaptations that have allowed for prairies to remain functional for millennia, some of the expected risk we face with a changing climate, and how we can each help sustain prairie space in a region with a population projected to double over the next 50 years.

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Brandon Belcher

Brandon Belcher is one of the most important Blackland Prairie activist in North Texas. With less than 1 percent of that ecosystem remaining, this is a vitally important task. Mr. Belcher currently works as the North Texas Preserves Manager for The Nature Conservancy. His focus is protection and maintenance of grasslands including remnant prairielands. Under his direction are numerous projects including management of 5 TNC nature preserves and more than a dozen conservation easements. Conservation of these rare and fragile ecosystems is accomplished through partnerships with private landowners, other non-governmental organizations, local cities and counties, as well as state and federal agencies. He received a BS in Wildlife and Conservation Science and an MS in Biology – Plant Ecology from Texas A&M University – Commerce where he also serves as an adjunct instructor.

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Zoom link will be available about a week prior to meeting. You will need to sign in with both first and last names for your AT to be counted.

The Camera Roll starts at 6:30pm when the meeting room opens. Announcements begin at 7 pm, followed by an affinity group poll. Speaker begins at approximately 7:30 pm.

If you’re not familiar with Zoom, arrive 6:45 pm to set your audio levels and learn the system.