Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

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Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

Learn more about the Institute by visiting our website at www.ckwri.tamuk.edu.
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The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute's mission is to provide science-based information for enhancing the conservation and management of Texas wildlife.

09/07/2026

CKWRI was in Houston and San Antonio presenting our most current research findings last week. Thank you to those of you who joined us. It's always satisfying to get to share our findings with enthusiastic and interested audiences!

08/31/2026

CKWRI was well represented at the South Texas Wildlife Conference that was held last Friday in Cotulla. Nearly 200 guests were in attendance to learn about some of the hottest topics and issues facing landowners and managers. CKWRI was proud to a partner of this event and be featured during the presentations.

08/27/2026

We are excited to announce the creation of the Meloy Endowed Chair in Wild Turkey Research. This important endowment will promote research on wild turkeys, with an emphasis on habitat and landowner engagement. We look forward to advancing our turkey research thanks to this generous gift by Shari and Chuck Meloy.

08/24/2026

Assistant Professor of Carnivore Ecology Dr. Lisanne Petracca, along with Program Managers Robert Alonso and Ali Dart, were recently representing CKWRI at the Texas Wildlife Association's WildLife Convention in San Antonio. They met a lot of CKWRI's biggest supporters and were happy to share information about our ongoing research projects. This team is currently recruiting landowners in Val Verde, Maverick, Dimmit, and Webb Counties to support CKWRI's Texas Lion Project. Please see the flyer for additional information.

08/20/2026

Can birds help restore Tamaulipan thornforests? They just might!

Passive directed seed dispersal can emerge when birds track and respond to new resources, deposit consumed seeds at these new resources via f***l droppings, and conditions around these new resources are favorable for dispersed seeds to germinate and survive.

CKWRI Ph.D. student Kyndra McGovern (center), pictured here with TAMUK undergraduates Kadie Simmons (left) and Iris Lugo (right) is studying whether strategically placed bird perches can encourage this ecological process to improve restoration outcomes. Her research aims to provide low-cost and efficient management options to further support restoration strategies in the Rio Grande Valley. Here, she is pictured installing an acoustic recording unit (ARU) to determine what bird species use these restoration plots.

08/18/2026

Join us for the 20th South Texas Wildlife Conference on August 28th in Cotulla as leading experts discuss one of the most important topics facing South Texas today—the intersection of wildlife and livestock management.

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our event!
▫️South Texas Quail Coalition
▫️James E. Bashaw and Co.
▫️Texas Farm Store,

Register today: www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/south-texas-wildlife-conference

08/17/2026

The Central Texas Region of Texas Native Seeds has several irons in the fire. Native plant development for the region currently consists of evaluations of upland switchgrass, Texas grama, and blackfoot daisy. Evaluation sites consist of the Plant Materials Center in Knox City, the Agrilife Research Center in Stephenville, Sandbrock Ranch in Aubrey, and the Double D Ranch in Bastrop. Currently, our staff is working on the development of our evaluation site at the Sandbrock Ranch, installing fencing and irrigation.

Other efforts include monitoring previous range seedings throughout the region. At the Sandbrock Ranch in Aubrey, native grassland was established sometime ago and is now undergoing efforts to determine grazing effects by rotating cattle. In this region, cool-season annual ryegrass commonly invades these previously restored prairies. We are currently studying if flash grazing during the early spring months can reduce the excessive loads of ryegrass and benefit the perennial native grasses.

Future plantings we are working on include Dallas College, Dinosaur Valley State Park, and numerous private landowner properties.

08/13/2026

CKWRI PhD student, Miranda Hopper, was provided an opportunity to travel to Mozambique to help launch a game camera study investigating herbivore communities in Gorongosa National Park. By monitoring wildlife across the landscape during the dry season, the project will examine how food availability, heat, competition, and predation risk shape how different herbivore species live and interact. This international collaboration brings together CKWRI faculty Drs. Levi Heffelfinger, Michael Cherry, and Evan Tanner with Dr. Matthew Hutchinson (University of California, Merced). The project is made possible through the invaluable support of Mufudzi Júnior and the dedicated staff of Gorongosa National Park.

08/06/2026

Join us for the 20th South Texas Wildlife Conference on August 28th in Cotulla as leading experts discuss one of the most important topics facing South Texas today—the intersection of wildlife and livestock management.

Featured topics include:
✔️ New World Screwworm Updates & Protocols
✔️ Virtual Fencing for NWS Risk Mitigation
✔️ NWS: A Framework for Management Decisions and Action

Register today: www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/south-texas-wildlife-conference

07/30/2026

CKWRI’s North Texas Research Program was recently highlighted in two short documentaries for their research on Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas deer and elk. Graduate students Ashlyn Halseth-Ellis and Austin Ibarra and faculty member Dr. Levi Heffelfinger are working to understand species interactions and monitor CWD spread in the Texas Panhandle. Scan the QR codes to check out the videos. This project is large collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Tech University, and Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University.

Photo and video credit: Olivia O’Rand

Address

700 University Boulevard, MSC 218
Kingsville, TX
78363

Telephone

+13615933922

Website

http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/, https://linktr.ee/ckwri

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