Sul Ross Wildlife Research

Join the Big Bend Dark Skies Festival (April 13–19) for dark sky preservation benefiting wildlife:

• Nighttime owl walk at Kokernot Lodge in Alpine,...

• Stephen Diebel, longtime Victoria Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Director, elected President of Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers...

The American West faces increased water stress driven by accumulating overexploitation of aquifers and large Lower Colorado Basin reservoirs, underscoring ten policy challenges and research needs.

• Extreme March heat: Over 10,000 daily high and 8,400 warm low records broken statewide.
• Precip incoming: Showers in West Texas today, adding up...

Outreach Events

• Owl Walk at Earth Day Celebration: Borderlands Research Institute scientists Dr. Maureen Frank and Dr. Alejandro Chavez will...

• Nocturnal outreach: BRI's Dr. Maureen Frank and Dr. Alejandro Chavez lead guided owl walk on Trans-Pecos wildlife.
• Dark skies focus: Ties into...

Severe thunderstorms loom for West Texas this weekend, with 15% risk of supercells, large hail, and severe winds after a dry week. Incoming moisture...

• Mid-week: Small rain chances ahead
• Weekend: Stronger storm system impacts West Texas
• Holds potential for drought relief, burn ban lifts...

• No damn wall: Ex-Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson at No Big Bend Wall Coalition event.
• Opposing steel wall where nature's wall already...

Invasive buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) poses severe threats:

• Rapidly colonises new areas
• Outcompetes native plants
• Invades wide range of habitats
• Carries fire

Julie Mattox uses cattle and sheep for targeted disturbances, boosting soil health and native plants on her Northeast Texas farm.

• Conducted forage...

• Severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon-Saturday morning in Northwest Texas, Big Country, with large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain
• Flash...

New USDA/DOI plan expands livestock grazing on public lands, threatening conservation:

• Targets 'vacant' allotments—actually recovering wildlife...

Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross leads Alamito Creek Conservation Initiative as a 2026 TxN Conservation Wrangler, restoring riparian habitat...

• Award honor: Bloody Buckets Cattle Company and Los Hermanos Ranch received the 2026 Texas Environmental Stewardship Award for exceptional ranching...

• West Texas impacts: Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall, hail, winds through week's end
• State deploys wildfire monitoring and response resources
  -...

High demand for Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program (WCPP) outpaces funding five-fold, with $549M requested vs. $112M available in round one and $585M...

Pittman-Robertson Act excise taxes from firearm/ammo makers fund black bear recovery nationwide.

Key state wins:

• West Virginia: Nuisance complaints...

Australian rangelands example: Dowdens run 1,000 breeders on 200,000ha (vs recommended 3,500), avoiding land deterioration in challenging 220mm...

Bipartisan push in Senate: Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduce Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act.

• Codifies successful USDA...