Shannon Barron is the Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist for Victoria and Calhoun counties. She received her B.S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M-Kingsville. After several internships, Shannon moved to Arizona for 13 years, where she earned her M.S. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from the University of Arizona and worked as a wildlife biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department and then Fort Huachuca Army Installation. She reclaimed her Texas residency and began her career with TPWD in February 2018. Shannon is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and can often be found at the barn where she teaches classes and keeps her horse. She loves spending time with her biologist husband and step-kids.

Contact Information
Shannon.Barron@tpwd.texas.gov

Trey Barron began his career with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in2011 as a wildlife biologist in the Texas panhandle. In May of 2014, he moved to the coast to serve as wildlife biologist for Victoria, Refugio, and Calhouncounties. Trey is now the Wildlife Diversity (non-game) Biologist for Regions IVand V and is focused on species of greatest conservation need. He receivedhis Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and Master of Science in Biologyfrom West Texas A&M University. He enjoys helping landowners managehabitat for a variety of species, but is especially interested in birds and herps.

Contact Information
Trey.Barron@tpwd.texas.gov
361-576-0022 (Office)

Dr. Yuri Calil is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in theDepartment of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, based at theAgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi. His researchfocuses on farmer decision-making, with an emphasis on developing tools andpolicies that help agribusiness organizations manage complex challenges andenhance profitability. As a district leader, Dr. Calil oversees applied researchand educational programs serving the Coastal Bend region of Texas,addressing key agricultural production and economics issues.

Contact Information
yuri.calil@ag.tamu.edu
361-265-9203 (Office)

Kristen Eggers is a Natural Resources Specialist serving 14 state parks acrossthe lower coast and South Texas region. She enjoys coordinating naturalresource management, restoration, and monitoring activities to conserve avariety of natural habitats in our parks. Projects include coastal prairie andSouth Texas grassland restoration, shoreline protection and estuarine marshrestoration, oyster reef restoration, riparian and wetland habitat restoration,and invasive species management. Before her work with State Parks, Kristenearned her B.S. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California at SantaBarbara and began her career with TPWD in 2018 as a watershedconservation technician.

Contact Information
Kristen.Eggers@tpwd.texas.gov

Shanna Gleason is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Landscape Ecologyand Drones (LEAD) lab, advised by Dr. Humberto Perotto. Her dissertationproject focuses on two invasive species on the Texas coastal prairies:Chinese tallow and Macartney rose. She also received her Bachelor ofScience degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M in2022. In addition to her studies, she teaches the Rangelands Around theWorld course at A&M and coaches the Plant Identification and UndergraduateRange Management Exam teams.

Contact Information
shanna.gleason@tamu.edu
940 550-4219

Ty Higginbotham is the Land Stewardship and Infrastructure Manager for theWelder Wildlife Foundation. Ty has worked on various private ranchesacross South Texas before leaving the state to work with New Mexico NRCSas a Range and Soil Conservationist. He returned to Texas in 2018 withQuail Forever as a Range and Wildlife Conservationist covering the Permianbasin before becoming a Coordinating Wildlife Biologist for Quail Forever andthe Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture. This experience has given himextensive knowledge in native restoration and successional habitatmanagement on working landscapes. Ty oversees the Foundation’s 7,800-
acre refuge and the property infrastructure. In his free time, Ty enjoys flyfishing, leatherworking, cooking, and reading.

Contact Information
thigginbotham@welderwildlife.org
361-364-2643 (Office)

William Longoria is pursuing a baccalaureate degree in Range, Wildlife, &Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University and plans to graduate inMay of 2026. He conducts research under Dr. Humberto Perotto-Baldiviesoand Shanna Gleason in the Landscape Ecology and Drone Lab regardingUAV’s ability to detect emergent invasive woody species.

 

Contact Information
williamlongoria17@tamu.edu
956-414-4730

Loy Sneary is Managing Partner in Sneary Cattle, LLC, a 100-
year old family commercial cattle ranch. He is the Presidentand CEO of GCG Energy and Managing Partner of Sneary andAssociates consulting. Loy and his son, Adam, have completelytransitioned their grazing management of their family ranch to“Adaptive High Stock Density” in an effort to restore the healthof the soil, increase the bird and wildlife habitat and increasestocking rates. Sneary Cattle, LLC was the first ranch tocontract with Grass Roots Carbon (GRC) to sell Carbon credits.
GRC engages ranchers to develop practices similar to SnearyCattle’s with the goal of trading Carbon credits from TerrestrialSequestration. Research indicates that Adaptive High StockDensity can more than double the amount of carbonsequestered compared to traditional grazing. Sneary Cattle was also the first ranch in Texas to sign upwith Audubon Texas in their Conservation Rancher program; Additionally, Loy assisted in the creation ofthe Wildlife Habitat Federation and is currently a Board Member.

Contact Information
loy@gcgenergy.com
979-240-3512

Katie Swanson is currently Manager of the Mission-Aransas NationalEstuarine Research Reserve. She joined the Reserve is June 2013 andpreviously was its Stewardship Coordinator. Katie focuses on promoting theimportance and necessity of conservation and the environment. She worksclosely with the Reserve partner landowners, specifically Fennessey Ranchoutside of Bayside. Her research experience is with marsh, mangrove,grassland prairie and sea grass monitoring and surveying, invasive species,habitat restoration, and marine debris. Katie received a B.S. in Biology fromHobart and Williams Smith Colleges and earned a Master’s degree in MarineScience from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 

Contact Information
katie.swanson@austin.utexas.edu

Ubaldo Torres is a Ph.D. candidate in Agronomy at Texas A&M Universityunder the supervision of Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan. His researchfocuses on developing and testing precision agricultural tools andstrategies to improve current practices in controlling weeds andevaluating crop stress. This includes using drone sprayers for site specific treatment of weeds and exploring the use of deep learning forweed detection and herbicide-induced crop stress assessment. Beforejoining Texas A&M, he attended Texas Tech University, receiving a M.S.in Weed Science and a B.S. in Crop Science. His M.S. research focusedon integrating drone-based multispectral sensors for evaluating herbicideinjury in cotton.

Contact Information
ubaldotorres@tamu.edu
806-730-3994 

Daniel Walker earned his B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Biology from WestTexas A&M University. After college he started his career with theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department. He was the former wildlifebiologist at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area in South Texas.Currently, he is the Project Leader of the Coastal Bend WetlandsEcosystem Project and Area Manager of Powderhorn WildlifeManagement Area.

Contact Information
Daniel.Walker@tpwd.texas.gov
361-205-1510

5-7 PM

Bonus field trip for early arrivals to Charlie’s Pasture at Port Aransas Nature Preserve by Rae Mooney, Nature Preserve Manager, City of Port Aransas. Gather together for dinner later at Port Aransas Sip Yard!

Day 1 at UT Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX and Site Visit to Mustang Island State Park

11:00 AM–NOON
REGISTRATION and Beverages and Snacks
Bring lunch or eat beforehand.

NOON–12:50 PM
WELCOME by Forum Planners and Precision Agriculture for Coastal Prairies: UAV Options for Vegetation Mapping and Spot Herbicide Delivery
Dr. Ubaldo Torres, Soil and Crops Sciences Department, Texas A&M University

12:50–1:35 PM
Using UAVs to Map and Monitor Soil Metrics

1:35–1:50 PM
BREAK for Refreshments

1:50–2:35 PM
Case Study: Public Lands Coastal Prairie Restoration at Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area
Daniel Walker, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

2:35–3:30 PM
Nexus of Landowner Economics, Ecology, and Ecotourism
Dr. Yuri Calil, Texas Agrilife Extension Center Specialist; Loy Sneary, Sneary Cattle, Gulf Coast Green Energy, Former Matagorda County Judge; Katie Swanson, Fennessey Ranch/Mission-Aransas Reserve Manager, UT-Austin Marine Science Department

3:30–3:45 PM
BREAK for Refreshments

3:45–4:30 PM
Realities of Aligning Incentive-Based Restoration Programs with Landowner Needs
Trey Barron, Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Shannon Barron, Natural Resources Specialist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

4:30–5:00 PM
Barrier Island Grassland Restoration at Mustang Island State Park
Kristen Eggers, Natural Resources Specialist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

5:00–6:00 PM
DINNER at UT Marine Science Institute
(A Vegan or Vegetarian option can be selected during registration.)

6:00 PM
Departure and Site Visit to Mustang Island State Park restoration area led by Scott Taylor, Park Superintendent and Kristen Eggers, Naturalist Resources Specialist

First Field Visit to Fennessey Ranch

8:00–8:30 AM
REGISTRATION at gate of Fennessey Ranch and Coffee, Juice, and Pastries

8:30–8:45 AM
Carpooling to departure site at Fennessey Ranch pavilion

9:30–11:15 AM
Two rotating groups tour and discuss restoration at (a) St. John’s Prairie by trailer hayride and (b) Miguel Lake on foot by Katie Swanson, Ranch Manager

11:14–11:30 AM
Board personal vehicles, and leave for Welder Wildlife Refuge

Second Field Visit to Welder Wildlife Refuge

NOON–1:00 PM
Sandwich Buffet Lunch at Welder Wildlife Refuge and Orientation by Ty Higginbotham, Executive Director

1:00–3:00 PM
Tour of Welder Wildlife Refuge by trailer hayride

3:00 PM
End of forum