Accelerating Restoration of Tamaulipan Thornscrub for Ocelots
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dr. Sandra Rideout-Hanzak
Professor and Research Scientist
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville
 Webinar Description: Dr. Sandra Rideout-Hanzak will be discussing the findings of a research project that investigated methods for accelerating the growth of young woody plants in Tamaulipan thornscrub. The thornscrub is the preferred habitat for the endangered ocelot, and most of it in South Texas has been lost to urbanization or agriculture. Restoring thornscrub is difficult and takes many years. This project investigated the effects of manipulating young plants or their immediate environment to achieve the dense, multi-stemmed form that is preferred by ocelots.
Bio: Dr. Sandra Rideout-Hanzak is a Professor and Research Scientist in the Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She is a Certified Senior Wildland Fire Ecologist and a Lead Burn Instructor for the state's Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Managers program, and much of her professional work revolves around applying fire to the landscape. Sandra teaches Prescribed Burning, Fire Ecology and Restoration Ecology courses, and researches questions in fire and restoration ecology. Her current research projects include effects of varied season and return interval of prescribed burning on vegetation and butterfly communities, and use of South Texas lomas by Texas tortoises. She is also the host and director of A Talk on the Wild Side, a podcast about all things wild in Texas. At home Sandra is a wife, mother, grandmother, and rescuer of cats. She enjoys crochet and painting in her spare time.
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