All News

Read about in this issue: Can We Count Deer Using Drones?, It's About Time for Spot Tails!, the Patton Center for Deer Research, and more!

This year’s Caesar Kleberg keynote address at The Wildlife Society's Annual Conference in Spokane, Washington will focus on how Texas’s diversity of resources can serve as a model for conservation. Some of the very issues that make Texas challenging can also be surprising sources of support for conservation efforts, said David Hewitt, executive director of CKWRI, which sponsors the keynote. This year’s keynote will be delivered by Joni Carswell, CEO and president of Texan by Nature, a Texas nonprofit founded in 2011 by former First Lady Laura Bush that strives to bring the conservation and business worlds together.

Dr. Michael Tewes' narrative from the 37th Annual Faculty Lecture explains the conservation challenges facing the elusive ocelot, a decoratively spotted feline adorning natural areas in the Western Hemisphere. Its northern range reaches the southern tip of Texas with fewer than 80 ocelots remaining in two small isolated populations. 

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI) is honored to work alongside East Foundation on a wide variety of research projects, and we are grateful for our partnership over the last 12 years. “This partnership exemplifies the trust the Institute has among private landowners, and it’s because of relationships like this, our scientists are empowered to conduct applied research that helps landowners meet their wildlife and conservation goals” said David Hewitt, Executive Director of CKWRI. CKWRI Research Partner: East Foundation

Thanks to a generous gift from Bobby and Sherri Patton, the Patton Center for Deer Research (PCDR) has been established at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI). Patton, an avid outdoorsman and dedicated conservationist created the Patton Center for Deer Research that will strengthen wildlife research education at Texas A&M University-Kingsville through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.

Please click here to view the presentations given at the 2022 Deer Research Meeting held in San Antonio on March 4th!

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute is grateful for the tremendous ongoing support that we receive from a variety of sources.   There is a special group of contributors that we recognize as "Research Partners" as they have provided instrumental backing of our research and therefore have helped make the applicable science that we are so proud to offer possible.  We want to thank all of our Research Partners, and will begin by sharing the story of the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation as our first "Research Partner Spotlight".

Whether you are interested in WILD CATS, DEER, QUAIL, WATERFOWL, WILD TURKEYS, or HABITAT RESTORATION, you'll want to check out CKWRI's 2020-2021 CURRENT RESEARCH REPORT now available online! Click HERE below to view it now!

In this recent publication, researchers found that the application of prescribed fire on tanglehead-dominated areas can increase cattle utilization by up to four times in addition to improve native plant species richness, providing foraging and brood-rearing areas for northern bobwhite while maintaining adequate nesting cover. The benefits of prescribed burning lasted for over a year in our study.

The distinguished alumni awards are presented each year to the most prestigious graduates of Texas Tech for their professional achievements, contributions to society and support of the university. Nominations are submitted by members and friends of the association, as well as Texas Tech faculty and staff, while a committee comprised of alumni and university officials reviews the nomination materials and makes the final selections.