[WHF Webmaster]

Cat Spring Wildlife Management Association
Wildlife Habitat Federation
Meeting 10 AM – 2 PM Saturday, February 27, 2010
Reichardt Tract / Cat Spring Hall


Agenda

10 AM 11:30 AM Prescribed Burn Demo Reichardt Tract – Newberg Rd. @ Schwanbeck Rd.
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Registration and Lunch -- Cat Spring Hall
12:30 PM – 1 PM Announcements
1 PM – 2 PM Featured Speaker Dr. Mark C. Connor – bio attached

*Dues -- $10 CSWMA; $35 WHF
** Lunch -- $10 donation

** * Signs – CSWMA -- no charge/one per ranch; WHF -- $30 each

Come get re-acquainted with members and hear about wildlife developments. We hope to see you !!
RSVP: Leave message at 713 825 6112 or 979 992 3470 or rlm_cpa@sbcglobal.net. Thank you.


Members,
Prescribed burn –
This meeting will be a repeat attempt of a prescribed burn demonstration. We tried this several meetings ago only to have to cancel it because of high winds. Not only high winds but other weather could stop us once again, eg, rain on the day of the burn or preceding it. Hopefully, we will be successful this time.
Why have prescribed burns? Burns have been used for centuries over much of the world because they invigorate the soil and plants grow more aggressively after a burn. Burns are normally the most cost- effective means for controlling the major threat of invasive species, especially woody cover that renders so much land far less productive. It is common to find animals and birds following burns as did one of our members, who found bobwhites eating seeds and insects the morning after a burn on his ranch.

The property to be burned has evidence of quail on it now and a number of you may have seen quail on the road near this property as my wife and I have. Due to a recent prescribed burn and other beneficial practices, this property now has excellent characteristics we are looking for – many native grasses and flowering plants –-a good one to emulate on other properties.

WHF has a burn wagon equipped with burn torches, water sprayers, flappers, weather meter and other tools. It is available to members for a nominal cost. You will see it in action. The demonstration will show you such things as precautions to take, how to use the equipment, conditions necessary to have a burn, when a burn is advisable, weather conditions.

Hope the weather will help us.

Dr. Mark Connor –
Dr. Connor, as you can see from his bio (his CV is 6 pages), is an “overachiever.” He will bring to us an in-depth view of Whitetail behavior you likely may never have imagined. Our member Bill Bone is responsible for having known of him. He has managed for many years a 3,300 acre nationally renowned waterfowl, deer and game hunting program. He will bring some insight we may never have been exposed to.

Feedback –
We would like to hear from you about changing our meetings to Friday afternoon from Saturday morning as we have been doing. Some might find it easier to meet on Friday and/or have other involvements on Saturday. Let us hear from you before or during the meeting.

Thanks. See us there. Bob