Larry received his undergraduate degree in Horticulture at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) in 1975. He worked as a plant propagator and grower before opening his own nursery and landscaping company in Jeanerette, La. in 1980. In 1992 he returned to USL (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) to get his Master’s degree in biology. From 1995 to retirement, he worked as a botanist at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, La. His research interests include ecology of grasslands, fire, and insect pollination as well as prairie restoration, and invasive species. He has authored several papers and digital products including Coastal Prairie Restoration Information System (software), USFWS brochure “Paradise Lost, the Coastal Prairie of Texas and Louisiana”, and the USGS web page: “Guide to the Plants of Louisiana”. Today he owns and operates a small farm and studies Agroecology, sustainable farming, and restoration of native grasslands.

Contact Information

larryallain@gmail.com

Trey Barron began his career with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 2011 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 Calhoun counties. Trey is now the Wildlife Diversity (non-game) Biologist for Regions IV and V and is focused on species of greatest conservation need. He received his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and Master of Science in Biology from West Texas A&M University. He enjoys helping landowners manage habitat for a variety of species, but is especially interested in birds and herps.

Contact Information

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

Kristin Fritz-Grammond, currently serves in dual roles at the Texas Chenier Plain National Wildlife Refuge Complex (TCP) – both as Refuge Manager for Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and as Deputy Project Leader for TCP. Her M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science is from South Dakota State University and her B.S.in Natural Resources Management and Water Resource Management is from the University of Minnesota. Kristin’s career began in wildlife management with the Forest Service, then moved to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and now has served 15+ years with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Kristin’s last duty station before moving to Texas 9 years ago, was Big Stone NWR which fell within the prairie pothole and northern tallgrass region.

Contact Information

Kristin_Fritz@fws.gov
409-267-3337, ext. 123 (Office)

Philip grew up mostly in Port Arthur, TX, spending much of his free time hunting and fishing in the marshes of the Salt Bayou system. He received a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Management with an emphasis in Wildlife Management from Texas &M University in 2010 while gaining experience with both TPWD and USFWS as an intern. Subsequently, Philip worked as a seasonal with USFWS at Anahuac NWR before becoming a Fish and Wildlife Technician at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area. He worked in that capacity for 10 years before becoming a Wildlife Biologist at J.D. Murphree WMA.

Contact Information

Philip.Pauling@tpwd.texas.gov
409-736-2551, ext. 34 (Office)

Humberto Perotto joined Texas A&M University’s Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management in 2023. His research focuses on the effect of rangeland cover spatial configuration in ecological processes at multiple scales and includes analysis of spatial and temporal dynamics of invasive plant species in rangelands. He seeks to improve the understanding of how processes (e.g. human activities, grazing behavior) interact with spatial patterns (e.g. vegetation, soils, land use) with consequences for wildlife habitat and ecosystem function. He uses drones to assess vegetation cover, spatial structure, forage mass estimation and wildlife aerial surveys.

In 2004, he created the Bolivian Natural Resources Digital Center. He collaborated with Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) to launch the Geospatial Center for Biodiversity 2013. Humberto has been part of research teams in the U.S., U.K., Bolivia, and Puerto Rico in the fields of rangeland ecology, wildlife ecology, livestock-wildlife interactions and their integration at different scales. He received his B.S. in Agronomy from Universidad Mayor de San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia. His M.S. in Forestry and Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and Management were both earned at Texas A&M University.

Contact Information

Humberto.perotto@ag.tamu.edu
979-314-8466

Schyler’s work with Wildlife Habitat Federation focuses on the Greater Houston area of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. She plans, inventories, implements, monitors, and accelerates conservation planning efforts. Previously, she assisted with habitat management at Coastal Prairie Conservancy, was a conservation intern with Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and interned with the City of San Marcos working on riparian corridor habitat conservation. Schyler holds a Professional Science Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management from Texas Tech University and a B.G.S. in Nature and Heritage Tourism, Animal Science, and Criminal Justice from Texas State University.

Contact Information

sky.rhea@whf-texas.org

Ricci is the Conservation Stewardship Manager at the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) where she is responsible for promoting high species diversity, improving hydrologic function, and increasing wildlife habitat through vegetation management on protected lands that are sensitive to the health of Galveston Bay. She oversees monitoring of GBF’s properties and manages upland native plant and emergent freshwater wetland nurseries. Her interests are botany and vegetation inventory and monitoring, and her goal is to become an expert in Gulf Coast prairie restoration. Ricci has a B.S. in Wildlife Fisheries Sciences and Rangeland Ecology Management from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Hydrology from Boise State University.

Contact Information

rsimmons@galvbay.org
832-536-2276 (Direct), 281-332-3381, ext. 224 (Main)

Jason has served as a botanist/plant ecologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for 29 years. He has a research affiliation with the Baylor and University of Texas Herbarium and Botanical Research Institute of Texas. He maps, surveys, and documents rare habitats on conservation-friendly private lands state-wide. This data is used to preserve many rare and declining plant and animal species as important conservation values of intact private landowner landscapes. When appropriate, he encourages private landowners to permanently conserve their lands. He oversees state/federally funded university research of the 226 rare plant communities tracked in the Texas Conservation Action Plan.

Jason is an authority of tallgrass prairie flora and ecology regions of Texas (95 counties) driven from his youth where he explored the prairies of the southern Flint Hills of Kansas. He has described six discovered plant species that are endemic to Texas. His scientific publications on the flora and plant ecology of Texas number over 130. He is a co-author of Rare Plants of Texas (Texas A&M Press-2008). He contributed a chapter on “Eastern Texas Prairie Landscapes” to Southeastern Grasslands (University Alabama Press-2018). He and three other co-authors with Texas A&M Press will produce a book on Rare Plant Communities of Texas to be published in 2026. His B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Science are from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Contact Information

jason.singhurst@tpwd.texas.gov
512-389-8726 (Office)

Andrew has been employed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department beginning in 1990 when he conducted environmental assessments on development and navigation projects as well as implementing habitat restoration works. Since 2005, he has managed and restored native landscapes at southeast Texas state parks. Andrew earned B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife Management at Purdue University and a M.S. studying wetland ecology from Texas A&M University.

Contact Information

andrew.sipocz@tpwd.texas.gov
281-456-8266, ext. 229 (Office)

Mike is an ecologist with Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), specializing in plant ecology, ecological restoration, soil carbon, and plant-soil nutrient dynamics. Based out of the Chicago region, tallgrass prairie restoration is his passion. His recent work has focused on the connections between soil carbon, vegetation, and climate in tall- and shortgrass prairies, and the effects of grazing practices on bird habitat in southeastern US ranches.

Contact Information

mszuter@res.us

Hunter is a wetland ecologist, employed by Resource Environmental Solution in Bellaire, TX. He is primarily responsible for planning, managing, monitoring, and maintaining wetland restoration sites for the purpose of mitigation. Projects include bottomland hardwood reforestation, emergent wetland prairie and depression design, and beneficial use placement of dredged material to reverse saltmarsh subsidence. Growing up in the Katy Prairie when he didn’t know what the Katy Prairie was, and being raised in the outdoors fostered a desire to conserve and restore the environment around him. Hunter received dual B.S. degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and Rangeland Ecology from Texas A&M University. Throughout college, he interned at SWCA Environmental Consulting, an experience which taught him as much or more about restoration work as his degrees.

hthompson@res.us