Science to Solutions Seminar: Great Plains Grassland Conservation & Management

Join us November 12 at 11:30 CT for updates on conservation in the Great Plains grasslands.

Seminar Description

WLFW’s Great Plains Grasslands Science Advisor and University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor Dirac Twidwell, researcher Samantha Cady, Pheasant Forever’s Nebraska Senior State Coordinator, Kelsi Wehrman, and Flint Hills Initiative Director, Tony Capizzo, will be presenting a focused update on grassland conservation across the Great Plains. They will share updates on rangeland wildfire and post-fire restoration, woody species encroachment managed at scale across the Plains, and the continued emergence of spatial analyses and continent-wide modeling of grasslands and wildlife population responses.

Presenters

Dirac Twidwell is a Professor and Rangeland Ecologist at the University of Nebraska. His work emphasizes how grasslands contribute to human well-being, and how simple ecological transitions away from grasslands are leading to increased wildfire disasters, losses in livestock production and rancher income, declines in grassland-dependent wildlife, and negative impacts to social programs – like loss of revenue for public education. His program focuses on partnering with landowner networks across multiple states in the Great Plains to advance solutions to the most challenging issues in rangelands.

Dr. Twidwell also serves in unique roles to facilitate science adoption into regional and national grassland conservation efforts. He serves as a National Science Advisor for the USDA NRCS and Working Lands for Wildlife, a Science Expert for the Central Grasslands Roadmap, and an Advisory Board Member of the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange.

Samantha Cady is a researcher in the Twidwell Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studies top drivers of grassland loss to inform and improve conservation delivery across the Great Plains. 

Kelsi Wehrman serves as the Nebraska Senior State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, bringing 19 years of experience and a passion for conservation, partnerships, and making a difference across Nebraska. Throughout her career, she has focused on building relationships, developing innovative conservation programs, and bringing people and resources together to make a lasting impact on the landscape for both wildlife and agriculture. She enjoys finding creative solutions, tackling new challenges, and working alongside landowners, partners, and a dedicated team of conservation professionals. Outside of work, she and her husband farm and ranch in south central Nebraska, where they are raising their three children alongside two German Shorthairs and an Australian Shepherd. Kelsi is also an avid bird hunter which gives her a personal appreciation for the importance of balancing productive working lands with wildlife conservation.

Anthony Capizzo works for the Kansas chapter of The Nature Conservancy managing the Flint Hills Initiative, which aims to protect Flint Hills prairie biodiversity through supporting working lands and community-based conservation. Tony has been with The Nature Conservancy for the past 14 years after receiving a BS in Conservation Biology from the University of Michigan.