Rockport – Public Lecture Series

Marine environments are a concealing medium that obscures much of animal life, making observations of natural behavior challenging—particularly for wide-ranging, migratory predators whose movements span vast geographic areas and depths. Advances in animal-borne electronic tagging now allow us to observe predator movements remotely across diverse and dynamic marine habitats, leading to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of their ecology and physiology. Here, I discuss how integrating modern tracking technologies with quantitative approaches has revealed the ecosystem roles, environmental preferences, and physiological capabilities of predators across diverse habitats in a changing ocean. By uncovering these hidden patterns of movement and habitat use, this work provides critical insights into when, where, and how predators use marine ecosystems, directly informing more effective management and conservation strategies.

Abstract Coming Soon.

The International Crane Foundation’s mission is to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend. Whooping Cranes (Grus americana), are one of North America’s most iconic and endangered bird species. Their population was once reduced to fewer than 20 individuals in the 1940s. Today, these magnificent birds represent a major conservation success story at over 550 individuals in the last wild, self-sustaining flock, the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population.

Despite this progress, Whooping Cranes continue to face many challenges and modern threats that can harm their long-term recovery. Understanding, researching, and mitigating these modern challenges and threats is key to securing a safer future for Whooping Crane populations and the ecosystems they depend on.

Learn how you can contribute to saving the last wild, self-sustaining flock of Whooping Cranes in the world.

Join certified Texas Master Naturalist, D’Ann Williams, for an engaging exploration of the Little Bay watershed and its links to Aransas, Copano, and beyond. Discover how runoff from our neighborhoods impacts fishing, birding, and bay health—and learn simple, empowering steps to protect these treasured waters. Featuring stories, interactive visuals, and a hands-on watershed model demonstration. Perfect for anyone who appreciates Rockport’s coastal beauty and desires to protect it.

Abstract Coming Soon.

This presentation considers the geological and historical significance of the Corpus Christi Pass that once connected Corpus Christi Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, remnants of the Pass exist as wetlands and waterways, with its course traceable using old maps and LiDAR models. Old paintings, maps, and geospatial analyses used in the presentation provide a dual narrative: it reconstructs the Pass’s geological story, showing how natural processes and human activities transformed the landscape. It then revisits a dramatic Civil War skirmish that unfolded in this setting. This talk emphasizes the enduring connections between the region’s natural history and its human narratives. By exploring the remnants of Corpus Christi Pass alongside its Civil War legacy, it invites viewers to consider how landscapes shape, and are shaped by, historical events. This dual perspective underscores the importance of preserving both the natural and historical heritage of Texas’s barrier islands.

Randy Bissell is a Texas Master Naturalist™ providing geoscience education in his community, at regional colleges, and through training his chapter TMN volunteers. Randy is a retired petroleum geologist with 42 years of experience at Exxon and Headington Energy. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi for his BS (’82) and Oklahoma State University for his MS (’84) degrees in geology. He is a Licensed Professional Geoscientist in Texas and serves at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi as an adjunct professor, associate researcher, and student project sponsor

For thousands of years the Karankawas and their ancestors inhabited the central Texas coast, yet their history is all but forgotten, and the world they made has been erased from the landscape. This talk surveys the history of Indigenous peoples of the coast and coastal plain, examines the process of and reasons for its erasure, and explores how we can restore it both to our state’s historical narrative and in our schools and communities.

Kimber Montanye discusses using natural tags to track Southern Flounder movements in Texas estuaries, aiding in habitat use and conservation efforts.

Sofia Armada-Tapia discusses how nutrient pollution affects seagrass health and highlights the importance of protecting these vital marine habitats.

Tess Kelly explores the diversity, impacts, and management of biofouling organisms in Texas bays, highlighting their ecological and economic significance.

Kody Barone examines how a major mangrove dieback impacts carbon storage and long-term carbon dynamics in Texas marsh ecosystems.

Paityn Macko, Outreach Biologist for the International Crane Foundation, shares the incredible story of whooping cranes, cutting-edge research, and how we can all play a role in their conservation.

Ellis Chapman, Jr., M.S., will discuss a $5.1 million TCEQ-funded project led by HRI to train individuals in sustainable oyster aquaculture, highlighting oysters’ ecological and economic benefits to Texas coastal communities.

Jace Tunnell, educates the public about the impact of marine debris on water and land in the Gulf of Mexico region and how it affects coastal communities.

Restoration efforts within Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve.