The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, October 2021 -- TSSWCB recently hosted the 81st Annual Meeting of Texas Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Directors. The meeting was held at Kalahari Resort in Round Rock on October 4-6, 2021.

With over 500 people in attendance, the meeting provided SWCD Directors, employees, and conservation partners from across the state the opportunity to address a wide variety of agricultural and conservation issues in Texas as well as learning opportunities.

During the three-day event, a variety of committee meetings were held to discuss issues and highlight important areas to target during the upcoming year. Matt Rush of Levelland, addressed the group during the general
session as the keynote speaker.

The 2021 Conservation Award Winners were recognized during the Awards Luncheon for their great work in preserving and protecting the natural resources of Texas. The 2021 Award Winners are as follows, Parker County SWCD #558, Outstanding SWCD, Todd Westerfeld of Moody, Conservation Farmer, Broken W Partnership of Odem, Conservation Rancher, Stephen Deiss of Victoria County, Friend of Conservation, Sherrlyn Welch of Howard County, Conservation Teacher, Quinn Ranch of McCulloch County, Wildlife Conservationist, Cadence De La Rosa of Riviera, Poster Contest Winner, Blaine Dahl of Channing, Jr. Essay Contest Winner, Brianna Latray of Limestone Falls, Sr. Essay Contest Winner.

Workshops were held on Tuesday afternoon covering topics ranging from eminent domain, wild pigs, hemp production in Texas, policy initiatives and a successful SWCD panel.

On Wednesday, participants took part in a conservation tour at Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) Exotic Wildlife Ranch and Recycling Center. The Exotic Wildlife Game Ranch is used primarily as a breeding and conservation operation. The operation is home to more than 2,000 animals from over 100 different species. Dozens of these breeds are considered endangered; some can only thrive in captivity. Many inhabitants from six of the seven continents—including species from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America—safely co-exist on the preserve.