Join us for lunch and hear all about living with bobcats on a South Texas Ranch from wildlife photographer Karine Aigner, as she chronicles living with bobcats through stunning imagery.
Then hear from a panel of experts on coexistence with wild cats in urban areas, moderated by Karine Aigner.
This event is free to members and $25 to nonmembers.
Nonmembers can upgrade their ticket to a Bluestem membership!
Please Register Below.
Moderator
Karine Aigner, Wildlife Photographer
For nine years, as the Senior picture editor for National Geographic Kids magazine, Karine used osmosis to suck in all she could about creative storytelling and the makings of a "good picture." In 2011 Karine ventured outside the office walls to a life of freelance photography and picture editing. Karine is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and a member of Girls Who Click (a non-profit organization offering free photographic workshops to inspire teen girls that they too can have careers as a wildlife photographer). Karine’s work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, GEOLino, GEO, Nature Conservancy Magazine, WWF and BBC Wildlife to name a few. Her imagery is represented by National Geographic Creative, and Tandem Stills & Motion and Nature Picture Library.
Panelists
Wendy Leonard,
Assistant Manager Natural Areas, San Antonio Parks and Recreation
Wendy Leonard has been with the City of San Antonio since 2005 and at Phil Hardberger Park since 2007. She has worked at Phil Hardberger Park in several capacities, first as the Park Naturalist, then as a Nature Preserve Officer, and now as Assistant Manager, where she oversees the Park Naturalists and Education Coordinators for the Natural Area Parks in San Antonio. For 15 years, she has managed native plant communities at Hardberger Park and other Natural Areas. She also surveys and monitors rare and endangered species. Her many research and restoration projects include Hardberger Park’s Savanna and Wetland, and monitoring of the rare Bracted Twistflower, Frostweed, and Silver Puff.
Monica Morrison,
Texas Native Cats
Monica Morrison got her start with wildlife more than 20 years ago at the Dallas Zoo as a volunteer and tiger docent. Since that time, she has volunteered in various capacities at two Dallas-area big cat rescue centers. She participated in an ocelot study in Mexico and another in Kenya on African lions. She has also worked with organizations in South America on jaguar and other big cat projects.
In 2017, she founded Texas Native Cats, a 501 (c)(3) that provides education, outreach, and advocacy for Texas’ five species of wild cats, past and present. Two years ago, she turned her attention to the Texas mountain lion and works with other like-minded individuals to advocate for a change in regulations for our apex predator.
Texas Native Cats’ overriding goal is to educate Texans about the diversity of our wild felines, the benefits they provide us, and the threats they endure.
She lives in Dallas.
Joseph Plappert,
Urban Wildlife Biologist, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Joseph Plappert received his Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and his Master’s in Wildlife Ecology from Texas State University in San Marcos. His Master’s thesis focused on using remote sensing for habitat assessments and the habitat associations of several grassland bird species in Texas. Prior to his employment with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Joseph had professional experience in monitoring for grassland birds, golden-cheeked warblers, and Texas kangaroo rats. In addition, Joseph has experience teaching non-major’s ecology, bird conservation, and field ornithology as a Graduate Instructional Assistant. Joseph began his career with TPWD as a regulatory biologist in Laredo, TX. Currently, he is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with TPWD stationed in San Antonio, TX. As an Urban Biologist, Joseph performs professional planning, management, research, and public outreach associated with wildlife, habitat, and natural resource management specific to the San Antonio area.
Dr. Sharon Wilcox,
UTSA Professor of Geography, Senior Texas Representative for Defenders of Wildlife
Dr. Sharon Wilcox serves as the Senior Texas Representative for the environmental nonprofit organization Defenders of Wildlife. She has dedicated her efforts to the study, conservation and restoration of the native wild cats that call the U.S.-Mexico borderlands home, including the jaguar, jaguarundi, and ocelot. She leads Defenders’ ocelot conservation program in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Dr. Wilcox’s work has been featured in the National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Nature, Washington Post, The Guardian and on National Public Radio. She is the co-editor of the book, Historical Animal Geographies, and has written a number of scholarly articles and book chapters examining contemporary and historical interactions of humans and wild cats in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Her research has received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science Research Council, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Dr. Wilcox is an Associate Professor of Practice in Geography and Sustainability at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Rio Hondo, Texas and the Felidae Conservation Fund, based out of San Francisco, CA.
This event is part of the PHP Conservancy Member’s Lunch & Learn Series.