Sadie Gwin Blackburn Seminar

Thursday, January 18, 2024 - Thursday, January 18, 2024

9:30 a.m. Coffee; 10:00 a.m. Presentation

  “From Forest to Prairie to Town Square: The Promise of Habitat Restoration in Texas”

 

A Panel Discussion with:

Justin Penick, President, Acorn Forestry

April Sansom, Ph.D., Executive Director, Bamberger Ranch Preserve

Karen Stafford, Statewide Fire Prevention Coordinator, Texas A&M Forest Service

The Houston Museum of Fine Arts
Susan and Fayez S. Sarofim Campus

Caroline Wiess Law Building,  Brown Auditorium

1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005

January 18, 2024
9:30 am Coffee
 10:00 am – 11:30 am Presentation 

Attendance is Free and Open to the Public

We hope you will join us!

The speakers will present a panel discussion discussing the dedicated efforts across Texas to improve and restore our native habitats.  The panelists include Justin Penick, President of Acorn Forestry, April Sansom, PhD – Exec. Director of Bamberger Ranch Preserve in the Texas hill country, and Karen Stafford, Statewide Fire Prevention Coordinator, Texas A&M Forest Service.

Justin Penick will discuss the history of our East Texas forests, the negative impact on our forests of past timber companies’ management practices, and the development of better management practices that have improved the quality our forests as well as the diversity of wildlife throughout our East Texas pine forests.  April Sansom, of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve, will discuss their own success story using best practices of land management for the past 50 years, and the resulting restoration of native grasses and natural springs, and its impact on the diversity and health of their land. Karen Stafford will discuss the intersection of rural lands and city greenspaces as well as how the correct management of these important intersection zones can create higher diversity as well as effective fire prevention.

Come learn how our forests and prairies are being restored to their native habitats, and why you see more wildlife in your backyards!!

About Sadie Gwin Blackburn

Sadie Gwin Blackburn is a native Texan and has resided in Houston since 1939. She attended Sweet Briar College and the University of Texas and received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in History from Rice University.

Sadie Gwin’s community involvement reaches beyond the River Oaks Garden Club. She has served as President of the Garden Club of America, Vice Chairman of the National Parks Conservation Association. She has been a member of the Mercer Arboretum Advisory Council, Armand Bayou Advisory Board, Memorial Park Conservancy, Hermann Park Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and the Houston Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Sadie Gwin is a former president of the Board of the San Jacinto Museum of History and directed a special project to prepare a master plan for the San Jacinto Battlefield State Park. She also was a founding member of the Asia Society Texas Center and secretary of its board.

Sadie Gwin has been honored with many awards, including a Resolution of Appreciation by the San Jacinto Museum of History Board of Trustees, and a Leadership Award from the Park People. She has been recognized for “dedication to beauty, nature, and gardening” by Friends of Hermann Park Board and as Houston’s “Scenic Visionary” by Scenic Houston. Sadie Gwin Blackburn, an outstanding Houstonian devoted to conservation, preservation, and environmental issues, is truly a Texas Treasure.

The Sadie Gwin Blackburn Conservation Fund was created to provide exceptional speakers for the annual Environmental Seminar. Please send contributions to:

Sadie Gwin Blackburn
Conservation Fund –
River Oaks Garden Club
2503 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77098-1321