Borderlands Research Institute

08/27/2026

Strong partnerships create meaningful opportunities in the Central Flyway! 🦆

This summer, John Polster (Master's Student) is lending a hand at a Central Flyway preseason banding station, supporting efforts that contribute to waterfowl research and management. Opportunities like those with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Borderlands Research Institute are made possible through strong partnerships and provide invaluable experience in waterfowl research, monitoring, and conservation.

We're excited to support ongoing banding efforts and investing in the next generation of wildlife professionals.

08/26/2026

Plants aren't the only thing we keep in the lab; we also have lots of insects. Borderlands Undergraduate Mentorship Program students (BUMPs) often help graduate students with data input or collection. Anna is assisting Eliana Goodwin with her research on pollinators at the Fort Davis National Historic Site. BUMP students also prepare their own mini projects with their mentor to be presented at the Sul Ross Research Symposium at the end of the school year, as well as other events like Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and Texas Section Society for Range Management.

08/25/2026

Did You Know?
Quail populations are directly influenced by precipitation during the wet season, which runs from June to September in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Rainfall influences the entire ecosystem through vegetation growth and insect reproduction. As quail prepare for the breeding season, they prioritize insects over vegetation to meet their protein and water needs. This is why rainfall is so important and why the health of quail populations should be studied during periods of drought.

Tell us...
During the summer months, have you seen quail visiting water sources more or less often? Why do you think that is? Come up with a hypothesis and share!

08/24/2026

What happens when a tiny parasite, a deadly deer disease, and a mysterious illness in aoudad all collide on the Texas landscape?

At the 2026 Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference, TPWD wildlife veterinarian Dr. Sara Wyckoff shared the latest on New World screwworm, chronic wasting disease, rabbit hemorrhagic disease, M. Ovi, and other emerging wildlife health concerns affecting West Texas.

From groundbreaking research to the importance of early detection, this is a must-watch update for landowners, hunters, wildlife managers, and conservationists.

Read the story and watch the video: https://bri.sulross.edu/tpwc26-desease-update/

08/21/2026

What if your path to a career in conservation started at a community college with an associate's degree, then transferred you straight into research, fieldwork, and a bachelor's degree?

A new partnership between El Paso Community College, Sul Ross State University, and Borderlands Research Institute is helping make that possible by creating expanded opportunities for students interested in natural resources, biology, and geology. 🌎🌿

Read more about it: https://bri.sulross.edu/bridging-the-borderlands/

08/20/2026

“If Texas had a cathedral, it would be the Big Bend.”

As concern over border construction in Big Bend continues to make headlines, a timely conversation from the 2026 Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference earlier this month offers important perspective on what’s at stake.

In the conference keynote session, Attorney Jim Bradbury, Brewster County Judge Greg Henington and retired Big Bend National Park wildlife biologist Raymond Skiles explored the potential impacts on wildlife, private property, local communities and the extraordinary landscape that draws people from across Texas and beyond.

Their conversation also addressed a question at the heart of the current debate: Can we secure the border without sacrificing what makes Big Bend so special?

Read the story and watch the video: https://bri.sulross.edu/tpwc26-change-at-the-border/

08/19/2026

Ph.D. student Ty Goodwin shares about fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens). If you find this woody plant out and about, you may notice that some plants have red flowers while some may have flowers with very little color and not very showy; these are separate male and female plants, respectively. Because this shrub likes salty soils, it can be used to pull salts from the ground for remediation purposes or can be used as a naturally occurring supplement for cattle.

08/18/2026

Nothing beats summer days in the field! Last week, Emily Blumentritt, Sean Neigut, Dr. Maureen Frank, and Dr. Dan Collins were in the Balmorhea area scouting for Long-billed Curlews and Mexican Ducks for graduate research projects.

They attached GPS backpacks to Long-billed Curlews to help track where these birds travel and how they use the landscape. The data will help to understand how Balmorhea fits into the larger migration, breeding, and wintering networks across the region.

08/17/2026

Healthy wildlife starts with healthy habitat.

Dr. Carlos “Lalo” Gonzalez, BRI's Nau Endowed Chair in Habitat Research and Management, is advancing research that helps restore landscapes, support wildlife, and strengthen conservation across West Texas.

Watch his story:

Pronghorn don't jump fences. They just stop. That single fact nearl...

08/17/2026

Looking for a graduate program that offers real-world research opportunities?

From studying the return of black bears to West Texas to working alongside leading wildlife researchers, Sul Ross State University and the Borderlands Research Institute provide students with hands-on experiences that make a difference with the Master of Science (MS) in Range and Wildlife Management.

Hear why one researcher chose Alpine, Texas, and became part of the BRI Black Bears Study Team in this video.