The Waterfowl and Wetland Bird program at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute is committed to conducting world-class research relevant to the ecology and management of waterfowl, wetlands, and wetland birds. Our program has a long track record of investigating important ecological issues relevant to waterfowl and wetland birds and promoting science-based habitat management and conservation.
Working in partnerships is a guiding philosophy of our program because of the larger impact we have on wildlife and their habitats when we combine expertise and resources from multiple partners. Because the species we work with are migratory and cross state and country borders, we are strongly connected to our partners (agencies, NGOs, private land owners) throughout the region and state, as well as the continent. Through these partnerships, our program conducts research to inform regional and national conservation plans.
The fuel that runs the Waterfowl and Wetland Bird program is the group of graduate students that work collaboratively with Dr. Ballard on a variety of research projects. A primary program goal is to mentor graduate students to become successful, engaging professionals in the wildlife field. We do this through high-quality instruction, intensive hands-on research, and numerous professional development opportunities.
The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute is nested within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The Institute is well-known for its high quality research and employs 13 researchers with shared faculty appointments with the Department of Wildlife Science. It supports between 45 and 60 graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) studying different aspects of wildlife ecology and management. Texas A&M University-Kingsville is located in Kingsville, Texas within the relatively pristine lower Texas coast, the longest undeveloped coastline in the lower 48 states. The climate is semi-arid with large private ranches and several National Wildlife Refuges helping maintain a landscape that has remained relatively unfragmented. Kingsville is located adjacent to the incredible Laguna Madre, a large hypersaline lagoon that supports unbelievable abundances and diversity of birds.
