Free and open to the public, this seminar series will be held at the Espino Conference Center at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. The series is designed to engage a broad constituency of Big Bend community members to better inform them on recent energy projections, potential impacts on communities and conservation values, and to develop creative strategies to conserve the unique resources and communities of the region.

There are four seminars scheduled in early 2020. Several fall 2020 seminars are also in the works. The seminar series is sponsored in part by Respect Big Bend Coalition, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, Permian Basin Area Foundation, The Still Water Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University.

Due to weather on February 5th, the seminar was rescheduled. Speakers, David Iannelli and Mike Teague, have been rescheduled to speak on April 22, 2020, and Drs. Roel Lopez and Louis Harveson will speak as part of the Fall 2020 seminar series.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the March 18th seminar has been postponed.

The Respect Big Bend Coalition was launched by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, and is sponsored in part by the Permian Basin Area Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and the Still Water Foundation. The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation is a Texas foundation that seeks innovative, sustainable solutions for human and environmental problems. The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation works as an engine of change in Texas, supporting high-impact projects at the nexus of environmental protection, social equity and economic vibrancy. Find out more about the project at RespectBigBend.org.