Conservation Stories

We are proud to bring you our local radio show, The Dry Side Dispatch. All past episodoes of the radio show are available on the Sandhills Area Research Association You Tube channel. You can also listen live via the YouTube chanel on Friday's at Noon. All future episodes will now be included on this platform and the Sandhills Area Research Association's website.  The Dry Side Dispatch is a West Texas radio show and media project from the Sandhills Area Research Association broadcast live on KRFE 95.9 FM. Hosted by Tillery Timmons-Sims, Andy Timmons, and Dusty Timmons, the program focuses on regional agriculture, land conservation, hunting, oil and gas, and local news This episode of Dry Side Dispatch features Texas Tech associate professor Nathan Hall discussing the science behind dogs’ sense of smell and the work of the K9 Olfaction Research and Education Lab. Hall explains how researchers study and train detection dogs for jobs ranging from explosives and narcotics detection to wildlife work and identifying agricultural problems such as plant diseases. The conversation also explores how breed, genetics, training, weather, wind, humidity, and learned associations affect scent detection, while challenging common assumptions about which breeds have the “best” noses. The episode closes with Hall discussing current research, the lab’s student training and animal-behavior programs, and its work rehabilitating and training shelter or working-program dogs before placing them in adoptive or working homes.

Tillery Timmons-Sims visits with Evart Outlaw of American Farmland Trust to talk about protecting working lands, supporting farmers and ranchers, and helping producers adapt in a changing agricultural landscape. Everett shares the mission behind American Farmland Trust, including farmland protection, conservation easements, sound farming and ranching practices, and the importance of keeping producers on the land. The conversation also highlights the Texas Grazing Network, a peer-to-peer mentorship program that connects ranchers with experienced producers who can help them improve land stewardship, soil health, forage production, profitability, and long-term resilience. It’s a practical and hopeful look at how guidance, community, and new perspectives can help farmers and ranchers face difficult transitions and find sustainable paths forward. More about our guest:  Evart Outlaw, Texas Grazing Network Manager for American Farmland Trust Website Resources:  https://farmland.org/texas-grazing-mentors-network/ For more information about SARA, please visit sara-conservation.com Support the Conservation Stories Podcast Follow SARA for more updates  •  Instagram  •  Facebook  •  LinkedIn •  X/Twitter Conservation Stories is presented by The Sandhills Area Research Association (SARA). Subscribe now to hear all the interviews.

We are proud to bring you our local radio show, The Dry Side Dispatch. All past episodoes of the radio show are available on the Sandhills Area Research Association You Tube channel. You can also listen live via the YouTube chanel on Friday's at Noon. All future episodes will now be included on this platform and the Sandhills Area Research Association's website.  The Dry Side Dispatch is a West Texas radio show and media project from the Sandhills Area Research Association broadcast live on KRFE 95.9 FM. Hosted by Tillery Timmons-Sims, Andy Timmons, and Dusty Timmons, the program focuses on regional agriculture, land conservation, hunting, oil and gas, and local news This episode of Dry Side Dispatch features Texas Tech PhD student Katherine Coyle discussing her research into whether treated “produced water” from oil and gas operations could eventually become a useful new water source for agriculture, rangeland restoration, or playa systems—not for human consumption. She explains how produced water is desalinated and polished, why disposal through underground injection has created concerns such as seismic activity and well blowouts, and how her research tests different treatment levels against West Texas soils. Her laboratory work found that different treatment methods can significantly alter soil pH, nutrient availability, microbial activity, and the movement or accumulation of elements such as phosphorus and boron. The conversation emphasizes that highly treated water is not automatically harmless simply because it is “clean”; it may need to be remineralized or otherwise adjusted before agricultural use. The broader takeaway is that produced water shows promise, but more field trials and continued research are needed before it can be safely and reliably deployed at scale.

Dusty Timmons visits with award-winning wildlife journalist Chester Moore of the Gulf Great White Shark Society to talk about the surprising return of great white sharks to the Gulf of Mexico. Chester shares how years of sightings, research, satellite tagging, and one remarkable shark named LeeBeth helped confirm what many once doubted: great whites are not only present in the Gulf, they are part of its story. The conversation explores shark conservation, public misconceptions, illegal harvest, the importance of large predators in marine ecosystems, and the role of storytelling in inspiring curiosity and care for wildlife. It’s a fascinating look at one of the ocean’s most iconic animals and what its presence means for the Gulf Coast.

We are proud to bring you our local radio show, The Dry Side Dispatch. All past episodoes of the radio show are available on the Sandhills Area Research Association You Tube channel. You can also listen live via the YouTube chanel on Friday's at Noon. All future episodes will now be included on this platform and the Sandhills Area Research Association's website.  The Dry Side Dispatch is a West Texas radio show and media project from the Sandhills Area Research Association broadcast live on KRFE 95.9 FM. Hosted by Tillery Timmons-Sims, Andy Timmons, and Dusty Timmons, the program focuses on regional agriculture, land conservation, hunting, oil and gas, and local news This episode of Dryside Dispatch features Tillery Sims recapping the recent Space4Ag/NASA Acres tour and exploring how NASA’s satellite technology could support agriculture on the High Plains. The discussion focuses on using remote sensing for soil moisture, crop conditions, weather forecasting, planting-date decisions, and more accurate agricultural data, while emphasizing the need for farmers to collaborate with researchers to “ground truth” what satellites are seeing. The group also discusses potential local projects, including adjusting planting dates around heat and freeze risk, monitoring invasive brush and wildfire conditions, and using NASA data to help verify groundwater savings in programs that transition some row-crop acreage to grazing or dryland use. Overall, the episode highlights the growing potential for space-based technology to help West Texas producers make better decisions around water, weather, and long-term agricultural sustainability.