Fred Wills

Region: Hill Country

Topics: Wildlife, Herpetology, Biology, History, Forests, Non-profits


Mr. Wills has a degree in wildlife biology and herpetology, and has been involved professionally in numerous inventories and environmental studies, including projects in the U.S. Army's facility at Camp Bullis, the Department of Energy property at the Yucca Mountain Repository, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Government Canyon State Natural Area.

He tracks endangered species issues (e.g., black-capped vireo, golden-cheeked warbler, cave invertebrates, and vegetation) for the Sierra Club's Alamo group, as well as following water problems (including water recycling, irrigation transfers, recharge dams, weather modification, and desalination), and Mitchell Lake restoration efforts.

Recently, he has taken a particular interest in the historical ecology of the Edwards Plateau, investigating how central Texas has evolved from an open savanna to a more closed woodland due to grazing, fencing, and fire suppression.  He has recovered accounts of little-known clearcutting of ashe juniper in the Camp Wood area, where 38,000 acres were cut and hauled for use as fence posts, house piers, and pencils, and a legacy of erosion and golden-cheeked warbler habitat destruction was left.

February 13, 2006
San Antonio, Texas
Reels 2324 and 2325