The near-collapse and subsequent rebound of the West Texas pronghorn population, along with the return of New World screwworm to Texas after decades of eradication, are the focus of the latest episode of the Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie. Published on September 14, 2026, the episode features a conversation with Lalo Gonzalez, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at Sul Ross State University and a leader at the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI), recorded in Alpine. The discussion offers a timely look at a fragile and rapidly changing landscape and the efforts to preserve it.
Gonzalez provides a detailed tour of BRI's research portfolio and the pressures reshaping the Trans-Pecos region. Among the topics covered is the 2010-2011 Texas Parks and Wildlife translocation program that moved roughly 1,000 pronghorn from the Panhandle to the Marfa and Marathon grasslands. He explains why pronghorn were uniquely vulnerable to fencing and brush encroachment, noting that they behave nothing like whitetail deer. "They don't jump fences. They physically can't. They just seem to not like doing it. So any fence is a barrier, pretty much. It's a wall that they don't cross," Gonzalez tells McKenzie. He credits landowners like Nile Maxwell for opening gates, pulling historic fencing, and lowering bottom wires to knee height (about 18 inches) so pronghorn can slip underneath without disrupting livestock operations, calling private stewards "the best conservationists" in a state that is 95% privately owned. This highlights the critical role of private land stewardship in wildlife conservation, especially in a state where public lands are limited.
The episode also digs into New World screwworm, a flesh-eating fly larva that the U.S. pushed south to Panama in the 1960s using sterile-fly technology. Gonzalez notes recent positive cases in Texas livestock and confirmed wildlife cases in northern Mexico that cross the border freely, even as cattle imports have been paused. He connects the dots to other emerging threats: pneumonia now wiping out pockets of desert bighorn sheep (Texas had been the last holdout state), drought comparable to Death Valley in some years, and the steady loss of working landscapes from El Paso to Del Rio. These issues underscore the interconnectedness of wildlife health, agricultural operations, and environmental conditions in the region.
For listeners interested in conservation and the future of Texas landscapes, the full conversation is available in the episode of the Building Texas Show. The episode not only sheds light on the specific challenges facing West Texas wildlife but also emphasizes the resilience of species like the pronghorn and the dedicated efforts of researchers and landowners. BRI's graduate program, Gonzalez adds, boasts a 95% job-placement rate at graduation, with millions of acres of West Texas serving as the classroom, preparing the next generation of conservation scientists.
The The Building Texas Show tells the stories of the founders, community leaders and projects shaping Texas, from economic development and small business to conservation and education. New episodes publish weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. This particular episode is a must-listen for those concerned about the environment, agriculture, and the balance between human activity and natural ecosystems. As Texas continues to grapple with these complex issues, the insights shared by Gonzalez and McKenzie provide valuable context for understanding the stakes and the potential solutions.
