November 1996 - Kerrville, TX

Resource use and environmental quality have emerged as highly contentious and often polarized issues among the various Texas stakeholders whom they effect. Public policies relating to these issues are formed based on many factors, including demographics/cultural interaction, resource and wealth distribution, technology, resource productivity/efficiency, and globalization. As Texas grows and changes, public policies must be adapted to insure that our environment and natural resource base is not diminished, while allowing for economic prosperity, quality of life and respect for the rights of private property owners. This summit was designed to engage Texas agricultural producers, agribusiness representatives, rural and urban citizens, leaders of agricultural and natural resource/environmental organizations, and government and academic representatives to develop recommendations to form coalitions to pursue changes in needed legislation, agency guidelines, support for education and research and development of a framework for coexistence and fostering of future dialogue.