Our Purpose
The Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources is a unit of Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension. The Institute's purpose is to foster research and extension programs focused on natural resource science and management. The goal of the IRNR is to promote, coordinate, and implement interdisciplinary programs and activities to meet natural resource needs in Texas and elsewhere. The IRNR also serves faculty of the Texas A&M University System by coordinating interdisciplinary projects, developing proposals, providing technical support, and providing increased access to new sources of extramural funding. The Institute serves as the host institution for the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, a partnership among 7 Federal Agencies and 23 Universities and NGOs established to meet the research and outreach needs of Federal Agencies through a cooperative agreement established in 2003.
History
IRNR was originally established by the Texas A&M Board of Regents in 1978, as a component of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. The overall focus was to coordinate and strengthen the interdisciplinary programs of 4 departments: Forest Science; Rangeland Ecology and Management; Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. From 1978 through 2005, the Director of the IRNR was a Department Head from one of the 4 departments of the Institute and there was no staff.
In January 2006, the mission of the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources was redefined for meeting the growing needs of interdisciplinary research and extension in natural resources. Along with this change came the establishment of separate directorship, staff, and facilities. The IRNR is now housed in facilities in the Centeq Building - part of the Texas A&M University Research Park.
In July of 2007, the institute expanded their facilities by establishing an office in Gatesville, Texas (map). This branch of IRNR supports program needs in Central Texas which primarily include the Recovery Credit System pilot project and restoration work along the Leon River.
