John Hughes of the West Texas Suboffice assisted in the development and implementation of the Panhandle Wind and Wildlife Conference held in Amarillo, Texas on August 8 and 9, 2008.  Conference participants included Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Public Utilities Commission, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Texas Wildlife Association, Bat Conservation International, Xcel Energy, Iberdrola Renewables, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas Tech University, Aububon Texas, University of Texas Lands, Edison Mission Group, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The conference included presentations by natural resource professionals on the potential effects of wind energy development on various wildlife species, a discussion of legal issues affecting wind energy leases, and a discussion of the future of wind energy in the Texas panhandle.  Mr. Hughes served on the steering committee for the conference, organized a field tour to an area wind farm, and gave a presentation on the potential effects of wind energy development on the candidate lesser prairie-chicken.  A total of 240 people attended the two-day event.