Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas Texas’ first state park just grew by more than half again its size, when Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased adjacent land along the Leon River for Mother Neff State park. Bryan Frazier has details. 62—Mother Neff State Park is literally named in honor of Governor Pat Neff’s mother, Isabella. And in 1928 you had this burgeoning SP board set up by Governor Part Neff to start a state park system here in Texas. And Isabella Neff donated six acres of land, which has now become Mother Neff State Park. It’s grown significantly, and recently we’ve just now added more than a hundred more acres to the park. It’s got river frontage along the Leon River, these beautiful scenic bluff overviews; it will be awhile before there’s accessible trails and things into that area. But there are even some ancient archeology resources in this new part of the park. Mother Neff State Park is a unique place. It’s a jewel. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, And was finished in the 1930s; it’s the flagship for us. It was where we started as a park system and what we’ve grown into today with 94 state parks and historic sites. And it all began back with Mother Neff, right there on the Leon River, southwest of Waco, about 30 miles. And it’s a place that’s worth the trip. Thanks Bryan That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done. For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife [SFX – hummer] Late summer is a great time for hummingbird viewing in Texas. 03—Obviously, the places people see them most often is around feeders. Mark Klym is in Wildlife Diversity and a hummingbird enthusiast. You can attract hummingbirds to your yard with a hummingbird feeder filled with a solution of one part sugar to four parts water. Once you’ve hung a feeder, Klym says it’s vital to keep the contents fresh. 08—During the summer months you want to change that every two to four days. During the winter months, you might get away with four to six days, but certainly no longer than that. If you prefer your hummers in the wild, you’re in luck: eighteen species of this popular bird live in Texas. But you have to know where to look. 18—If you’re looking on the wild, you’re going to want to look in areas where there are a number of flowering plants available. The do require shelter, so they’re going to be around evergreen or well-leaved trees – depending on the season. And they’re also going to be found where there’s water. Water is a critical element of their environment, and they’re going to be found where there’s water. Find more information about hummingbirds when you log onto the Texas parks and Wildlife website. We record our series at The Block House in Austin, Texas and Joel Block Engineers our program. That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

This is Passport to Texas Hummingbird enthusiasts look forward to July, because that’s when these tiny, enigmatic birds start their migration into Texas, beginning out west. 08—July is usually the start of our hummingbird migration when we’ve got thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds heading this way from the northern regions. Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Mark Klym heads up the annual Hummingbird Roundup Survey in Texas, where scientists and citizens have documented some 18 different species of hummingbirds in the state. 07—The round-up really provides us with information about the hummingbird population here in Texas and gives us an idea of where they’re being found. While the bird count takes place year-round, the influx of birds beginning this month, and peaking in August and September, makes it an ideal time to participate in this citizen science project. 19—This would be a good time to start looking at possibly increasing your number of feeders if you have a yard that is going to be actively used by hummingbirds…the best way to get hummingbirds in your yard is to prepare a good hummingbird garden. Lots of plants that will feed the birds, salvias, Turks cap, trumpet vine. If you love watching hummingbirds, sign up to participate in the Hummingbird Round-up and receive your own survey kit...find out how... when you visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. That’s our show for today. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti

This is Passport to Texas Ask any birder what they like better—Christmas or fall migration—and there’s no contest. Sorry Santa. The August issue of Texas Parks and wildlife magazine offers readers a bird’s eye view of Texas cities at the center of two migration superhighways. Editor Louie Bond has details. 50—And they’re both, officially, nationally—birdiest cities. Corpus Christi is the national birdiest city, and Port Aransas is the national small coastal birdiest city. Both have really just been in the nature tourism business in the last decade or two. They’re lucky enough to have this wonderful parade of birds. And so now birdwatchers are flocking there to see 50 to 100 birds in a day. And the towns have benefitted from this; there’s increased jobs and just a general happiness amongst these folks who are now getting outside and enjoying nature. And along with that great article, we’ll have a birding calendar, so no matter what part of the state you live in, you can go out and see birds yourself. And we’ll take a birding trip down to the valley and seeing what’s going on with birding down there. Whether you’re interest is birding in the panhandle or birding in the Valley, check out what’s happening across Texas this month at Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Thanks, Louie. That’s our show for today. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series, and is celebrating 75 years of funding diverse conservation projects in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

This is Passport to Texas History comes alive every April on the San Jacinto Battlegrounds with the reenactment of the battle of San Jacinto. This month the TPW TV show introduces viewers to a reenactor who brings his own cannon to the event. Producer Bruce Biermann. 67—I never met anyone who owns a cannon until I met Charlie Yates. You know, it always comes up at dinner parties. Charlie owns a cannon Heh! Every year at San Jacinto, there’s a very large reenactment with approximately 200 reenactors where they do a living history program and a reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto, which was the discerning point for Texas Independence. And he’s a reenactor on the Mexican side. We love being able to teach history…talk about history…and we also learn a lot by doing this. These reenactors put on a huge display. And part of that reenactment is the use of cannons. He’s quite serious about helping us understand where we came from so we know where we need to go. We’re all going to be called on at some point in our life to do things that we don’t want to do but that have to be done. If you know history, you know how people who came before you dealt with it. He wants to preserve those who came before us—their memory, their efforts. And help us never to forget them, but also to learn from them. Thanks, Bruce. Catch Charlie and his cannon on the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV show the week of July 29th. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti