Passport to Texas

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Rock Garden Trail, image from www.amarillo.com[/caption] This is Passport to Texas There was a ribbon cutting at Palo Duro Canyon recently that opened up the 2.38 mile Rock Garden Trails. And our state park Guide Bryan Frasier says, the trail climbs 600 feet straight up in elevation... 44— In fact, it connects up with the Rylander Fortress Cliffs Trail and opens up a whole other six plus miles of trails that were previously inaccessible. But, the view that can be had at from the rim on the Fortress Cliffs side is spectacular. So, it’s significant in that it takes what’s a wonderful canyon with its group facilities and cabins that were built by the CCC and it adds to it. Now, you can go across the canyon – go from the bed of the canyon – up the back side in elevation and see the canyon in a whole new angle and a whole new angle and whole new light through this new rock garden trail. It’s great for biking and it’s great for hiking. So, check it out as a whole other way to enjoy what it already one of the finest parks anywhere. Thanks, Bryan. Find more information about Palo Duro SP and its trails at texasstateparks.org. 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.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Desert Bighorn Sheep with Transmitter[/caption] This is Passport to Texas This month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV Series, producer, Bruce Beirmann, introduces us to a wildlife biologist who is living his dream on Elephant Mountain. My name is Scott Lerich, and I’m a wildlife biologist here at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area. So, the story highlights, what does a biologist do at a Wildlife Management area? I do just about anything that needs to be done. And it’s incredibly diverse. I’m responsible for conducting the baseline inventories on the property, which entails monitoring all the animal and plant life to the extent possible. All the way up to capturing and transferring Desert Bighorn Sheep from one area to another to help repopulate. The original herd of Bighorns were brought here in 1987 – we had 20 that were released here. And, in the last few years, those numbers have reached over a hundred animals. He’s just a very well-balanced, interesting, educated guy. I’m very lucky to be able not only work here, but also live here. It’s literally a chance of a lifetime for a wildlife biologist. And there’s not too many people who get to do that in Texas. They sure don’t. Thanks, Bruce. See the show during the week of January 27 on a PBS station near you…checks your local listings. You can also look for it on the TPW YouTube Channel. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="519"]Neighborhood Fishing[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s February digital fishing special offers freshwater and saltwater fishing forecasts compiled by Steve Lightfoot. 07— You won’t catch anything if you don’t go. The only way you can determine for certain that you will or will not catch anything is by casting a line. Lightfoot, a wildlife & fisheries information specialist, used input from fisheries biologists to craft the forecast. He said for the best success -- you can’t go wrong with rainbow trout. 16— Our community fishing lakes and some of the other hot spots around the state that we stock in winter with rainbow trout, offer a wonderful opportunity to take novices out… children… families…. These fish are stocked with the purpose and intent for people to go catch them, take them home, and eat them. Lightfoot recommends using the fishing forecast as a planning guide…especially for coastal angling. 22— If you’re planning a trip to the coast, you want to make sure that you’ve got as much information as you can so that you can prepare for what species are most abundant. For example, our biologists are seeing a lot of black drum, a lot of sand trout showing up in our bay systems. So, these are overlooked species that anglers should possibly try and target if they’re planning a trip to the coast. Find the forecast in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s digital fishing special online this month at tpwmagazine.com. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series…and funds rainbow trout stocking in Texas… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Largemouth Bass[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Anglers may not have a crystal ball to tell them where the best fishing is, but they have the next best thing. 02—Our fisheries biologists are a great deal of help. Steve Lightfoot is a wildlife & fisheries information specialist with Parks and Wildlife; his article on the late winter/early spring fishing forecast appears in TPW magazine’s February digital fishing issue. He says fisheries biologists assess three areas when making their predictions. 29— One are the creel surveys they conduct at boat launches and around fishing areas where they talk to anglers and ask them what their catches were. The other is their own surveys, using mostly gill netting and other nets that they collect out in the water. They identify the fish and they go through algorithms and so forth, and come up something called a biomass. And a biomass is how healthy the fish populations [are] and what types of fish are at each lake. The third element is their knowledge and experience. Most of these guys are anglers, too, so they have some input as well. Lightfoot adds there’s good news for anglers. 10— The good news is most of our fish populations are in healthy condition. There are over a hundred lakes where you can go out and expect to have a reasonably good opportunity to catch a variety of different species. But you’ll never know unless you go. How to use the fishing forecast to your best advantage on tomorrow’s show. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Lake Walter E. Long, from www.austinparks.org[/caption] This is Passport to Texas supported by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program It’s a New Year, and with it comes new opportunities to go fishing. You’re in luck, too, because Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s February Digital Fishing Special is available online now. Editor Louie Bond. 63—Last year we tried out a brand new product: a digital fishing special. We had such great success with it that we went on to do a hunting one last fall. So, now as we come around again to February, where we don’t have a print edition, we’ve got another special treat for everyone out there, which is our spring fishing guide. And it’s both saltwater and freshwater this year, and it’s available to everyone – not just magazine subscribers. So, if you come to tpwmagazine.com you can read it there for free. And this year it will include a forecast by our own Steve Lightfoot on those saltwater and freshwater fish. He’s talked to all of our biologists who spend all their time figuring this stuff out. So, it’s really good info from our experts. Larry Hodge will take us out on the hot spot for winter fishing – power plant lakes. He’ll also take us fishing for crappie on Lake Conroe. John Jefferson is going to follow the white bass spawn upstream for some really hot fishing there – and there’s a stream-by-stream report with that. And Karl Wolfshohl is going to take us down to the coast for some surf fishing for trout. And on top of all that we’ll have some great recipes to cook up all those fish to enjoy all year long. Thanks, Louie. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program Program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuels. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas More people are heading to state parks to hike. And our state park Guide Bryan Frazier says, that’s a good thing, because Texas state parks do not disappoint. 44— Our state park visitor surveys say that hiking and hiking trails is the number one amenity and activity sought after when people show up at a state park. That’s what they want to do. And by hiking that can be whatever outdoor recreation is to you: a leisurely walk with your children on a paved hiking trail that has no slope – we have that. We also have more challenging hikes that go into the mile high mountain ranges in far west Texas – like the Davis Mountains State Park, and those kinds of hikes. So, whether it’s a leisurely, relaxing hike, whether it’s a challenging hike – you can find it in a state park. The unique thing about a state park system is – it’s for the people. Get out and see the beauty, the serenity, and hiking might just be the best way to do that. 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.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Carter Smith © Lynn McBride, the Nature Conservancy[/caption] This is Passport to Texas When the State Parks Board and the Texas Game and Fish Commission merged fifty years ago, hope and anxiety ran high. Today, the wisdom of that union is certain, as are the challenges ahead. 08— We’re going to have many challenges ahead in the next fifty years, just as we have had them in the past fifty years. We’ve tackled them all head on, and this will be no different. Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director, says the agency will continue to deal with the day-to-day and the crises as they arise. 31—None of that’s going to change. But the real battle…the real fight for us is going to be for the hearts and minds of Texans that aren’t even born yet. We serve a state that’s been urban for sixty years, but in the future it’s going to be even more urban, even more diverse, and it’s going to be ever more populated by fellow citizens who have even less of a direct connection to the places that we steward on their behalf. The agency’s challenge is to make support of Texas’ environmental and cultural legacy meaningful. 08— And to establish connections to help foster that desire to get out and explore the wonders and beauties of our lands and waters. Connect with the outdoors, and share it with others. Get started on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Carter Smith © Lynn McBride, the Nature Conservancy[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Fifty years ago the State Parks Board and the Texas Game and Fish Commission merged. 03— To create what is now the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Carter Smith is Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director. 37—There was a lot of angst and anxiety over that merger and acquisition and what would that mean: Would the state’s fish and wildlife and their conservation somehow be diluted by the merger with the State Parks Board, or would state parks suffer because of too much emphasis on fish and wildlife and law enforcement and other programs? But I think any objective person looking back on the past 50 years and all the attendant accomplishments and milestones that have come from the creation of this department would have to call it an unqualified success. State park acreage has increased tenfold since the merger; the agency reintroduced desert bighorn sheep to their traditional range in Far West Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife developed a world class Largemouth Bass fishery, and created myriad opportunities for Texans to enjoy the outdoors. And that’s just a fraction the accomplishments from the first fifty years. 15— There’s been some extraordinary synergies that have come from the creation of this fine agency that is so rich with lore and legacy and history and heritage and meaning to all Texans. And Looking back it seems like an awfully good idea at the time. Tomorrow: Looking ahead to the next fifty years. Until then, spend time outdoors and share it with others, because Life’s Better Outside. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Cedar Waxwing: Ben Thomas, Georgia [/caption] This is Passport to Texas Birds indicate the health of our environment, says Pat Leonard, who coordinates the Great Backyard Bird Count for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a joint project with the Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. 07— And, so, by understanding what’s happening to them – both good and bad –we have a measure of what we should be doing to preserve the environment. The bird count, in its sixteenth year, is a citizen science project where birders around the world tally species not only in backyards, but anywhere there are birds—and then report their findings online. 17—What we’re going to do for the 2013 count, is integrating it with another big online bird checklist program we run with Audubon called eBird. What that will allow us to do is have much more valuable data, because the locations that people put in for their birding activity is much more precise. Birders must register with the website bird count dot org to input their findings. Researchers use the data to study the various species and their habitat. And Pat says Texas participation is high. 18— Texas is such a birdy state. And in the count we had for 2012, it was number two after California for the most species. Corpus Christi was actually number one in terms of localities reporting the most species. They had 184. You can’t say birds, bird count, and leave Texas out of the equation. Go to bird count dot org for more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count, February 15 -18. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Image courtesy of Lois Miller © Cornell Lab of Ornithology[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Winter is a great time for birding in Texas, and much of what we know about birds comes from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in New York. It’s a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. 06— We are a part of Cornell University, but we are also a semi-independent unit of the university. Pat Leonard works at the lab, which she says is also a nonprofit membership organization with 45-thousand members nationwide supporting their work. 12—So, there’s that outreach to the public side, but then we’re also a research institution. We have people here studying feeder birds, we’re studying specific species, bird biology, bird behavior, bird sounds… Here’s where it gets interesting. In addition to studying birds, Pat says the Cornell lab of Ornithology also studies whales and elephants. 26—Because of our interest in sounds and communication of animals, we develop a lot of high tech tools for gathering and recording sounds that can be studied later. Some of those devices are used on land to capture bird sounds and to track migration, for example. But we also have devices that we put under the ocean to track whales, particularly the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, and then we also put them out to track forest elephants in Africa. While the Lab’s research may seem broad, Pat Leonard says it always comes back to biodiversity and preserving places for these types of animals to continue to survive. Tomorrow: a citizen science project that’s for the birds. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"]Birders at Blind, image © John W. Liston[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Winter is one of the best times for birders to visit the World Birding Center in the Rio Grande Valley. Our state park guide Bryan Frazier says this sub tropical region boasts myriad species that you won’t see at any other place or time of year in Texas. 58— You’ve got about 500 species of birds that either reside there, or travel through there and spend some time there. And winter months, particularly in January, is about the best time to see most of them. And we’re talking about everything from birds of prey like Swainson’s hawks and falcons, to colorful sub tropic species like Altamira orioles and groove billed Anis. And Green jays – just spectacularly colored birds that draw people from all over. These are one of the few places you can see them – and one of the only places in Texas where you can see them. And, wintertime, in general, is the best time to go down there. Head to the Rio Grande Valley, and you can visit Estero Llano Grande SP in Weslaco, Resaca de la Palma SP, just outside of Brownsville, and Bentsen Rio Grande Valley SP…the food and the culture there in South Texas is rich and diverse and unique. And the birding opportunities are second to none. 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.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Giant Salvinia photo by Larry Hodge[/caption] This is Passport to Texas [Nats aquarium] Pet stores like Rivers and Reefs in Austin sell fish and plant species from all over the world. 10—Most of your Tetris species are from South America. Even your average gold-fish comes from China. Some of your Amazon sword plants obviously come from South America from the Amazon River.[ambience trails] Manager Rachel Pohl says that’s why people should be careful not to dump their aquariums in rivers or lakes or even flush live fish down the toilet. 08—Some of these fish get into our rivers and start eating our fingerlings in our rivers, and it starts unbalancing the native population because they don’t have a predator here. And it’s not just fish. Parks and Wildlife aquatic habitat biologist Howard Elder says the extremely invasive giant salvinia started out as a decorative aquarium plant… but it didn’t stay there. 09—Giant salvinia was found in a Houston school yard in 1998. It has since been found in 17 public reservoirs. And it’s not pretty anymore. 10—The plant can produce dense mats that actually block out sunlight and displace native vegetation and fish species as well as many wildlife species. So, enjoy your aquarium, but if you tire of it, don’t dump your fish and plants…check to see if a pet store will accept unwanted fish or at least tell you where you can take them. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas Legendary Texas rancher, Charles Goodnight helped preserve the last of the southern plains bison… the descendants of which are the Texas State Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park. Texas parks and Wildlife TV Producer Bruce Beirmann says expect a segment this month that explores the herd’s legacy and their new enclosure. 56—Just recently, the park opened up a whole other pasture so they now have a thousand acres to roam. So, our goal is to expand their territory here in the park and have a unique experience to where you come in the park you are in the habitat with the bison. The day they opened up the new pasture, I was at ground level looking into the gate where those bison were coming out. The experience of being at eye level with the bison as they’re charging towards you into this new pasture was just really awe inspiring. These magnificent animals, the last remnants of the great southern plains bison…these animals belong to the state of Texas. They’re your animals. It’s a great opportunity to come view these animals –the last of their kind –as we do our best to expand their range and grow the herd. You have to go see these bison. It’s the one place where you can still get right up to them [but you must remain in your vehicle] and experience it. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss. Thanks, Bruce. The show air the week of January 13 For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas They’re going whole hog at Barrington Living History Farm. On January 12 & 13 they’ll present a hog butchering and curing program to the public. 05—Butchering is just one part of many things that we do seasonally throughout the year. Barb King is a park interpreter at the farm, located at Washington-on-the-Brazos SHS. The program takes place outdoors in January just as would have happened in 1850s rural Texas. 15—So, all the meat that will be produced, and the sausage and the fat that we will save for soap or cooking all needs to be at a constant temperature, which is cold—like your fridge. So that we can start the curing process without worrying about it spoiling. The public will not witness staff dispatch the Ossabaw Island Hog: a heritage breed. After that, Barb says the rest is for public view, which is mostly a demonstration, but… 18—People are able to do a tiny bit if they choose—like helping us scrape the hogs. But cutting up the carcass into specific portions of meat is only done by staff. A lot of people come right at 10, and we normally have a big group waiting. And then on Sunday, we focus on more of the preservation aspect. Visitors may return Sunday to see how staff cures the meat for storage. The butchering and curing program at Barrington Living History Farm is January 12 & 13, beginning at 10 a.m. both days. Find complete details at texasstateparks.org. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Barrington Living History Farm, Image by Rob McCorkle[/caption] This is Passport to Texas Life in rural 1850s Texas wasn’t a charming, simple existence. Eating, for example, was an exercise in long-range planning. 11—One part of being a farmer, not only is growing what you’re going to need to eat today, or tomorrow or the day after. But you’re projecting ahead, maybe six months or a year. Barb King is a park interpreter at Barrington Living History Farm SHS at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The farm belonged to Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. Being president didn’t mean Jones was on easy-street. 23—Even for this family, which is upper middle class, they’re still worried about survival on a more intimate basis than we are. You know, just even getting hot water is a chore, not only in hauling, but then you have to heat it up. So, all the daily chores than we have today, and a lot more forethought—as well as just physical labor. Men, women and children—everybody’s working towards family survival. Dispatching livestock and then curing the meat for use throughout the year was a chore that rural Texas families performed during cold months, because they lacked mechanical refrigeration. This month, visitors to Barrington Living History Farm have an opportunity to witness parts of that process. 02—We get a lot of interest in this event. And if you’re interested, we’ll have details tomorrow. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.