Archive for July, 2009

Biological Control for Salt Cedar

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

So, there’s the beetles…and there’s some egg sacks in there.

That’s Mike Janis, a natural resource specialist at the Matador WMA in the Texas Panhandle, opening a container of 200 salt cedar leaf beetles from the USDA. In early June, researchers released one-third of the insects at Matador, hoping they will multiply and devour troublesome salt cedar trees—a water-thirsty non-native that’s overtaken about half of a million acres in Texas.

The salt cedar was introduced to the U.S. in 19th century to control riverbank erosion. But, Chip Ruthven, leader of the project, says the cedars became a problem in themselves.

It forms dense thickets and out-competes native plants, which are generally highly beneficial to wildlife from a food and a cover standpoint. Then they’re also heavy water users as well.

Jerry Michels is a research professor at the Texas AgriLife Extension. His team has been trying to establish a beetle population in the panhandle near Meredith Lake.

We’re hoping, we’re optimistic that this summer might be the year that they really explode up here.

Researchers don’t expect problems with beetles destroying other plant communities because they’re picky eaters. They only eat salt cedars. The beetles seem to be a cheap, effective tool to keep salt cedars in check, but Michels says beetles alone won’t terminate the trees.

I think that salt cedar control if it is going to be effective is going to have to be a combination of different techniques.

Such as herbicides and bulldozing. That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Understanding Why Pet Fish Get Dumped

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

How far would you travel to ensure the future of your favorite exotic aquarium fish?

We had some folks telling us that they would go as far as 50 miles to find an appropriate body of water.

You may think releasing your pet fish into Texas waters, when you can no longer care for it, is humane. Yet these exotic aquarium species disrupt natural ecosystems and out-compete native fish for resources.

Priscilla Weeks is a senior research scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center, http://www.harc.edu/. Her team is using a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant to research why people release their fish into Texas waters.

I think there might be a stereotype where folks think that it is easy, emotionally, just to release a fish. But actually what we’re finding is folks are very attached to their pets.

Weeks says research shows whether a person gets rid of their fish depends on personal preference.

What we’re finding so far, but this is very preliminary, is that different individuals prefer different attributes of a fish. So it’s not necessarily that it grows too big in my tank because I may like a big fish.

…but if you don’t like big fish, you could have a problem. So what do you do?

Weeks says some people think releasing a fish is the only option, but, among the alternatives are euthanizing and the less drastic—taking it back to the pet store.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Aquarium Fish Cause Trouble for Texas

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

He’s gonna get out of here. He’s going to get flushed. What a smart little guy!

Many people love the Finding Nemo* scenario…the aquarium trapped fish being released back into the wild. The problem is many of the fish in Texas aquariums aren’t from Texas.

Luci Cook-Hildreth is a Texas Parks and Wildlife projects coordinator in Inland Fisheries.

Even really really smart people sometimes don’t understand that a fish is not just a fish and water is not just water. They go, “I have a creek in my backyard, and I have a fish that’s too big for my tank. Well, why don’t I just set him free?” And they don’t understand that there’s a lot of biological and ecological ramifications to that decision.

Many of these fish end up thriving in Texas waters and out-competing native fish populations.

Cook-Hildreth says controlling what fish people own is practically impossible because of the Internet. Despite state laws, there seems to be a constant supply and demand for illegal species. And these fish can sometimes be expensive.

Folks that are interested in selling illegal fish have the potential to make thousands of dollars on these fish. And we can slap a fine on them, for 200 or 300 dollars, and it’s really just the cost of doing business for these folks.

So remember, by releasing your fish into the wild, you might just be endangering a lot more.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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*Finding Nemo is a Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios animated movie.

Take Me Fishing Houston

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

For most of us the expression “gone fishing” is a euphemism that means we’re goofing off. But for elementary school students in Katy ISD, gone fishing means just that.

At Golbow Elementary they had the first fishing club, and that’s where they really started the KATY ISD Anglers.

Keiko (CAKE-oh) Davidson, principal at Hutsell Elementary in Katy ISD followed Golbow’s lead and brought the TPW Take Me Fishing Houston program to her students with a goal, in part, to improve academic scores in science.

Our scores, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills… in 2007… 78% of our boys and girls demonstrated proficiency on that test. Last year 94% of our boys and girls in fifth grade demonstrated proficiency.

The community has embraced Take Me Fishing Houston by volunteering at events, as well as contributing in other ways. Exposing students to positive community involvement is an added benefit of the program.

Most of all, I think it gives children a chance to connect with the larger community. Their own particular family, family members, getting their family engaged in activities that involve interaction in the out of doors. That’s what I want them to take away…and to have a happy memory of their school experience at Hutsell.

That’s our show for today… made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing opportunities in Texas…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Take Me Fishing

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Fishing is about more than just catching fish.

Fishing is one of the gateway opportunities to the outdoors.

Kevin Cunningham is the aquatics education specialist for the Greater Houston area. Urbanization has changed how we relate with the natural world, and Cunningham says his job is to reacquaint urbanites with the outdoors through the Parks and Wildlife Take Me Fishing program.

Fishing is a way, in our program, to teach younger people or adults, how to fish in order to pass on our mission of conservation. The theory being, that as people learn how to fish, being connected with the outdoors will garner self-interest to protect that resources so they will be able to use it again in the future.

Among the organizations that participate in the Take Me Fishing Program is Hutsell Elementary in the Katy Independent School District. Keiko Davidson is the school principal.

I have very fond memories of being a child in the out of doors. And I felt as though it could do nothing but enhance our boys’ and girls’ educational opportunities.

And she was right. Learn how the Take Me Fishing Program at Hutsell Elementary has improved its students grades.

That’s our show for today… made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing opportunities in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti