Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Hurricane Ike rendered Texas coastal communities, neighborhoods, and the surrounding landscape unrecognizable.

Hurricane Ike did a lot of damage. Not only structural damage to the people who lost their homes, to the ranchers—and also did a lot of devastation to habitat.

Habitat losses, particularly those to wetlands, were substantial. Yet, Parks and Wildlife waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says, not all is lost.

You look down the road a few years, and I think you’re going to see some benefits from this hurricane. One of the things that you see that we have been fighting and struggling for several years with invasive species—noxious weeds that we just could never get a holt of. Well, guess what? You put salt in those systems, and they’re dead.

Winter forage for migrating waterfowl also went the way of the noxious weeds.

There’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them. But, this storm did a lot of good from the perspective that you’ve seen through time, things [open wetlands] close in. With all the high salinities now, it’ll kill all that vegetation. The seed base is still there, so the important plants that ducks need are still going to be available because the seed base is still in that substrate; that’ll rebound.

Morrison says all we need now is rain to flush out the systems so nature’s recovery can begin.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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

Cattle and wildlife live in harmony on the Seven Cross Ranch in the High Plains. Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist, Gene Miller.

The things that they’re doing with this land, as I like to say, loving it with cattle—or keeping it in a state that is very friendly to native wildlife—and native prairie species that occur here, especially these iconic species of the prairie like the prairie chickens. [LH Webb] We have the Parks and Wildlife out here every year, about the first of April, middle of April, to count the prairie chickens.

LH Webb, with his wife Nama, are owners/operators of this 11-thousand acre ranch in eastern Gray County, where cattle graze and endangered prairie chickens roam.

That’s a species that’s rapidly disappearing on the High Plains. Maybe Parks and Wildlife can learn something where it will bring these species back.

White-tailed and mule deer, bobwhite and scaled quail, Rio Grande turkeys and black-tailed prairie dogs also share the land with the cattle at Seven Cross Ranch, and have for generations of the Webb family.

This is where my granddad grew up, and my great granddad bought a hundred years ago and started putting it together. And his sweat is on this land, and then now my sweat and my kid’s sweat will be on this land. And that’s going to help hold the soil down.

Seven Cross Ranch is the Lone Star Land Steward Award winner for the High Plains Eco-region.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 Lone Star Land Steward High Plains Eco-Region, 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The Seven Cross Ranch, a stocker cattle operation, grazes its animals on restored native prairie. The ranch is the Lone Star Land Steward Award winner for the High Plains eco-region.

This is crème de la crème of the high plains ecological region.

Gene Miller is a wildlife biologist based in Canyon, Texas.

What you see, when you see this Seven Cross Ranch, is a microcosm—a natural prairie ecosystem.

Seven Cross Ranch didn’t achieve rarified status by accident. Owners/operators, LH and Nama Webb, utilize a rapid rotation grazing system that simulates a bygone era when vast herds of bison roamed the high plains.

They’d come through, graze it down, and then move on in their trek. So, it’s more like the way it evolved over centuries. The more cattle you can get on one spot, you have the animal impact, the hoof action, and you get a more uniform graze, because you have more cattle in a smaller area, but you have to move them faster. And you know, my goal is possible a hundred pastures, and you know, you’re hitting one pasture a day—and then you’re off of it. And if you have a hundred pastures, you know, you’re hitting one pasture a day, and then you’re off of it. And if you’ve got a hundred pastures, then you’re off it for ninety-nine days before you get back to it. You don’t want to severely graze it, you just want to kind of top it off and move them on.

Learn more about the Lone Star Land Steward Program at: passporttotexas.org

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 Lone Star Land Steward High Plains Eco-Region, 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Falconry and the return of the Trinity River…in the November issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. Managing editor, Louie Bond.

Russell Graves wrote a great story on falconry for us this month. And, falconry has such historic roots. It dates back to seventh century BC, in Mesopotamia, believe it or not, all the way through European nobility. And even the Japanese Samurai culture used falcons. So it has great historic traditions, not to mention it’s just such a beautiful site. One particular quote from a falconer really stood out for me about the bond between the bird and the hunter, and that is: ‘Every time you cut your bird loose, they can choose not to come back to you.’

Five million people depend on the Trinity River for clean water, so there’s nothing that could be more important. But they’re having tremendous success—lots of good things to come. And it just proves once again that we can work together to protect and preserve our natural resources.

We have more information about these topics at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 TPW Magazine November Preview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Are you looking for a unique way to spend time in the Texas outdoors and get active in your local community?

Master Naturalist is a fantastic way for people who are interested in the natural history of Texas to learn more about wildlife, plants, and geology of their local area.

Kelly Bender is an Urban Wildlife Biologist for Parks and Wildlife, and helps train Master Naturalists.

So what we do is we provide a nine-week program, that’s provided by professionals in the field, to learn all about the natural history of their area. And then give them opportunities to participate in volunteer activity.

Volunteer opportunities that include helping scientists.

They have the opportunities to monitor wildlife and record species observations and provide those to scientists. We do native plant rescue. They have the opportunity to do habitat restoration in ecologically sensitive areas. Master naturalists are able to go in and help restore in places that have restricted access. So we really are dependent on people who are interested and who are engaged and excited about wildlife to provide more information than we could possibly gather on our own.

One of the great gifts we can provide future generations is a natural world, preserved in its wild beauty. Become a part of it. Learn how, at passporttotexas.org.

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

 

 Master Naturalist, 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download