Passport to Texas

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.

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

You will meet some unusual critters in the October issue if Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Managing editor, Louie Bond.

In one feature we’re going to be talking about ringtail cats. Which are on of my favorite animals. A lot of people here in Texas actually have never seen a ringtail cat, but they’re really pretty common. It’s just being at the right place at the right time, I guess. Our author, Wendee Holtcamp, goes trying to trap some and seem them for herself. But they loaded their live trap with sardines, apples and bananas.

For example, certain species who depend on the Blackland prairies, if the Blackland prairie is disappearing, what is the future of these species. They haven’t even completed a list of what we have yet, much less of what we’re losing. So, this is probably one of the most vital subject that we cover all year long.

Thanks, Louie. The October issue is on newsstands now.

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

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

I think this had been a long-term goal at Texas Parks and Wildlife department to have more outreach to younger people.

Louie Bond, Managing Editor of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, says sending free subscriptions of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine to fourth grade classrooms statewide, is the latest in the agency’s outreach efforts. The magazine, which includes a new educational section called Keep Texas Wild, isn’t just for kids.

Everyone is going to have this in their issues. And we think that’s a good thing; this way families at home can study this together, and we have a lot of interesting topics. Some are as simple as predators and prey—that’s the topic of our first issue. But then, we expand into how Native Americans gave oral histories, water conservation issues, habitat…there’s a whole variety of topics, and I think a lot of these will be of interest to everyone.

In the end, the goal of Keep Texas Wild is to inspire students to develop a close bond with the natural world.

And also, to perhaps, begin those pathways to careers in the natural sciences, and art and photography, so that some day they may be the very people that they read about on these pages.

The special Keep Texas Wild section is made possible by a grant from ExxonMobil through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

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

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

This school year, fourth grade teachers have a new tool—Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Exxon Mobile generously gave us a donation to buy subscriptions for classrooms across Texas.

Managing editor, Louie Bond, says the issues will include a special section called Keep Texas Wild, which encourages curiosity about nature and conservation, using an interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond the obvious connection between nature, science and math.

How many great naturalist artists and nature photographers start out with a love of wildlife—and it’s just expressed through art. So, we want to tie in all curriculums: social studies, English, everything. In fourth grade you’re learning everything at once, so it’s really great to be interdisciplinary.

Teachers who log onto the Parks and Wildlife website will find additional resources.

Here at Texas Parks and Wildlife, we have an excellent outdoor education department, and they will be posting online some additional teacher resources for additional activities, more background information. So, if the teachers would like to expand the lesson even further, they’ll have plenty of guidance online.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation also helped make this yearlong pilot project possible.

We have additional information about Keep Texas Wild at passporttotexas.org.

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

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Keep Texas Wild, a new section in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, brings a multidisciplinary approach to learning about the outdoors.

We wanted to offer something special that these students could really sink their teeth into every month. So, all of the fourth grade classrooms across Texas, public and private schools, will now begin receiving the magazine for a year.

The special section is made possible by a grant from ExxonMobil through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Managing editor, Louie Bond, says each fourth grade classroom will initially receive one subscription.

But we are making additional copies available at a very low cost, as well as additional subscriptions. Also on line, we’ll have a downloadable, printable PDF, so that teachers can print it out and hand to the class if they like.

During fourth grade, says Bond, children tend to be highly imaginative and open-minded.

Fourth grade is when reading skills become less labored and more comprehensive. They begin to really read for meaning, and explore deeper into the world. Also in Texas, the TEKS, the standards for learning, include a lot about the natural world and science in fourth grade, and getting out and investigating the natural world and learning more about it. So, it really fits into the curriculum of fourth grade.

We have additional information about Keep Texas Wild at passporttotexas.org.

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

 

 Keep Texas Wild, 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download