Archive for the 'TPWD TV' Category

TPW TV–The Kraken Revisited

Thursday, September 26th, 2019

The Kraken doing its job as an artificial reef.

This is Passport to Texas

Early in 2017, Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program created a new underwater oasis for marine life by using a 371-foot cargo ship called The Kraken; sunk about 65 miles off the coast of Galveston.

Seven months after sending the Kraken to the gulf sea floor, biologists returned to investigate what has become one of the state’s largest artificial reefs.

What we’re going to see, we don’t know until we get down there.

Dale Shively oversees the artificial reef program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

It only takes them a few months to get a significant amount of marine growth. [Chris Ledford] There’s a lot of fish on that ship.

Texas Parks and Wildlife artificial reef specialist Chris Ledford says prior to reefing the Kraken, biologists witnessed a couple of sharks in the area, but no reef species. And now it’s teeming with marine life.

I wasn’t expecting it to proliferate that much, that quickly after sinking. Considering the ship has only been down here for 6 months, it’s got a lot a lot of productivity going on. We’re really happy with the way its progressing. I don’t think it really could have gone any better than what it’s showing up to be. It looks great. It’s really cool.

See the reefing of The Kraken, and the results, on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS the week of October 6. The new season of this award-winning series begins the week of October 13. Check your local listings.

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

TPW TV–The Dove Hunter

Tuesday, August 20th, 2019
James Montgomery

James Montgomery practicing with his rifle before dove season.

This is Passport to Texas

You know I grew up playing soccer and football. I missed out on Boy Scouts. Never got involved in the outdoors. Didn’t find hunting until my mid-20s or so.

Austinite James Montgomery is a business and family man…he’s also a coach and a dove hunter. We meet him the week of August 25th on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS.

Getting away from the everyday hustle and bustle of going to work. Leaving the job behind. It feels good to get away and just experience nature.

Shaun Oldenburger is upland game bird program manager for parks and wildlife.

The great thing about dove hunting is you don’t need to grow up in it. As far as having a place to go, there’s a lot of public opportunities available for dove hunting that Texas Parks and Wildlife provide. For the most part, you just need some shells and a shotgun and a hunting license. You can be good to go and have a great opportunity to get in the outdoors and get an experience and get the introduction to hunting in Texas.

The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series.

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

TPW TV–Sign of the Times

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019
Willie Steinhauser

Willie Steinhauser showing off one of his signs.

This is Passport to Texas

Ask Willie Steinhauser, “what’s your sign?” and he’ll say: all of them. That’s because he makes the iconic wooden signs with yellow lettering you see at Texas state parks.

They go throughout the entire state park system, small or large, and I make them all.

From his workshop at Bastrop SP, Willie explains that the old-school method of hand carving signs has given way to new technology.

I just type in what that sign’s supposed to say; [I] save it on a drive [and] the machine actually comes across and carves out the pattern. It’s a printer if you want to use that comparison, but it has got a router bit. The machine basically just does all the work.

Occasionally, Willie receives unusual sign requests.

I had an order for a sign, it was two signs, actually, for Big Bend Ranch State Park. One side said simply, Nowhere. And the other sign that went with it said The Other Side of Nowhere. I assume these signs go out somewhere in the desert and they’re mounted on the same post opposite each other. So that’s probably the most unusual sign I’ve made.

Watch Willie in his workshop the week of July 28 on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS.

It’s not a bad gig to have. I enjoy doing what I do, I like doing it.

We receive support in part from RAM Trucks: Built to Serve.

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

TPW TV: Coastal “Parkitecture”

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019

UT School of design on TPW TV.

This is Passport to Texas

A dozen UT Austin Architecture students and their professor spent a long, hot summer on Galveston Island SP.

We’re getting a Master’s in Architecture but we’re getting a Ph.D. in craft supplies. It’s been like Santa’s little workshop in here.

That’s because, as student Hugo Reynolds tells it, they spent hours at craft stores buying supplies to build various models for their project. Coleman Coker is the Director of Design Lab at the UT Austin School of Architecture.

This is a project we have to do in a very short time. Ten weeks from the first day to the last day. It will be an interesting summer for these students.

Working closely with park rangers, the students’ assignment is to design and build a new educational pavilion for the park, which also provides some of the only shade on the park’s bay side.

They’ll be camping very close to where they’re going to build. It gets them immersed in the climate they’re going to be working within. The mission of the Design Lab is to try to increase ecological literacy, particularly of the coastal environment.

Watch the process this week on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS. Check your local listings.

We receive support in part from RAM Trucks: Built to Serve.

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

TPW TV: Educating the Educators

Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
Project Wild

Project Wild

This is Passport to Texas

On any given Saturday, someone in Texas is probably getting trained in Project Wild. Kiki Corey oversees the program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Project WILD is professional development for educators to help them teach about wildlife and wildlife issues.

Susan Campbell, Education Coordinator for the San Antonio Natural area, says Project WILD isn’t jut about learning the science of nature.

[Susan] You can also teach literacy, you can teach mathematics, you can teach social studies.

[Kiki] The Project WILD activities are experience-based. Regardless of the level of your students, everyone in the class will have shared the same experience with the content and then the teacher has something to work from.

See Project WILD in action on the TPW TV series.

The bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountain. He ate the fish on the mountain, as much as he could eat.

Watch Educating the Educators, the week of June 23, on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS. Check your local listings.

Out series receives support in part from RAM Trucks: Built to Serve.

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