Louisiana black bear cub, image courtesy www.edf.org

By 1900, Louisiana black bear were as good as gone from East Texas.

15- About that time, or in the late 1800s, as East Texas became more and more settled, black bears were essentially killed out by unregulated hunting and the expansion of farms, towns, cities, roads, etc.

Dave Holdermann is a wildlife diversity biologist working out of Tyler, who keeps track of this federally threatened species.

11— Today we see a few bears venturing out of neighboring states back into Texas, but we have no indication that there’s a breeding population of black bears in East Texas.

The bears entering Texas from neighboring states are likely the sub species Americana or American Black Bear. Parks and Wildlife will carefully monitor and manage natural colonization of the species in East Texas.

22— If bears come into this region – most likely from Arkansas or Oklahoma – we’re going to monitor that process and attempt to deal with any problems that might arise between bears and people. But, we would not intercede, necessarily, to eliminate those bears. So, we would allow that natural colonization process.

How you can help biologists keep track of black bears in Texas – that’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration project supports our series.

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

Image courtesy of http://blue.utb.edu/jasonproject/photos.html

Cut off from gulf waters, Bahia Grande, a unit of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, changed from productive tidal wetland to nuisance dust bowl. The tide started to turn for this basin with the new millennium.

13 – It was not until 2000 when the Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the land surrounding the Bahia Grande Basin that you could start doing something—because the Fish and Wildlife Service was very supportive of restoring the area.

John Wallace Deputy Project Leader South Texas Refuge Complex says the process of re-hydrating Bahia Grande continues.

13 – Restoring ten thousand acres takes quite awhile. We have had to go through an environmental assessment—public hearings—to just make sure what we were planning to do in restoring it was not going to cause some kind of impact.

Wallace says when fully restored, humans and wildlife will benefit.

21 – Besides just reducing the blowing dust, it’s going to increase the number of marine organisms in the area: anything from larval fin fish, to shrimp, to blue crabs that are already in the area. And when we have it fully restored it’s going to do nothing more than become a nice estuarine area to benefit wildlife.

The Wildlife and Sport fish Restoration Program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

Bahia grande Map, Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Bahia Grande, the largest tidal wetland restoration project in the state of Texas, is getting closer to completion.

10 – A tidal wetland is normally a coastal wetland that is influenced by the daily tide cycle that would basically push or pull water into that system on a daily basis.

John Wallace, Deputy Project Leader South Texas Refuge Complex, says construction of the Brownsville Ship Channel in the 1930s effectively cut off Bahia Grande from the gulf.

09 – The spoil from that ship channel was piled on the north side, and it blocked off those natural channels that allowed water to flow into the Bahia Grande.

Without water, the basin dried up, and eventually became a nuisance to local residents and businesses whenever prevailing winds came from the southeast.

26 – Normally on a coastal area with prevailing winds, you would get winds ten to twenty miles an hour every day. And these winds would pick up that real fine clay dust, and blow it to the north and northwest. And the local communities north of there were suffering from this blowing dust. It was impacting people that had breathing problems. The local schools, their air-conditioning systems, it was getting into the classrooms. So, it was a major concern for the local communities.

Solving the problem…that’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

Outdoor family fun

How will kids occupy themselves now that school’s out? Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier has a few ideas.

57 –Kids have had the calendar for a long time; school is out for summer vacation. And to your point: what do you do? Where do you take them? Where are safe places that are family oriented? Where are places that are reasonably priced? Where can they go frequently? What can we do so that they’re just not watching TV and playing video games? Think about a state park. I would recommend getting a state park pass, and you’ve got the summer covered, whether that’s swimming, hiking, biking, or fishing. It’s an unlimited amount of outdoor recreation, education, something just as simple as a leisurely hike near a creek in a state park, or something that’s planned as a family get together or a weekend. We have the spectrum of outdoor recreation experiences. This summer can be action packed with lots of different things in a state park.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find outdoor adventures 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.

Image courtesy TPWD

If you plan on operating a boat this summer—or any time—get to know items important to keep on board for safety while underway.

13—You should have a sound producing device, and you should have a life jacket for person that’s on board. If you’re boating at night, you should have the proper lights—that are working—and we suggest a first aid kit.

Tim Spice, manager of boater education for Parks and Wildlife, says anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 is required to take boater education.

21—We cover lots of different things, including safety aspects of boating; the different types of vessel you may have; the rules of the road; the required equipment. Again, everyone on board a vessel needs to have a lifejacket that’s accessible. We define what accessible means by law so that you don’t get in trouble when you’re on the water and a game warden stops to give you a boating safety check.

In addition, filing a float plan that tells folks on shore where you’ll be and when you plan to return will be vital if an emergency occurs while you’re on the water. Operating a boat has a different set of rules than driving a vehicle.

10—There’s no lines on the road; there’s no speed limits, per se. There are different signs and things you have to look out for that are very different than you would in your car.

By taking a boating safety course—which you can do online or in a classroom setting—you’ll learn what those rules.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and works to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Boating with Safety in Mind

Over the past couple of years, low lake levels from the drought kept many boats and other watercraft in dry dock, but thanks to spring rains…

02—We have a lot more water now, so the lakes have changed.

That’s good news as we approach Memorial Day weekend —the unofficial start of summer boating season.

More water means easier, safer navigation of lakes, says Tim Spice, manager of boater education for Parks and Wildlife. Being savvy about safety also keeps everyone protected when on the water.

31—We can identify two major factors that you as a boater can affect in how you operate a vessel, and the things that you do in and around the water. One is wear a lifejacket. Eighty percent of those people that die from falling in the water would be alive if they had a life jacket on. And then the second thin you can do is to not drink alcohol. Alcohol affects your judgment, and you can lose your driver’s license—your vehicle driver’s license—the court can take that away from you if you are found guilty of boating while intoxicated.

On tomorrow’s show the rules of the road as they pertain to boating, and what items you need to have on board before setting sail.

07—The rules on the road are all designed based on the type of vessel and the maneuverability of the vessel.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and works increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

Wondering what you’ll discover on a visit to the Texas coast?

02—There’s always something new and surprising.

Writer… Melissa Gaskill…should know. She grew up on the coast and although she lives in Austin now, she’s a frequent visitor to her old stomping grounds. She says if you steer clear of the Texas’ sandy shores because you’re looking for something more tranquil…you need to check out her article in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

19—[In] Port Aransas you’ve got the busy beach, [but] you can get on a ferry and ride over to St. Joe Island, and walk off and be all by yourself. You can do that at Sea Rim; you can do that on Matagorda Island, and you can even do it in Matagorda County on the Beach, or South Padre island, where you can go down past where all the people are and just keep on going.

Melissa says wildlife viewing, dining, kayaking, swimming, and fishing just scratch the surface of the activities awaiting coastal visitors…activities such as instruction on sandcastle-making taught by experts.

16— It’s a class you pay for. You typically get an hour with one of these people; they’re on the beach – that’s where the sand is. And they’ve got all the tools. You’re usually under a little shady tarp. The place I went, they gave you a drink. And they start showing you from the basics up; over that hour, you build something pretty impressive.

Check out Melissa Gaskill’s article, titled Go Coastal in the June issue of Texas parks and Wildlife magazine.

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

Image courtesy of www.destination360.com

Writer Melissa Gaskill is never at a loss for things to do on the Texas coast.

09—I spent my middle school and high school years on the beach; I have spent my adult life all along the coast. Believe it or not, that article only scratches the surface.

The article Melissa’s referring to is one she wrote for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine titled: Go Coastal. It’s a compendium of diverse activities.

10—I just made a list right off the top of my head and sent it to the editor and said, ‘how does this look?’ and she goes ‘great!’ And we refined it a little bit, but for the most part these are things that I’ve been doing my entire life and loving.

Melissa says the first place to start a coastal visit is on the beach…but you needn’t stay there.

26—There are places to hike… you can get in a kayak; a kayak is a wonderful way to explore. You can charter a boat, you can go offshore. You can go out on a fishing pier. There are all of the touristy things: you can go to the pier and ride a Ferris wheel, you can go to a restaurant, sit out on the deck and feed fish– that sort of thing. Or you can go off the beaten path: ride a horse, kayak, or hike off into some pretty remote areas.

Melissa Gaskill returns tomorrow and shares more about her Go Coastal article for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Funding for the show’s provided in part by RAM Trucks: Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

TPW Magazine: Going Coastal

This is Passport to Texas

With summer looming, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine editor, Louie Bond, says the June issue of the magazine is going coastal.

58 – We are going coastal in June. Melissa Gaskill is going to take us on a grand tour of the coast. Melissa is one of those writer’s who’s been everywhere and done everything – so we thought she was the perfect person to tell us what the best things to do on the coast are. And that’s everything from kayaking to birding to fishing to swimming to riding your horses on the beach – there’s just a million things to do. There are great aquariums; great food to eat… there’s lots of recreation whether you’re quiet or an adventurous daredevil. So, we’re taking everybody down to the coast this month. Of course, there is one danger of living on the coast, and that’s hurricanes. So, our own Lance Robinson takes a look at the damage after hurricane Ike. It’s hidden damage; it’s salt marshes and oyster beds. And it takes a long time for those to recover. But there have been some great efforts made to help those get back to their natural health. And he’ll help us see how they’re recovering. So get on your flip flops and come to the beach with us this month.

Thanks, Louie.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series and funds coastal conservation and fisheries projects in Texas.

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

Caddo Lake

Abundant water and huge old cypress trees makes Caddo Lake ideal wildlife habitat.

06 – Caddo Lake is the mother load for several species of neo-tropical migrants.

Cliff Shackelford is a non-game ornithologist stationed in Nacogdoches. The prothonotary warbler, northern parula, and yellow-throated warbler flock to Caddo.

17 – A dawn chorus of those warblers singing is quite a neat thing. It’s good to be out in a boat, a canoe, a kayak, something where you can get out in the middle of the swamp to hear these things—they’re just loud and explosive. It’s really refreshing to hear things like that singing in the morning.

But warblers aren’t the only creatures that make use of Caddo’s resources. Vanessa Adams is the area biologist at the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area. And says you’ll find white-tailed deer and…

14 – We unfortunately do have feral hog, but that is a huntable population, of course. We see several species of ducks. You’ll see wood duck year round. We get mallards; we have other unusual ducks. In fact, we’ve had white bellied whistling ducks nest here.

There’s more information about Caddo lake on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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