Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Side-by-side, Bastrop and Buescher State parks have delighted outdoors enthusiasts for decades. Over the last two biennia, the legislature increased funding for all parks. Now these neighbors are getting a makeover. Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier, is here to tell us more.

The cabins and the things that we have there—they’ve gotten a lot of use over the years—and so they’ve been due for some improvements, and people are going to see renovations to those at Bastrop State Park.

Some of it’s going to be some trails and things that are going to be more ADA compliant. We’re going to renovate the bath house and the swimming pool at Bastrop State Park. So, again, we’re seeing monies from the previous two bienniums, put on the ground into real improvements and real facilities that people know and love and are going to be able to enjoy even more.

Tell us what you like about Bastrop and Buescher State Parks on our Facebook Fan page at Facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife.

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

 

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This is Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories

Waco resident, Judith Nees, is passionate about Atlanta State Park in east Texas. She calls it a hidden gem, and says it is priceless.

Atlanta State Park has so much to offer. What I liked the most was the tent camping areas were spacious enough from each other that you would never know that you even had a neighbor for the way they’re designed. The park rangers there are very knowledgeable about the historical angle of the park. It was a Caddoan settlement at one time. There are mounds there from our understanding, but they are protected from the public, and I can understand why. The park has both fire rings as well as griddles to grill on. They offer electricity and water. We noticed the restrooms are very, very nice. They each have showers in them—very clean. And it’s just a nice park settled in East Texas.

With hiking and interpretive nature trails—in addition to fishing and swimming—Judith says everyone can find something to love about Atlanta SP.

Do you have a favorite state park you want to tell us about, or outdoor experience you want to share? Go to passporttotexas.org, and click on the tab for Outdoor Stories.

That’s our show…Remember: Life’s Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

In 2006, a massive wildfire swept through Amarillo, covering over 900,000 acres of land.

Despite concerns of habitat loss, Texas Tech University researchers recently discovered that quail populations have rebounded quite well.

Basically what we found was in two years post fire, we had normal quail movement, normal nesting success and normal survival of hens.

Head researcher Dr. Brad Dabbert says the research shows biologists need to keep monitoring quail, but they don’t need to worry too much.

It helps us to understand that if wildfires do occur and are large scale that we don’t necessarily need to panic about long-term reductions in populations.

He says, in the some areas that have a lot of vegetation, controlled wildfires can create good quail habitat.

Quail are considered to like areas that do have some bare ground below the canopy of plants. They like the weeds that are encouraged by fire at the right time of year.

And controlled fires can also lessen the possibility of a wildfire. Still, wildfires can be hard to predict. Like much of nature, we’re constantly learning how to live with and manage them while keeping people and wildlife safe and sound.

That’s our show… we had research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan…the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

Flagler Ranch is 36 hundred acres of Texas Hill Country. Since George Matthews purchased it in 1992, he’s used an ecosystem management approach. Before his stewardship, the land had suffered 100 years of abuse.

03—As far as being overgrazed by cattle and sheep and goats.

Louis Scherer III manages Flagler Ranch, which he said, had too many white tail deer.

15—And through MLD3 permits, we have got the whitetails population down to one in twelve per acre. Since we’ve done that and the other management practices, our weight per animal, and antler growth has almost doubled.

Flagler Ranch is the 2010 Lone Star Land Steward eco-region award winner for the Edwards Plateau. Jerry Turrentine is a consulting biologist for the ranch.

17—We’re trying to integrate various techniques into an overall ranch management plan. We’re looking at food plots. We’re going to bring back some rare plants through some plantings. We’re going to do some reintroductions of forbes and grasses…we’re trying to be a learning area for other ranches in the plateau.

Water is vital in any ecosystem, and Joyce Moore with TPWD says Flagler Ranch has done an exemplary job of collecting it.

10—And so what the Flagler ranch has been doing, which is very innovative, is they’ve been placing these spreader dams along these drainages to capture every bit of rain that Mother nature does provide.

Learn about the Lone Star Land Steward Awards on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show; the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

Thanks to increased legislative appropriations for parks over the last two biennia, many state park sites will finally get the attention they deserve. Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier, is here to tell us more.

We’ve got Improvements and renovations at Goose Island SP, that’s a very popular park. Along the coast there, on the beach, those old picnic structures are really in need of repair and those are being repaired and fixed up.

Dangerfield SP is actually going to close for a little awhile, because it’s going to get almost a total face lift to its facilities, its campgrounds and things. And so I think people are really going to see some of their favorite parks and facilities and some of the jewels that we have be that much better—and their camping and hiking and fishing experiences will be that much more enjoyable.

Share your experiences at these parks with others when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook fan page, at Facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife.

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

 

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