Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

When satellite global positioning was the domain of the US military, GPS signals were scrambled, limiting their usefulness to civilians. On May 1, 2000, scrambling was turned off, and within days geocaching was born.

I think we’re number two in state parks for having the most number of caches.

That park is San Angelo SP in the Concho Valley, and Kurt Kemp is the superintendent there. Geocaching is an outdoor activity where participants use a GPS to locate hidden caches. And March 12 through 14, the West Texas Geocaching Association hosts their annual Texas Challenge at the park.

Registration starts Friday the 12th; the event actually starts off about nine o’clock on Saturday the 13th. They’re going to have several events—some for the kids. We’re also going to be running a tour to the bison and longhorn herd that morning. And they’re going to have the Dash for Cache that afternoon, in which you try to find as many caches as you can as quickly as possible. And that’ll all end up about five o’clock. It’s about two hours. They’ve got just all kinds of events planned to keep the weekend fun. And then they’re going to en up helping pick up trash and clean up the park on Sunday.

Kemp says he’s expecting four to five hundred people to show up. And as the park is 77-hundred acres—there’s room for everyone and their caches.

Find more information about this and other events at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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March 12–14, 2010 — San Angelo SP — Texas Challenge Weekend 2010 — The West Texas Geocaching Association will host their annual Texas Challenge geocaching event at the park. Approximately 300 plus statewide participants will compete using hand held GPS devices to discover hidden geocaches. Participants will enter through the South Shore Gatehouse.
2-9:30 PM Friday, 8:30 AM-9:30 PM Saturday and 8:30 AM-12:30 PM Sunday (325) 949-4757

 

 San Angelo SP: Texas Geochache Challenge Weekend: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The Texas Outdoor Family Program is in full swing for 2010.

We’ve got a really aggressive schedule this spring through the end of May, where we’ve actually got thirty workshops all over the state of Texas for people to come and learn about camping and learn about what you can do at a Texas state park.

Chris Holmes is the outdoor education coordinator for Texas state parks. The Outdoor Family program teaches families skills to make tent camping at state parks successful and enjoyable.

We’ve got one special program we’re really looking forward to—it’s over spring break—and its at our biggest State park: Big Bend ranch. And we realize it’s an awful lot of driving for folks to go out there for 12 hours. So, it’s actually a three day program. The families will get to canoe down the Rio Grande, and then go into the interior of the park and do some really fund, adventurous stuff out there.

The Big bend Ranch Outdoor Family event is March 25 through 28, and at the time Chris and I spoke, there were still openings available. This workshop costs $140 for the 3-day weekend, and is limited to 12 families of up to six people…however you define family.

We really don’t have a definition of family. It’s very rarely mom, dad and the two kids.

Find information at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

 

 Texas Outdoor Family @ Big Bend Ranch State Park: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

This month the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series plumbs the depths of Devil’s Sink Hole with high tech imaging…and also explores living arrangements between humans and alligators in Texas. Series Producer, Don Cash.

We’ve got some pretty interesting stories. In the middle of the month, we’ve got a story called New Wave Cave. And this is about a group from the University of Texas doing Lidar mapping, or laser mapping, of the Devil’s Sinkhole down at the Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area.

So, the objective of what we’re doing is we’re shooting a laser model to recreate the space digitally, where we can show people what its like to be at the bottom of this hole without having to drop down a hundred and fifty feet on a piece of rope.

A little later in march, we’re going to look at the American Alligator in Texas. Thirty years ago, the American alligator was on the endangered species list, and today the range is expanding. And that means that occasionally there’s going to be contact with humans.

The homeowners need to understand that they’re in alligator habitat. They just need to understand that if the alligator’s in his habitat—he won’t bother them if they don’t bother him.

So, in March we’ve got the usual wonderful array of stories: caves, alligators—you name it, we’ve got it. You should really watch.

Find information about the television Series on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

 

 TPW TV--Lydar and Big Lizards: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

[cacophony of birds] This is the ruckus you hear during spring and summer days on North Deer Island after its temporary residents—18 species of marine birds and their nestlings—set up housekeeping.

[backhoes limestone] For the past nine years, after the birds vacate in winter, the roar of backhoes spreading tons of limestone rubble along the rookery island’s shoreline replaced their calls. Coastal ecologist, Jamie Schubert.

They’re constructing a rock breakwater. And it will trip the waves, reducing the wave energies causing erosion on the island.

Pounding waves eroded the landmass, and without creating water breaks and additional nesting area, the future well-being of the island’s full-time and part-time inhabitants would be at risk.

We beefed up this side of the island with the dredge material and armored that with limestone rock. The barge wakes had kind of breeched this shoreline in here, so this project should allow this berm to reestablish with marsh vegetation, and give us a nice little marsh pond in here.

The island has been instrumental in the recovery of the Brown Pelican, and its wetland marshes provide valuable nursery habitat for shrimp, redfish and other important fish species. Preserving this rookery island means wildlife will always have a place in Texas to call home.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program…funding habitat restoration in Texas.

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

 

 North Deer Island Restoration, 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Eighteen species of birds rely on North Deer Island, near Galveston, for nesting habitat. Yet, over time, pounding waves caused by high winds and barge traffic eroded the shoreline of this natural rookery island.

Erosion really accelerated over the last four or five years. A rough estimate is [we lose] probably three to five acres a year.

That’s Bob Galloway—Houston Audubon Society’s Island Warden. Without intervention, it’s estimated the island, located next to the gulf intercoastal waterway, would decrease in size by 30% over the next 30 years. Coastal ecologist, Jamie Schubert.

This northeastern bluff is the most visually striking area of erosion. It’s been undermined by barge wakes and northerly storms blowing in waves that have undermined the bottom of the bluff and caused collapse at the top with these shrubs and other bushes falling down.

So, Audubon teamed up with Texas Parks and Wildlife and to protect the shoreline.

What this crew is doing is they’re constructing a rock breakwater, and it’ll trip the waves, reducing the wave energies that cause erosion on the island.

We’ll have more about that tomorrow.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program…funding habitat restoration in Texas.

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

 

 North Deer Island Restoration, 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download