Passport to Texas

[Aquarena Wetlands Podcast]

(recorded wetland chorus) Welcome to the Aquarena Center Wetlands Walk! Your tour is presented in six zones. Look for the zone numbers as you proceed through the wetland. When you hear the water drop (recorded water drop), stop your player and proceed to the next zone.
Zone One. What exactly is a wetland? Well, a wetland is an area of land that is either permanently or sporadically wet with shallow water or contains soil that is permanently or sporadically saturated. The combined area of the land and water supports a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions. Wetlands are part of the Natural Water System of Texas—a collection of aquifers, springs, rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, bays and estuaries all ultimately leading to the Gulf of Mexico. This interactive system is sustainable only if viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. This wetland at Aquarena Center is located in the Sink Creek Watershed. A watershed is an area of land that transports water to the lowest point in the landscape— often a lake, river, or stream. Every piece of land, then, is part of a watershed and wetlands are essential to its health for reasons you are about to discover. Scientists are even finding that wetlands help moderate global climate by storing carbon in their plants and soil. So, thanks to wetlands, this wetlands walk has many exciting things to teach us, including how we affect the health of our water, and more importantly what we can do to protect it. Enjoy! (recorded water drop)

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Acquiring outdoors knowledge and skills need not be painful or joyless. Steve Hall is Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Director of Education.

One of our most popular topics is outdoor survival and first aid. And of course that can apply to a camper, a mountain biker, a boater, what have you. We have a wealth of programs in education and outreach for anybody who just wants to learn more about safety, the outdoors, shooting sports.

So we have other types of programs and other audiences that we try to reach in those cases.

Find more information about outdoor educational opportunities on our website at passporttotexas.org.

While you’re there, click on the tab for Outdoor Stories and share your favorite memory of time spent in the great Texas outdoors.

That’s our show…made possible by the Wildlife Restoration program… helping to increase hunting and shooting opportunities in Texas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration program

Hunting licenses go on sale next month. And if you’re a new hunter, or new to Texas, taking a hunter education class will prepare you for the seasons ahead.

Hunter education teaches hunting safety, skills and responsibility. And mandatory hunter education, taught over the course of a weekend, became law in 1988.

Steve Hall, Parks and Wildlife’s Director of Education, says hunter education is the first step in a lifelong pledge to safety and sportsmanship.

Hunter education is actually targeting those aged 12 through 16 years of age. And that’s kind of the way the law is designed. It’s to try to get them early enough in their hunting process to make a difference.

So we help them to understand safety first of all, but also their image. And that’s the kind of thing we try to teach.

Hunter education classes are ongoing statewide. Find classes near you by visiting our passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…made possible by the Wildlife Restoration program… helping to increase hunting and shooting opportunities in Texas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Sometimes tragedy makes us appreciate the people and things around us. During Hurricane Rita and Katrina, Game Wardens worked tirelessly to help restore communities hit by the storms.

Major Rolly Correa, Region 9, explains how these highly trained men and women have finally gained well-deserved recognition across the Lone Star State and beyond.

I think within the past few years we’ve really been able to show the public and people just what we really do. It’s always been a covert thing- it’s working behind the scenes.

When Hurricane Rita and Katrina came into play they saw us working the rescue operations and getting out there into the field. People realize that ‘Wow, they are a viable force to deal with and help in emergency situations and things of that nature.’

Game Wardens protect our state from daily tribulations, and are always there when needed…

It’s opened a lot of eyes and I think that people now realize that Game Wardens are commissioned peace officers that will respond to the calls from the Sheriff, Police Chief who needs assistance. We will be there with the equipment and highly trained officers and professional people that will assist in anything we do.

You can find more information about Game Wardens on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…. for Texas Parks and Wildlife… I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Hummingbirds are small, colorful and fast. Mark Klym, Hummingbird Roundup coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife, offers additional interesting tidbits about this bird.

Most hummingbirds, their wing speed, at about 70 to 72 beats per second. And people just can’t imagine that –moving your arms at 72 times a second [admit it, you flapped your arms]. They can also hover. They can fly backward, which not many birds can do. Once they find a feeder they are very aggressive at keeping other birds out. And mostly during migration season. And the reason for that is if you just walked 25-hundred miles you’d be very protective of your food source, too.

Being a fast flyer does not keep this creature out of harm’s way. Klym says it is interesting to note that the biggest threats to hummingbirds include clean windows and cats…but the threats do not stop there.

Hummingbirds have a lot of other predators. Praying mantis – people don’t think of them as a threat to a hummingbird but they will certainly take a hummingbird. Spiders will take a hummingbird. Snakes, roadrunners, wrens…there’s a number of species that will take a hummingbird. Of course, other than your front window and the cats, most of them, the hummingbirds have evolved around and so they will usually escape.

We have links to more information about hummingbirds on our website. Visit us at: passorttotexas.org.

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

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