Passport to Texas

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

Texas’ beloved horny toad is the subject of an ongoing citizen science project called Texas Horned Lizard Watch, where volunteers collect data about this vanishing Texas icon.

It’s been going on for ten years now. So we’ve gotten some wonderful information from people – all across the state – about how horned lizards are doing.

Lee Ann Linam coordinates the program. Among other uses, the data helps biologists like Linam establish predictors of horned lizard decline.

Our horned lizard watch data, that our volunteers put together, show that in fact, that the presence of fire ants is kind of the strongest predictor as to whether or not you’ll find horned lizards at a site. And, of course, it’s generally not a good relationship.

Red harvester ants are horned lizard’s food of choice — but good luck finding them when fire ants are around.

Fire ants often drive out native ant species; they feed on small vertebrates, especially animals that lay their eggs in the ground.

There’s a new opportunity for people wanting to participate in Texas Horned Lizard Watch.

If they’re interested in the survey project in cemeteries they can get in touch with us.

Spooky…we’ll have details on surveying horned lizards in cemeteries tomorrow. That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… working to increase conservation efforts in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Battleship TEXAS — permanently anchored in Buffalo Bayou — is the last remaining Dreadnaught warship.

That’s a type of battleship that came about in the early nineteen hundreds.

Andy Smith is superintendent of the Battleship TEXAS State Historic site. The ship’s keel was laid in 1911; it was launched in 1912.

We’re looking at almost a hundred year old battleship that is still around, and it’s the only one like it left in the world.

And at nearly a hundred years old, it’s seen better days. November sixth Texans vote on sixteen constitutional amendments. Among them is proposition four — a bond issue that would provide funding for many state agencies for major capital repairs to existing facilities, including Battleship TEXAS.

There is 25-million or so — out of proposition four money — that is earmarked for the battleship. Of course our jobs as stewards of this great ship are to make it last for the next generation and generations after that. We just have not had the money recently to make the repairs like we could with that proposition four money.

The bond money would help build a dry berth. This would get the ship out of the Houston Ship Channel so it’s no longer exposed to corrosive seawater. Learn more about this unique national treasure when you visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Learn more about Proposition 4.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

November sixth, Texans vote on a number of constitutional amendments, including Proposition 4.

Proposition four is a bond issue that would provide funding for many state agencies to make major capital repairs to the facilities that are already existing out there.

Scott Boruff is Deputy Executive Director of Operations.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife it would mean approximately fifty-two million dollars in capital repair money, split evenly between the Battleship Texas, which is in desperate need of some significant repairs, and the rest of the system.

Repairs to the rest of the state park system will include wastewater systems, restrooms, new roofs and other capital repairs.

The proposition four issue we believe will be about one billion dollars – with a b. Of which, only fifty-two million is for Parks and Wildlife. And so, it’s a pretty small percentage of the overall bond issue. I do think parks involvement in bond issues have driven the proposals in the past. And, parks are popular and it is one of those things that I think helps get people out to vote.

Next time — how proposition four would make monies available for the Battleship Texas.

That’s our show for today… 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

Calling a brown-headed cowbird a cowbird, is a misnomer as far as biologist Marsha May is concerned.

I think they should be called bison birds, and not cowbirds, because they evolved with the bison.

Semantics aside, the bird’s habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests can cause the decline of species with small populations, such as the endangered Black-capped Vireo. Additional species are also impacted.

Woodland species are now being impacted by brown-headed cowbirds, because we’ve fragmented the woods. Previously those woodland species were protected by the woods. Now that it’s fragmented, the cowbirds are getting into that habitat, and they’re parasitizing birds that have never historically been parasitized before.

The cowbird is in the blackbird family. The male has a black body and brown head, while the female is mottled brown and gray. Want to intervene on songbirds’ behalf.

You can actually become certified in Texas to trap for cowbirds, and that’s mainly during the breeding season, between March first and May thirty-first. And, mainly you’re trying to trap the females.

Information on the certification program can be found at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… funded by your purchase of shooting and hunting equipment.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Find information about the Cowbird Trapping Program when you click here.

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