Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

[Bobwhite quail call] The bobwhite quail population in Texas is decreasing due in part to habitat fragmentation caused by development.

What happens in habitat fragmentation is that you take large pieces of habitat and you cut them up into smaller and smaller pieces of habitat that are farther and farther apart.

Kyle Brazil, leader of the Audubon Texas quail and grassland bird program, helps us understand the issue of habitat fragmentation as it pertains to quail.

They don’t fly well, and they don’t move very far, in general. So, if you have one piece of habitat that is five miles away from the next nearest piece of habitat, there’s not going to be any movement between those piece of habitat. So, if you do have a quail population that goes extinct in one of those, it’s not going to be repopulated by birds from the other. In general, habitat fragmentation makes it harder for quail to persist.

Audubon Texas works with landowners to develop management strategies to preserve quail habitat in their care. Because, says Brazil, that habitat supports more than quail.

If you manage for quail, you’re also benefiting the whole suite of grassland birds and other grassland wildlife obligate species.

Learn about quail and Texas Audubon at passporttotexas.org.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Mark White, founder of Austin based Luna Kayak School, never thought his neoprene booties would serve as a tasty meal while camping on Matagorda Island.

A couple of years ago I paddled from Goose Island State Park out through Cedar Bayou into the Gulf and camped on the Southern end of Matagorda Island.

I was at a real nice campsite in the sand by myself when I heard a little rustling in the night, but I didn’t think anything of it. I got up in the morning and there were coyote tracks all around my camp and my shoes were gone. The coyote decided that my smelly, neoprene booties were something that he or she was interested in and went off with them.

So I ahead and packed up, got in my boat barefooted and paddled back through the surf to Cedar Bayou. I was surfing in back through the cut in between the islands and I looked to my right and there were two dolphins surfing the wave along with me back into Cedar Bayou.

Seeing coyotes and dolphin on the same trip–priceless. So what’s your story? Go to passporttotexas.org and submit your outdoor memory, and if we use it, we’ll send you a Life’s Better Outside t-shirt.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Camping is a great way to spend time outdoors [Crackling Flames from a Campfire] and building a campfire adds a little ‘spark’ to the experience. But before you light a match, you need a proper site and materials.

When you want to build a fire you certainly have to find a location to build it. You have to gather the material and make sure that it’s not wet. You want the ground or the level where you’re going to build the fire to be dry. You clear the leaves away and if possible, gather some rocks to make a fire ring that will contain that fire.

Terry Erwin is Hunter Education Coordinator, and says there’s a certain order to building a good campfire.

Start with a bird’s nest of material so if you put your spark in there, gather some cedar bowls or cedar bark and when you spark it, you can blow on the spark and that will enhance the fire. Start with little sticks and graduate to bigger sticks until you add twigs, grass and bark shavings and things like that on the fire to get it started. Then you can add the larger sticks and get it going at that point.

Extinguish your campfire by drenching it with water, repeating this step until all embers are dead. If an ample supply of water is not available, cover the embers with a thick layer of soil.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

When choosing the best tent for your next camping trip, first take into account the number of people going.

Dome styled tents will fit up to eight people and a minimum of two or three people. They’re the easiest to put up. They have two poles that run straight across and then you stake it down on all four corners. They are definitely the easiest to setup and take down. It takes fives minutes to setup and five minutes to take down.

Academy Sports and Outdoors camping expert J.B. Sharp says if you’re expecting a larger crowd you may opt for a cabin styled tent.

They are larger, have more head room, stand a little taller and they are also separated by rooms. Most of them have two or three rooms where you can fold down a little piece of cloth that will separate each room. These tents fit eight to 15 people.

Although a cabin style tent may seem to be the right choice, consider the wind gusts that may kick up while outdoors.

The dome styled tents are much better for wind because they’re lower to the ground. It’s designed to be more wind resistant; it has a little more curve. The cabin styled tents are a lot taller with a broader face so the wind has a lot more to catch, so there’s more of a chance of it blowing away, blowing over or snapping a pole.

We have more camping tips at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Having the necessary gear packed before heading out on your next camping adventure can ensure a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience…

Some of the basic equipment you would need is a tent, a sleeping bag, and a pillow if you like it comfortable. Some people like to use a roll-up or foam mat to put underneath the sleep bag for extra padding, maybe a canopy if you’re expecting rain so you can have somewhere dry to hang out, and if your campsite is next a lake maybe fishing poles to have fun with.

J.B. Sharp is a camping expert with Academy Sports and Outdoors. He says tent stakes are easy to forget, so pack those first. But that’s not all you should take along.

You want Off, bug repellent, food, a cooler to keep your food and drinks cold, and something to cook your food with like a mess kit.

For added safety, Sharp says never to cook food directly on a fire.

You can use a griddle. We [Academy Sports and Outdoors] sell two-sided griddles that can be used when cooking a steak- it’s going to simulate a barbeque pit. You definitely don’t want to put your food on the fire, so use a rotisserie that can go above the fire. Those are your most common ways of cooking.

Find more information about camping by visiting passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Camping 101: What to Take Camping Play Now | Play in Popup | Download