Passport to Texas

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

Fishing is a very family oriented activity.

That’s why it will be featured prominently at this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, October 4 and 5. Ron Smith with Inland fisheries is coordinating the new Fishing FUNdamentals area at this year’s festival. He says fishing is a multi-faceted activity.

It promotes conservation, stewardship, time with the family, time with good friends, time outdoors. All of the things that Parks and Wildlife represents, fishing has a big part in.

It used to be folks interested in fishing had to go to several locations around Expo grounds to get their questions answered—but not this year!

This time we’re going to try to bring everything into one place. So that someone at Expo—if they have any kind of question whatsoever about fishing—or are interested in any kind of fishing activity, or going anywhere in Texas to go fishing, we can answer those questions in one spot.

Expo gives visitors of all ages the opportunity to actually catch a fish, and if it is your first fish, we’ll make a big deal about it. In addition, the husband and wife professional angling team of Hector and Diane de la Garza will be on hand to demonstrate techniques and answer your questions.

We have more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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

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

In less than a month, tens of thousands of visitors will converge on Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters in Austin for a weekend of outdoor enjoyment at the annual Expo. Ron Smith invites everyone to the Fishing FUNdamentals area.

Fishing fundamentals is a little bit of everything fishing.

Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is managing this area for Expo.

So, whether they haven’t fished before, or whether they’re going to try a new specialty type of fishing, or they want to just know where to go, or where the fish are biting, or about conservation, or safety—we’re going to have a little bit of everything at this booth. Hopefully, to provide them with the next step that they can take in enjoying fishing in Texas.

Visitors who come from urban areas may be surprised by what they learn at Fishing Fundamentals.

Many of the ones that live in urban areas have never been fishing and they don’t realize they may have a fishing hole right close to their home that they can get to very easily, and they don’t have to go many miles to get to a fishing spot. So, that’s one of the things that we’re trying to do—inform folks that they don’t have to go far to fish.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo is October 4 and 5 from 9-5 both days, and it’s free.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

You will meet some unusual critters in the October issue if Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Managing editor, Louie Bond.

In one feature we’re going to be talking about ringtail cats. Which are on of my favorite animals. A lot of people here in Texas actually have never seen a ringtail cat, but they’re really pretty common. It’s just being at the right place at the right time, I guess. Our author, Wendee Holtcamp, goes trying to trap some and seem them for herself. But they loaded their live trap with sardines, apples and bananas.

For example, certain species who depend on the Blackland prairies, if the Blackland prairie is disappearing, what is the future of these species. They haven’t even completed a list of what we have yet, much less of what we’re losing. So, this is probably one of the most vital subject that we cover all year long.

Thanks, Louie. The October issue is on newsstands now.

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

Texas Park and Wildlife Magazine October Update Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

We get about 20-dollars per plate. And, on average, we sell about ten thousand plates, and that generates around 200-thousand dollars a year.

Matt Wagner, program director for wildlife diversity, is talking about the horned lizard conservation license plate. The money it generates supports the projects of the wildlife action plan.

The wildlife action plan is a strategy for conserving non-game wildlife and fish.

Most wildlife in Texas is non-game and the wildlife action plan will help us to understand them better.

We’ve discovered that there’s quite a demand for our freshwater turtles in terms of their value as meat, being sold to other countries. And so we have a statewide study to look at our freshwater turtle populations. We also are putting money into the conservation of the horned lizard. We’re about the decline of the horned lizard in parts of our state. And, we have some genetic work going on, and some other population analysis going on in the state that will hopefully reveal some answers to some of those questions.

Funds also support work with landowners to restore native habitat. Learn more at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program … 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

The majority of species in Texas are non-game, and the recently completed Wildlife Action Plan is for them.

Well, the wildlife action plan is really a strategy for conserving non-game wildlife—wildlife and fish.

Matt Wagner, program director for wildlife diversity, says the action plan will help prioritize the needs among non-game species.

It took experts over about two years to compile those needs and priorities within each species group so that we can manage those species through the long term.

We have dedicated funding for game animals, but funding for the management and conservation of non-game species, and their habitat, has been scant, at best. The Wildlife Action Plan changes that.

Now that the plan has been complete, there are grants that are associated with the grant that come from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And so, Texas Parks and Wildlife gets about 3-million dollars a year. We want to take that money and it has to be matched with non-federal dollars. So, we offer it to our private partners in terms of universities and others that want to apply for grants to help address those priorities in that plan.

Find a link to a summary of the plan at our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program … For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Wildlife Action Plan, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download