Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

[Music: Give That Man a Job…establish, and then fade under script]

A new interactive educational website designed for seventh grade students…examines depression era Texas in the 1930s… and contributions made to state parks by the Civilian Conservation Corps…the first New Deal recovery program instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Since this is geared toward seventh grade students, it had to fit within the curricular requirements that Texas teachers need to teach to. So, we basically wanted to lay out a foundation with the depression relief theme, and give students context to the New Deal programs.

Sarah Lisle is an interpretive planner with State Parks; she oversaw the project.

We talked about the Nature Lover’s movement in the United States and the whole idea of conservation. And then from there, we talk about how the CCC actually built parks in Texas, and how they helped communities at the same time.

The Linden Heck Howell Texas History Grant from Humanities Texas made this site possible.

This whole narrative is complimented by a great deal of primary sources that we were able to put together in this format, where you can view newspaper articles, and photographs, and listen to music, and watch videos. It’s just a really rich resource for teachers and students.

We have a link to the site at passporttotexas.org.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

I pledge myself for a new deal for the American people.

[Music: Happy Days are Here Again… play :03 then fade under script]

During his presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt ushered in The New Deal, a series of recovery programs to help combat the effects of The Great Depression. One such initiative, the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, was a work relief program for unemployed young men.

The CCC built many of our parks.

Sarah Lisle is an interpretive planner with State Parks. This month a new educational website, conceived of by Angela Davis in the Interpretation and Exhibits Division, goes online for seventh grade students. Funded by a grant from Humanities Texas, it focuses on the contributions of the CCC in Texas.

Humanities Texas saw that there was a real need for this era of history; students were not getting this information. So, Angela decided to come up with an interactive website that could engage seventh grade students in a fun and interactive way so that they can learn about the New Deal era, and also to go out and look at these parks that the CCC built and experience them themselves.

The first of FDR’s recovery programs established up to 70 work camps throughout the state where unemployed young men labored on conservation projects like flood control and improvements to state parks.

Learn more when you visit passporttotexas.org.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Outdoor Family Workshops, whether they take place in community parks or state parks, offer families an unparalleled opportunity to learn new skills or hone existing skills that will make any overnight camping experience one to remember.

During workshops, families work together to set up and break down camp [:03 hammering tent stakes]. Be sure to give everyone a job so the tent and campsite go up quickly.

Fishing is another weekend workshop favorite.

Oh, you’ve got a bass. Whoa, that’s huge; that’s bigger than mine, I think. Whoa, my dad’s gonna be happy.

Other activities include guided nature hikes, navigation work, trail exploration, kayaking and one of my favorites, outdoor cooking. During the workshop, coordinator, Ashley Matthews, shows families how to cook in foil packs.

We call ’em “tin turtles” in my business. One of the first tricks is to make sure you buy heavy-duty aluminum foil. The other key to this is you don’t overload your foil meal. If you put too many things in this envelope, you won’t get it cooked at the right temperature.

That’s just a taste of what to expect during a Texas Outdoor Family Workshop.

That’s our show for today, with support from Toyota. To learn about upcoming Texas Outdoor Family workshops at local parks and state parks, visit lifesbetteroutside.org. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

I think this had been a long-term goal at Texas Parks and Wildlife department to have more outreach to younger people.

Louie Bond, Managing Editor of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, says sending free subscriptions of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine to fourth grade classrooms statewide, is the latest in the agency’s outreach efforts. The magazine, which includes a new educational section called Keep Texas Wild, isn’t just for kids.

Everyone is going to have this in their issues. And we think that’s a good thing; this way families at home can study this together, and we have a lot of interesting topics. Some are as simple as predators and prey—that’s the topic of our first issue. But then, we expand into how Native Americans gave oral histories, water conservation issues, habitat…there’s a whole variety of topics, and I think a lot of these will be of interest to everyone.

In the end, the goal of Keep Texas Wild is to inspire students to develop a close bond with the natural world.

And also, to perhaps, begin those pathways to careers in the natural sciences, and art and photography, so that some day they may be the very people that they read about on these pages.

The special Keep Texas Wild section is made possible by a grant from ExxonMobil through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

This school year, fourth grade teachers have a new tool—Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Exxon Mobile generously gave us a donation to buy subscriptions for classrooms across Texas.

Managing editor, Louie Bond, says the issues will include a special section called Keep Texas Wild, which encourages curiosity about nature and conservation, using an interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond the obvious connection between nature, science and math.

How many great naturalist artists and nature photographers start out with a love of wildlife—and it’s just expressed through art. So, we want to tie in all curriculums: social studies, English, everything. In fourth grade you’re learning everything at once, so it’s really great to be interdisciplinary.

Teachers who log onto the Parks and Wildlife website will find additional resources.

Here at Texas Parks and Wildlife, we have an excellent outdoor education department, and they will be posting online some additional teacher resources for additional activities, more background information. So, if the teachers would like to expand the lesson even further, they’ll have plenty of guidance online.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation also helped make this yearlong pilot project possible.

We have additional information about Keep Texas Wild at passporttotexas.org.

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

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