Passport to Texas

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

Hurricane Ike rendered Texas coastal communities, neighborhoods, and the surrounding landscape unrecognizable.

Hurricane Ike did a lot of damage. Not only structural damage to the people who lost their homes, to the ranchers—and also did a lot of devastation to habitat.

Habitat losses, particularly those to wetlands, were substantial. Yet, Parks and Wildlife waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says, not all is lost.

You look down the road a few years, and I think you’re going to see some benefits from this hurricane. One of the things that you see that we have been fighting and struggling for several years with invasive species—noxious weeds that we just could never get a holt of. Well, guess what? You put salt in those systems, and they’re dead.

Winter forage for migrating waterfowl also went the way of the noxious weeds.

There’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them. But, this storm did a lot of good from the perspective that you’ve seen through time, things [open wetlands] close in. With all the high salinities now, it’ll kill all that vegetation. The seed base is still there, so the important plants that ducks need are still going to be available because the seed base is still in that substrate; that’ll rebound.

Morrison says all we need now is rain to flush out the systems so nature’s recovery can begin.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands 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 Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Because of our quality habitat, Texas is the winter destination of migrating waterfowl traveling through the central flyway.

And those birds are scattered from the High Plains all the way to the Laguna Madre.

Everything changes this winter; waterfowl will have to scatter farther a field because of habitat devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike along the Texas coast.

The devastation was tremendous, particularly in the mid to upper coast. Add to the fact there’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them.

Waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says we will have ducks in Texas this winter, although their distribution will change. Waterfowl season goes on as usual, but hunters must be flexible.

From a duck hunting perspective, there is a lot that people need to consider simply because the devastation was tremendous. So, people that are used to going out duck hunting, used to following this canal, this trail, to where their hunting lease is—that thing may have barbed wire fences across it, there may be barges out there…there’s going to be debris from all the people that lost their homes. There’s going to be a lot of things that people are going to have to contend with if they want to go hunting.

Tomorrow: something positive from the storm.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Game Wardens were on the front lines, ready to help, when Hurricane Ike roared into Texas.

We’ve got some people that don’t even have but one set of clothes. That’s all they left with. The storm surge was terrible here. It covered half the country. We’ve got debris everywhere. It’s an ecological disaster.

Bobby Jobes is a Game Warden stationed in Chambers County.

One call that we got was a resident that had left Crystal Beach, and he was in contact with two elderly ladies—one was a diabetic. After an hour of my Captain, Rod Ousley, talking to them, they finally agreed to come out. The oldest lady was 89 years old. [SFX—Blackhawk helicopter] We got them to a highway, and managed to flag down an Army Blackhawk helicopter, and got them evacuated.

Game wardens—like Officer John Fiest—work where they live, and had homes that lay in shambles from the storm even as they helped others to safety. Being a peace officer is more than a mere job to these dedicated men and women.

Go down to the fishing villages like Oak Island, Smith point. Just unbelievable devastation. Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Gilchrist—just absolutely unbelievable. It’s so emotional that you just…uh…It’s heart wrenching.

Find a link to Hurricane Ike updates at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…our thanks to Karen Loke for her help with this story… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Wildlife artist, Albert Faggard, stands near the open truck of his car, holding a framed painting of a bird.

That’s a Belted Kingfisher. They’re, they’re common around here and up in Anahuac.

Faggard, who lives in Gilchrest—a town his grandfather helped to settle—lost everything in Hurricane Ike.

And there’s six generations of family history completely erased.

He and others took shelter on High Island to brave the storms and wait for help.

[air boat] The great state of Texas’ game wardens were the first people to his this island to relieve us an bring us water and MREs and start checking on us. And that says a lot for, uh, the Texas Parks and Wildlife and the game wardens.

Gilchrest is Faggard’s family home, and he plans to continue the legacy.

I’m sure we will build back down in Gilchrest; we’ve been doing it for almost a hundred years. And this ain’t the first rodeo down here. [motor running]

We’ll have another story on the aftermath of Hurricane Ike tomorrow.

We’ve got debris everywhere. It’s an ecological disaster.

We have additional information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…our thanks to Karen Loke for her help with this story… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

If you’re looking for a state park to visit this fall, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Television show is here to help. Series producer, Don Cash.

So, November, we’re hitting a state park every week like we always do. One of the state parks is Lockhart State Park just south of Austin. They’ve even got a nine-hole golf course there that’s great.

We’re going to go to Purtis Creek State Park near Athens, Texas. And, it’s famous for fishing, but they’ve also got a very nice paddling tour.

We’re going to go to Choke Canyon State Park. It’s about halfway between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

(bird call) You can view the birds. You catch the fish (there we go), and you can relax and just enjoy nature at its best.

The last state park we go to in November is Copper Breaks State Park, and it’s pretty close to the Red River up in North Texas, just up near Quanah, Texas. They’ve got part of the Texas longhorn herd there.

We do a program on Friday and Saturday called Meet the Longhorns. There’s two of them that will eat out of your hand, and one will even offer to give you a big kiss. Now, this isn’t just any cow slobber you’re going to get on you. This is authentic Texas state longhorn slobber. That felt weird.

Fall is a great time to get out to a state park in Texas. And, I hope everybody gets out there and enjoys it like I do.

So do I, Don. We have a list of stations that air the series at passporttotexas.org.

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

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