Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

When 19th century Texans wanted bacon or sausage, they had to make it–starting with raising the pig. See how it’s done when you visit the Sauer Beckman Living History Farm February 6 for their German Smokehouse Secrets demonstration.

This event, we actually go into not only the curing of bacon and sausage, but they also do some other German food that may not be familiar to everyone.

Iris Neffendorf is manager of the LBJ SP and Historic Site and the Sauer Beckmann Living History Farm in Johnson City in the Hill Country.

We decided this year that because of the interest in the past, that we would go ahead and offer this one-day activity, focused heavily on outdoor processing and nineteen hundred food preparations that relate to German traditions on a German farm.

People concerned about where food comes from and how animals are raised will appreciate this demonstration, says Neffendorf.

People are turning a lot more to organic gardening and organic animals and farmyard eggs. So this is what you have here at the living history farm is homegrown, or what we call now, organic types of food.

It’s free to attend the February 6 German Smokehouse Secrets demonstration at the Sauer Beckman Living History farm. Find details on the TPW website.

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

February 6, 2010 — Lyndon B. Johnson SP&HS — Old Time German Smokehouse Secrets — Experience some of the 1900s meat processing methods used on an old German farm. Watch the curing of bacon and the art of stuffing of sausage. Visit with interpreters at the farm on methods and ways of handling foods and compare them to today’s techniques. Then tour the buildings and houses where you’ll find a wood stove used daily by park interpreters. Accessible for the mobility, visually and hearing impaired. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (830) 644-2252.

German Smokehouse Secrets Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Since 2002, twenty-six thousand derelict crab traps have been hauled from Texas bays.

Through our program we have documented over forty species of organisms that are caught in these traps that include game fish, and commercially important fish, and even Diamond back terrapins which are a species of special concern.

That’s Art Morris is a biologist with Coastal Fisheries. He says Parks and Wildlife is gearing up for the annual Crab Trap clean up, February 19-28. Volunteers are needed.

Anybody can volunteer, however, we primarily need people with boats, and particularly air boats. But there are jobs for people that don’t have a boat. We need people to unload boats; we need people to maybe sometimes to go out with people that will have crew members to go out with them. We’ll provide gloves; we’ll have tarps for boats. You don’t need to sign up for anything. We would like you to call ahead of time so we can get an estimate of how many people are going to come to that site. Most of our work’s going to be done in San Antonio bay, north, because that’s where most of the crabbing effort goes on. But anybody can volunteer, and they can do it on their own—anytime from February 19 through 28th.

The main cleanup event is February 20 from 8:00 to noon; check the TPW website for details. Morris warns to remove traps only during Feb. 19-28 as it is illegal all other times as traps are private property.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Abandoned Crab Trap Cleanup Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

There are ghosts in the gulf that silently trap and kill thousands of marine species annually.

They are a perpetual trapping machine. When something gets caught in there, it has nothing to eat and it dies, and it becomes bait and it attracts other fish and other organisms.

That’s Art Morris…ghost buster. Actually, he’s a biologist with Coastal Fisheries. The entities he’s after are abandoned crab traps…adrift in the gulf…ghost fishing.

And one of the key things about this, because they’re targeting for crabs, that’s the number one species that we see—the targeted organisms is what we’re losing to these derelict traps.

Weather and vandalism are the primary reasons why traps end up adrift, indiscriminately ensnaring crustaceans and other sea life. Morris says since 2002, twenty-six thousand of these A.W.O.L. traps have been hauled from Texas bays.

A single trap can kill 26 blue crabs per trap per year. And we can extrapolate those numbers out and we estimate somewhere in the area of half million blue crabs are saved through this program alone—or have to date.

Morris hasn’t removed these traps alone—he’s had a lot of help from volunteers during annual crab trap clean ups. Your chance to help rid the gulf of ghost fishing happens later this month…and we’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Abandoned Crab Traps Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Seminole Canyon SP and Historic site in far west Texas is, for many, off the beaten path…in more ways than one.

We really don’t get too many people [visiting], and so it’s kind of odd to have an atlatl competition. And you have to be kind of off the wall to even know what an atlatl is.

What are you, then, if you take part in the 3rd Annual Archeolympics—a kind of pre-historic hunter competition—at this out of the way park? To park ranger and Interpreter, Tanya Petruney, that makes you an archeolympian. She tells us about the event planned for February 6.

It is a primitive skills competition, which consists of the atlatl, which is an ancient spear thrower…the rabbit stick, which is a boomerang like weapon used for small game, such as rabbits, and our friction fire starting competition.

At 4-thousand years old, the park boasts the oldest pictographs in North America, making it the ideal place to get in touch with your inner caveman.

All ages are welcome in the competition. You have to register; and if you do not feel like being in any of the competitions, we do offer public demonstrations, which will be the atlatl and rabbit stick, flint napping, friction fire starting, cordage making from native plants, and replica artifacts of this area.

There is a $3.00 per person Entrance Fee, and winners receive prizes. Find details about the February 6 Archeolympics at Seminole Canyon SP and Historic site, on the TPW website.

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

February 6, 2010 — Seminole Canyon SP&HS — 3rd Annual Archeolympics — Step back into prehistory and compete in this fun, primitive skills event. Open to all skill levels, try your hand at atlatl spear throwing, rabbit stick throwing and a fire starting race. Demonstrations and displays of prehistoric technologies will be available for all to see. Call for rules and regulations. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (432) 292-4464.

Seminole Canyon: Archeolympics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

This month the Texas parks and Wildlife Television series puts the spotlight on our fine feathered friends. Series producer, Don Cash.

A couple of things we’re going to look at early in the month of February…we’re going to look at the current situation with bobwhite quail—which is a very popular bird and a very good sporting bird. And we’re going to look at ways that landowners working with our department to manage their land for better quail populations.

We’re trying to create a situation where there’re more native grasses, and less of your introduced coastal type grasses.

We’re also going to take a look at the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trails. The department has three brochures: upper coast, central coast, lower coast… And these are really handy brochures that birders can use to decide what they want to see, where they want to see it, and when they want to go see it.

Later in the month, we’re going to take a look at the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, which was extinct, but in 2005 may have been found again in Arkansas. One of our producers followed a group of researchers in East Texas—in the Big Thicket—for six months as they looked for any signs of the extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker.

If there was a bird out there, it would have to rely on a whole lotta luck if it happened to be where we were.

So, the television show in February has lots of birds, and maybe it will help our viewers get ready for that spring birding season.

Thanks, Don.

Find a list of stations airing the series on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

TPW-TV: Birding Play Now | Play in Popup | Download