Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

February always brings with it the promise of spring and… fishing…Louie Bond is Editor of TPW magazine, and she says the February issue celebrates freshwater fishing.

53—We’re going to have an entire issue that focuses on freshwater fishing. And, we’ll take you on a trip fishing for trout in the Guadalupe. We stock lots of trout and it makes for some very exciting fishing. We’ll take a look at ShareLunkers and what might be the hotspot this year for ShareLunkers. Can’t make any promises when it comes to fishing, but Larry Hodge always seems to know where the big fish are lurking and he’s predicting O.H. Ivy is ready for a good run of ShareLunkers this year. And then, we’ll also take a look at what might be a lot of our readers first fishing experience—fishing for crappie—with Paul Cañada. And we’ll take a special look with Kat Hunter at Toledo Bend reservoir, from a granddaughter’s perspective—interviewing her grandmother and her grandmother’s friends about the beginnings of that lake and the impact it’s had on their lives. So, Cecilia, you get a line, I’ll get a pole and I’ll meet you down at the fishing hole.

Thanks Louie.

You can read recent articles from the magazine online, and even subscribe, at www.tpwmagazine.com.

We record our series at the Production Block Studios in Austin, Texas. Joel Block engineers our program.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

As we begin this New Year, consider how you think of and use water.

03—We need to be doing a whole lot more to conserve water.

Andrew Sansom, is a research professor of geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, and author of the field guide, Water in Texas.

15—Cities like San Antonio and El Paso, have reduced their water consumption per capita by as much as 40%, whereas, in other cities in Texas, water consumption is continuing to grow. And, in the years ahead, that won’t be economically acceptable.

Sansom says all water conservation begins at home.

17—We need to be conscious of water every time we turn on the tap, every time we brush our teeth, every time we decide to water our lawn or wash our cars. I know that sounds trite, but the fact is that it’s part of the consciousness that, I think, we need to evolve in order to address the problem.

As we develop our water consciousness, Sansom stresses to keep wildlife in mind.

21—One of the great struggles of the next 25 years is going to be to make sure that as we accommodate new growth in Texas: new industry, additional agriculture and all the rest. That we remember that there are fish and animals that depend on that water supply as well, and we cannot abandon them, because they are so much a part of our life and culture here in Texas.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series, and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Andrew Sansom, a research professor of geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, and author of Water in Texas, is passionate about this vital resource.

08—Water is life. We can’t do without it. We can go without food for several weeks, but we can’t live without water for two or three days.

Water will be the defining natural resource issue of the twenty-first century, exacerbated by a predicted doubling of our population by 20-40. Sansom says at the heart of the issue is the rural/urban dynamic.

32—Cities like San Antonio are desperate to take more supplies out of the Edwards Aquifer to meet growing population. While at the same time, communities downstream, like Victoria and Seguin on the Guadalupe, are dependent on flows out of the springs that feed the river systems. Dallas and Forth Worth area, want to build new reservoirs in East Texas, whereas, in those rural areas, people want to continue to farm and graze and raise crops and timber. So, there’s a conflict growing between urban and rural interest

Tomorrow: making a difference.

04—First and foremost, we need to be doing a whole lot more to conserve water.

Find information about Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Water Communication Initiative at www.texasthestateofwater.org… sponsored in part by Harte Research Institute and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

In Texas, water will be the defining natural resource issue of the twenty-first century—in no small part due to the over appropriation of our state’s rivers.

05—Meaning, there’s more water permitted to be withdrawn from them than is actually in them.

Andrew Sansom is a research professor of geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, and author of Water in Texas. Sansom says current predictions indicate the state’s population will double by 20-40.

12—So, unless we find a way to save water, or produce additional water, we’re going to have a real resource crisis in our state in the next fifteen to twenty years.

Of course, he does not mean we must literally “create” water. He’s referring to making it available to end users.

20—Traditionally, that has been—in our state—the creation of reservoirs. We have over 214 reservoirs in Texas, which were made by human beings, for the purpose of capturing available water supplies and making them available. So, it’s not so much a matter of creating it, as it is capturing it is for our use.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore the role water plays in the urban/rural dynamic.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Conservation Program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Austin’s Camp Fire USA Balcones Teens in Action recently eradicated invasive plants from Griffin School and Waller Creek and replaced them with native plants that are better for the natural environment.

The project was a part of the Texas Healthy Habitat’s program, and Campfire Team Program Manager Lavert Rodgers says it was a huge success.

After we put in the plants, it really looked pretty good. It looks natural, and that’s the best way I can say it because it looks like it works there.

And beauty wasn’t the only benefit.

There was actually a lot of wildlife that returned to that area, which was kind of neat. In the beginning there wasn’t much wildlife but then we started seeing some different insects, some different birds, and even in the little creek area there were some fish that started to come back.

The project’s student leader Dung Le (Yoong, Ley) is a senior at Griffin School. She says she learned a lot from the project.

Now I am able to identify the invasive plants, at least the major ones in Texas. That’s not something everybody knows and I’m glad I am able to do it.

As it turns out, you can combine conservation, education and fun.

That’s our show… the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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