Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

There’s something special about experiencing Texas from a kayak or canoe. And lucky for us, we have coastal and inland paddling trails to accommodate all levels of watery wanderlust.

07—The Texas paddling trails program began informally about a decade ago when Parks and Wildlife set up some coastal paddling trails.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. That first trail was just the beginning.

08—From that project, we now have seven coastal paddling trails in our paddling trail program. And, in March of 2006, we launched our first inland paddling trail in Luling.

Active community partners, and a thorough evaluation, are required of all would be trails – inland or coastal.

25—There are a few steps that need to happen for a paddling trail to become one of ours. And that includes a river survey to look at the water quality. Look at the wildlife, ecology, fishing opportunities that can happen along that river or bay. And then, again, meeting with the community, having a community partner that’s actively involved and interested in having paddlers come to their site. And then, developing kiosk materials, because we will have educational kiosks at every access point.

Seven new Texas Paddling Trails open to the public in the DFW area on May 10. Find information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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This is Passport to Texas

If you want to introduce children to hunting, Public Hunting coordinator, Vickie Fite, says try squirrel.

11—That’s a great place to start with a first hunting experience. They’re a large number of squirrels available, it’s a inexpensive sport, it’s one of those kind that I started doing with my grandfather when I was nine years old.

You can hunt squirrel throughout the month of May. And although squirrel makes a good first hunting experience, Fite says they’ll keep you on your toes.

11—Squirrels are a lot of fun. You have to have a lot of patience; you have to be pretty smart. They can see really great. They’re a wily little competitor out there. They’ll give you a run for your money.

You can hunt on more than a million acres of public land for the cost of a $48 public hunting permit. Fite has a suggestion if you go squirrel hunting this spring.

10—If you look in the book there are a lot of our public hunting lands that also offer a fishing opportunity, either right there on the area or in close proximity. So throw in your fishing pole and take advantage of that, too.

If you harvest a squirrel and decided to eat it…

03—Well, it tastes a lot like chicken.

Learn more about hunting opportunities on public lands on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 Texas wildlife management areas… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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