Passport to Texas

State Parks: Outdoor Store Helps Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Recreational Equipment, INC—commonly known as REI—has been a valued partner of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s for years. And now they’ve gone above and beyond. Bryan Frazier has details.

66—The first thing they did was with our Texas Outdoor Family Program, one of the most popular programs that we’ve done over the last few years. They replaced the sleeping bags and the tents for that program because all of those tents that we had for that program were lost in the Bastrop Fire. What they also did in December was—at the cashier’s counter there when they check out with their merchandise—for the month of December in five stores, they simply asked people if they wanted to make a donation to parks. And by doing that for that month, they raised more than 11-thousand dollars for state parks. And all that went to Texas outdoor families to help them with that program. Most recently, they gave us 25-thousand dollars from REI Corporate to print—for the first time ever—a Texas State park Guide in Spanish. So now it’s available to a whole group of people who might have had a language barrier, but were really interested in getting out and seeing the wonderful beauty and diverse recreation tht we have in Texas. All of that made possible by REI’s involvement. Helping us do things that we otherwise simply couldn’t do, and saving taxpayers’ dollars—that we’re also stewards of. It helps us use those for other projects so that when people get to parks, their park experience is better.

Thanks, Bryan.

Funding for our show comes from Chevrolet: supporting outdoor recreation in Texas because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Outdoor Story: Sharing Nature with Loved Ones Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ask Eveline Evans about the value of spending time outdoors and she’s not shy about sharing her views.

14—It’s just a great stress reliever. It’s wonderful to get out and get away from the urban areas, and enjoy the trees and the streams. I mean, it’s just wonderful to get away.

Eveline gets away with family whenever she can. She says sharing time outdoors with loved ones—even if it’s just taking a walk in nature—is critical to healthy, balanced relationships. It brings families closer…it encourages dialogues.

32—Well, I think it’s very important. My husband and I, we go walking all the time together in different locations. We love the Texas state parks. We’ve done Big bend and the Davis Mountains, Caprock Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon…all of those are just wonderful places to go out and walk. You can talk about anything it seems like. Every little thing that comes up—you can explain to younger ones your value systems, or whatever. Why when you pass a snake you’re not supposed to kill it—you just leave it alone, that type stuff.

What do you love about spending time in the outdoors? Tell us about it; just go to passporttotexas.org and share your outdoor story with us.

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

Women's Goose Hunt Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Call it a sign of the times: hunting opportunities for women are on the rise.

06—I got together with a couple of friends and contacted some outfitters to put together a hunt that‘s designed for women.

Parks and Wildlife hunter education specialist Dawn Bellow organized an early morning goose hunt for a group of women during the regular season.

06—I wanted for women to feel like they could give themselves permission to go outdoors.

Nearly a dozen women, most first-time hunters, signed up for the hunt. Nick Stillwell of Third Coast Outfitters was on hand, and helped them set up decoys at 4 a.m.

07—You put ‘em into the wind, and kind of just give them a little pop like that, and that wind with catch it and move it and all that good stuff.

Lauren Carley was among the hunters that morning.

07—The big excitement is when you see that huge flock come out… (Wow, look at that.)…and there are hundreds of them. (Y’all get ready.”)

It didn’t take long for the women to test their skills. [SFX geese and shots]

03—We shot 20 birds today. Yeah, pretty good for some ladies here.

Pretty good, indeed. The Wildlife and Sport Fish 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.

Wild Game with Chef Lisa Freeman Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The way wild game and fish taste depends greatly on what happens in the field as well as in the kitchen.

07—it’s really up to the hunter to take care of the meat. It’s all about how it’s harvested and dressed, and how it’s preserved and stored.

Chef Lisa Freeman, executive chef for NASCAR, and a hunter, specializes in cooking wild game. She was in Texas earlier this year demonstrating wild game cookery with olive oil at Central Market Cooking Schools.

14—I would say that you have your game meat first, and that’s the most important part of your dish to make sure your recipe’s going to turn out. And then the next would be the olive oil. It’s definitely a foundation for a great recipe. The flavors in the oils will compliment your dish and help you achieve great success.

Central Market Cooking Schools, in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife, are offering wild game and fish cookery classes as a way to reach out to home cooks who care about where their food comes from.

06— It’s truly organic meat. It’s got so many benefits, and if it’s cook properly, it should be a fantastic meal.

We’ll post information about upcoming game and fish cooking classes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook page as it becomes available.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish 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.

TPW Magazine: Migration and Music Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Eco-musicians and spring migration—you’ll find stories about them in the May issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Editor Louie Bond…

58—Every year we talk about the spring migration. We also like to focus on a species or two in our may issue, [wren song] and this month Noreen Damude takes a look at wrens—those tiny little brown birds; but they’re so special. They have the most beautiful songs and a long and colorful history. We actually have several kinds in Texas. And then we throw in a wildcard this month. We have three really unusual people we’re profiling this month. We’ve called them “eco-musicians” who use music and fun to teach children about ecology and environment in the natural world. We have Lucas Miller, the singing zoologist,

And they all take different approaches, but they travel to schools, and gatherings and inspire kids through fun and music to learn more about the outdoor world and love it the way we do.

Thanks, Louie.

The Wildlife and Sport fish restoration Program supports our series and funds conservation project throughout Texas.

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