Passport to Texas

State Parks: Grants for Historic Structures Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After being part of the worst wildlife in Texas History, Bastrop State Park is open to the public. More than that, though, it has received a 25-thousand dollar grant to study the effects of wildland fire damage on historic structures. Our state park guide Bryan Frazier has details.

51—Our wildland fire team at Texas Parks and Wildlife and the other volunteers made a valiant effort to save all of the CCC built structures except for one small overlook structure. And the national park service awarded a grant to Texas Parks and Wildlife to study the long term effects of what wildland fire does or can do to these historic structures. We were only one of 11 recipients nationwide for this. And it will serve as a model for other areas of the country that are either in wildfire zones or that have been affected by wildfires. Even though these structures were saved at Bastrop State Park, those flames came within feet of it. So, they want to really look and do a long term study: was there any damage that we can’t see right off the bat, and how can we use that information to help other places.

Thanks Bryan

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Camp Cuisine: Dutch Oven Cooking, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder it’s used to make Dutch ovens.

07—A Dutch oven is a cast iron pot that pioneers used to cook their meals in over an open fire.

Tim Spice is manager of boater education at TPW and an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

07—I’ve done some stuffed Cornish game hens and quiche. Whatever you can bake in your oven you can bake in a Dutch oven.

For the new Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

17—Stews are easy. Liquid recipes are forgiving in a Dutch oven. So, I just tell people to start with that. Pick a great beef stew or a chicken stew and go after it. Vegetables, stock and the meat of your choice – and just let it cook away. And you’ll have a great meal in a short period of time.

If you’re worried about using your Dutch oven for the first time in the wide open spaces, Tim says to do a test run in your home oven.

16—If I want to try something on a fire, I’ll get my Dutch oven out and I’ll cook it in my oven so I don’t have to worry about temperature control. I can focus on recipe adjustment. Let’s face it, when you’re out in the woods, camping – you’re trying to have a good time –you don’t have a full kitchen behind you. So, that’s what I do. I use it a lot.

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

Dutch oven cooking at the campsite.

Camp Cuisine: Dutch Oven Cooking, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If your meal planning includes al fresco dining…a Dutch oven will make cooking up tasty treats a snap.

06—And you can cook anything that you would at home, on a fire, outdoors, while you’re camping with your family or friends.

Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim Spice, heads up boater safety at Parks and Wildlife. In use since the 1700s, Dutch ovens are made of cast iron.

10—Today the Dutch oven has legs on the bottom and a rim on the lid so that you can put coals under it and on top of it and cook as you would in your oven at home.

The key to Dutch oven cooking success is temperature control.

22—You hold your hand six inches above the coals…thousand one…thousand two….thousand three…if you have to pull your hand away sooner because it’s uncomfortable from the heat – it’s hotter than three-fifty. If you can hold your hand longer than three seconds, it’s colder than three-fifty. And, since most food is cooked at three hundred and fifty degrees in the oven, that’s where you’ll want to start gauging your heat.

Tim says the best way to learn how to Dutch oven cook is to just do it.

12—Don’t be intimidated by that Dutch oven. Grab one and take it home and practice. And then, take your folks out to the state park and spend the day and have a great meal at the end of a great day outdoors.

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

TPW Video: Video News Reports Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Armed with a video camera and curiosity, Karen Loke travels the state in search of stories about Texas’ natural world and the people enjoy it and care for it.

05—I love going out in the field and meeting people, and seeing what it is they love doing, and being able to tell their story.

You may have seen her work and not even realized it. Karen produces Video News Reports—VNRs—for broadcast on local television stations.

08—They also are on Texas Parks and Wildlife YouTube. So, everything we shoot, we put on YouTube. So you can just Google in a topic and find a story.

The stories are brief, but packed with meaningful information about the agency, outdoor recreation, conservation, and the people who watch over Texas’ natural resources—sometimes in unique ways.

20—You will see about a two minute video that has something, hopefully, that’s topical, that’s of news value. A lot of feature-type stories, character-driven stories. Interesting topics. You might hear about a park feature. You might hear about an eccentric person who’s a great conservationist who does some odd things—like building a bat cave.

Not near a TV or computer? You can watch Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Video New Reports on your smart phone via YouTube.

We record our series at The Block House, and Joel Block engineers our program.

We receive support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program…which funds conservation projects throughout Texas.

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

TPW TV: Sea Grass and Flats Boats Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re headed to the coast this summer with your flats boat, watch the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS Television series in June for a segment to help keep you from damaging sea grass with your motor’s propeller. Series producer, Don Cash:

62—A flats boat is a very shallow boat that you use in very shallow water. But there are some things that you need to know before you take your flats boat out there.

The title of the story is A Scar on the Flats. It airs on the PBS stations here in Texas the week of June 10th through the 16th, and you can also see it on our YouTube Channel.

Thanks Don.

The Wild.ife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and funds conservation projects in Texas.

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