Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories

An encounter with a rare Texas sea turtle inspired Texas State University Biologist Dr. Mike Forstner to pursue a career in the great outdoors.

52 – I can remember a day standing on a jetty just off of South Padre Island. We’d been fishing most of the day. As I stood on the jetty, and all of us have seen our coast in a situation like this, I realized that the water column had slowed down, the waves had slowed down and it had begun to clear. I saw a Kemp’s Ridley swim up ending an otherwise perfect day. I was 11 years old. Ultimately, I think that day led me forward to a career that I spend outside. That day was perfect. We caught fish, we had a good meal and I saw an animal that I knew was incredibly rare. It’s not just being outside, it’s knowing about the outside, and understanding it that brings you to the knowledge in which it’s one of the most important aspects of your life.

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.