Passport to Texas

A big pot of chili for competition.

Davis Mountains Mile High Chili Cook-off Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The First Annual Mile High Chili Cook-off is a new, CASI sanctioned, competition to take place April 25 at Davis Mountains State Park. CASI stands for Chili Appreciation Society International.

13— We are very excited about this. And these are people who have been competing in chili cook-offs throughout the year and they’re trying to get points to then go to the international chili cook-off in Terlingua, in November.

Tara Poloskey is an interpretive ranger at the park.

09—They’re very competitive; it’s pretty serious for some of these chefs. And, CASI does most of the work, but we provide the judges.

Want to put your bowl of red up against serious competitors? Then register quickly. Find information at passporttotexas.org; and if you’re going to be camping at the park anyway…

18— We’re allowing visitors to the park to pay four dollars, and with their four dollars that goes to the friend’s group, they get a cup, a napkin, a bottle of water, and they can go around to all of the different kitchens and try the chili once the chefs have submitted them to the judges.

Davis Mountains SP is giving away prizes to competitors.

11— Gift certificates to the Indian Lodge for hotel rooms overnight. We have gift certificates for camping at Davis Mountains State Park; we have a camp stove that was donated from our local true value.

Find details about the First Annual Mile High Chili Cook-off at Davis Mountains SP at passporttotexas.org.

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

Fishing: Gateway to outdoor obsession.

Health: Benefits of Time Spent in Nature Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With more than a million acres of public parks and wild spaces in Texas, opportunities to get outside abound, and so do the health benefits of being active outdoors.

Adult men and women should carve out at least 30 minutes a day for some kind of physical activity. For children, that time grows to a full hour. Regular body-moving, heart-pumping movement builds muscle and develops balance and flexibility – among other benefits.

From daytime and guided night hikes, to star gazing, bike and equestrian trails, bird watching, to swimming, rock climbing, paddling, and geocaching – state and local parks offer a chance to get outside no matter your interest or ability. Your imagination is really the only
thing standing between you and what you can do outdoors.

Of course, you can always go to the gym to log your 30 minutes of activity a day, but when nature is your fitness center your workouts will all seem like play. Side stepping puddles, leaping up rocks, and traversing up and down hills exercise your balance and stability in
addition to the cardiovascular system…not to mention what being in the wide open spaces breathing fresh air can do for your peace of mind.

The outdoor alternative is also more affordable than the gym, as many state parks offer low-cost admission. So go ahead and get out, because life’s better outside. Find a park or scenic trail near you at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

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

A black bear looks for a beehive in a tree in Big Bend’s Chisos Mountains

TPW Mag: Sharing Responsibility for Nature Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Chihuahuan desert ecosystem sprawls across Texas and Mexico, making the conservation of its flora and fauna a shared responsibility between the two nations. However, writer Melissa Gaskill says the conservation philosophies of the countries differ.

21—In this country, we form something like Big Bend National Park, and it’s just for the recreation and the wildlife, and people don’t live there. On the Mexican side, they have more of sort of what we would see as a conservation easement approach. Where an area is protected, but there are still homes and ranches and villages—life goes on—but they behave a little differently toward nature.

Gaskill wrote the article Nature Without Borders for the April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Although the US and Mexico share conservation challenges, they also share the successes.

31—One of the successes is black bears. They disappeared on this side back in the 1950s, but given the remoteness of the country on the Mexican side, they remained there, and once they started protecting them actively in Mexico, and we started having all these protected lands on this side that provided good habitat, the bears on their own, crossed the river and repopulated in the Big Bend area. And, they’re doing pretty well; they have the potential to spread elsewhere within Texas where there’s good habitat.

Learn more about the flora and fauna of this area of Texas when you read Melissa Gaskill’s article Nature Without Borders in the April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series.

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

TPW Mag: Nature Without Borders Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Men create borders which nature ignores.

07—Down in the Big Bend area there’s a heck of a lot of nature and there’s a border running right through it and the animals and plants just don’t care.

Nature Without Borders is an article by writer Melissa Gaskill for the April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. She explores how the US and Mexico coordinate their efforts to preserve our shared flora and fauna.

20—They’ve actually been collaborating for a really long time in trying to work together. This is really one big ecosystem – the Chihuahuan desert. The way to protect it and effectively manage it, you really have to do that by cooperating on both sides. One side can’t be doing half the job and the other side doing a completely different half the job. It just wouldn’t work that well.

One of the biggest challenges both sides face is the shear vastness of the area in question, but that’s not all.

20—We’re talking about three million acres all told, and that’s a lot of ground to cover for anybody. The fact that there’s an international border in the middle of it—even when you can cross—it just complicates things. You have two governments; two very different approaches to conservation between the two countries; you have a language issue. And then there are the specific challenges in terms of the types of animals out there.

We’ll hear about those tomorrow. The April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is available on newsstands and for download on the new Magazine APP. Find download information at tpwmagazine.com.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

A backyard wildscape with native plants.

Gardening with Native Plants Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Everyone loves instant color when planting flowers and shrubs, but plants provide more than just visual appeal.

06—Usually they are producing fruits or nectar, some kind of food source that’s desirable.

Botanist, Dana Price, says our choice of plants can affect Texas wildlife that depends on them.

16—A lot of them are host plants for our native butterflies and monarchs; some of them are good hummingbird nectar sources. Many of them have berries that are good for birds. Native trees are hosts for all kinds of insects that are in turn food for our native birds.

Native plants also serve us by providing low-maintenance upkeep, even in the harshest conditions—such as the seemingly ever present
heat and drought that afflicts Texas.

07—Our native plants are very well adapted to the climate in Texas, which yes is very extreme a lot of times.We call planting and maintaining native vegetation for wildlife: Wildscaping. The goal: to provide places for birds, small mammals, and other wildlife to feed
and drink, and to escape from predators, as well as raise their young.

Find wildscaping information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

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