Passport to Texas

Helicopter Crash Survival Training Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Texas Game Wardens always hone their skills; and in a segment airing the week of July 3, the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS takes you on their HUET training.

H-U-E-T. Stands for Helicopter Underwater Egress Training.

Producer, Bruce Biermann, says game wardens are not immune to the dangerous situations in which they often find themselves.

Our game wardens get into a lot of precarious situations whenever there’s flooding and they have to go out and rescue people. And part of their training is what to do if they, themselves, get in trouble. For example, the helicopter goes down over a body of water.

A controlled pool environment at NASA was the site of the training. Using multiple GoPro cameras, Biermann takes viewers into the helicopter-like structure, and under water with the game wardens.

I think I had six tiny little cameras on the game wardens’ helmets, all over the inside, on the outside. So, it really gave the viewer the effect of being in the water with them. So, when the unit flips upside down, you’re going upside down through the water with them. The audio…where it sounds like you’re above the water, and then gurgle…gurgle…when it goes underneath… So, it really takes the viewer deeper into what the game wardens are feeling when they’re training.

View this segment on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show the week of July 3. Check your local listings.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation supports our series and helps keep Texas wild with the support of proud members across the state. Find out more at tpwf.org.

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

Keep unloaded firearms locked in a gun safe, separate from ammunition.

Firearms: Locked (up) and (un) Loaded Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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If you own a firearm, you owe it your family and your community to keep it stored properly when not in use.

All firearms in the home should be locked, and separate from the ammunition; [the ammunition] preferably in a locked location as well.

Steve Hall, hunter education coordinator at Texas Parks and Wildlife, also says when not in use, always keep firearms unloaded.

 And so, [we want to] make sure that kids don’t do like we did when we were kids: “Oh, what’s this? Let’s load that, and let’s put this in there…” [These are] the kinds of things that you don’t want kids doing with firearms that lead to accidents.

Curious children have unintentionally harmed themselves and others with firearms supposedly “hidden” in dresser drawers, garages, under beds, and top shelves of closets.

The good news is, that because of hunter education and because of all the firearm safety taught by organizations like the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, accidents in the home have gone down. And so, there’s a safety record that’s a lot better than it was in the 60s and 70s; but still, one accident is too many. So, we’re trying to promote safety at all cost.

Owning a firearm is a full time responsibility. Always lock it up. Find more firearm safety tips and hunter education classes when you log onto the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series and supports shooting sports and hunter education in Texas.

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

A health worker fumigates an area in Gama, Brazil, to combat the Aedes aegypti. Image courtesy www.cnn.com

Zika Virus and the 2016 Olympics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The Summer Olympic Games set for this August are causing some concern, as host country, Brazil, is the epicenter of a Zika virus epidemic.

We don’t really know when it came to Brazil. I think it was first identified in May 2015; it may have even started earlier than that.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito spreads Zika, which has been linked to birth defects in newborns when expectant mothers are infected. Austin-based entomologist, Mike Quinn, says reported cases of the virus in Texas are travel related only. And, if you plan to travel to Brazil for the Olympic Games—what precautions should you take?

The same precautions you would take here in Texas: wearing long sleeves, long pants, applying some mosquito repellent. But, if you’re pregnant, you mighty talk to your physician. And…ah…you know…they show most of it on TV, so there is that. So, assess your own risk and take precautions.

Using products containing DEET may prevent mosquitoes from landing on you for up to five hours.

But just wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants—you can just put a little mosquito repellent on the back of your hands, and the back of your neck so you can have a few exposed areas. So, you don’t have to put it all over your arms and legs and everything.

Citronella and Eucalyptus oils are also said to deter biting insects. Safe travels.

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.

Image courtesy http://www.star-telegram.com.

Control Breeding Sites to Control Mosquitoes Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Apply sunscreen this summer, and while you’re at it, apply products with DEET or essential oils that repel Aedes aegypti, a mosquito, suspected of spreading Zika virus.

It’s an introduced species, and it is most common around the eastern half of Texas.

Austin-based entomologist, Mike Quinn, says one way to lessen exposure to Aedes aegypti is based on the time of day you’re out and about.

The Aedes aegypti is a day biting insect, so it’s a little different [than other mosquitoes].

While reports of the virus in the US are travel related, pregnant women are encouraged to use caution, as zika has been linked to neurological issues in newborns. Quinn says the insects breed in standing water.

The Aedis isn’t a long distance flyer. So, controlling breeding sites on our property can be a very effective way to reduce the mosquito. And, it’s what we call a container breeding mosquito. And it’s in pots and barrels and toys and bottles; it can breed in a very small amount of water—a tablespoon or less even. But, it takes about a week under optimal conditions to go from egg to adult. So, doing a weekly cleanup of property—checking for water sources; changing out the birdbath water on a weekly basis is a good way to keep the population down locally.

Find links to more information about Aedes aegypti and the zika virus on the passport to Texas website.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation supports our series and helps keep Texas wild with the support of proud members across the state. Find out more at tpwf.org.

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

Crab clutching TPWD Coastal Fisheries hat. Photo by Braden Gross.

Coastal Fisheries Gets Social (Media) Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Social media has improved Texas Parks and Wildlife’s ability to communicate with the public.

I think Social Media is just a great way to network and connect with people.

Julie Hagen is the social media specialist for the Coastal Fisheries Division.

Right now we just have a Facebook page, and we also use the Texas Parks and Wildlife main [social media] pages to also get out some pictures and different videos that we’re doing. But, our Coastal Fisheries Facebook page is a great place for people to come and ask questions; we answer all your questions. Or, just [come by] to see what other people are doing. Tell a story. Like a picture. Send us your own pictures. If you catch a nice fish and you want to show it off, send it to us—we’ll post it on the page.

Visitors to the Coastal Fisheries Facebook page enjoy behind-the-scenes photos of researchers in action.

It’s fun to see what they do. They have very different jobs; they get to go out on the water every single day—collect data. And it’s really interesting to see a different side of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Julie Hagen encourages community among Facebook fans.

I want to create a community on Facebook where people can go and respond to other people’s comments. If they ask a question and an angler knows—‘Oh, where’s the best fishing spot in Rockport?”—well, I’d love someone in the Facebook community to come along and say: “Hey, I’m from Rockport. This is where I love to fish.’ Those interactions are my favorite because sure we can give you some ideas, but there’s so much knowledge people have on their own, and having a space for them to come and share that with other people is really important to us as well.

The Sport Fish Restoration Program support our series.

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