Passport to Texas

Every Day is Earth Day Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

On April 22, 1970—48 years ago—tens of millions of people worldwide demonstrated for a healthy, sustainable environment. Thus began the annual observance called Earth Day.

The demonstration evolved into a celebration—but the message is the same: let’s keep the planet healthy.

Celebrating our environment once a year is meaningless if that’s where it ends. So, let’s challenge ourselves to do something every day to care for our planet.

What can we do? Reduce, reuse and recycle comes to mind. So does upcycle—which is like reuse 2.0. It’s when you repurpose a product and create new value. Such as when we turn old truck tires into beautiful containers for ornamental gardens.

If you do plant a garden, use native species. They require less water and provide food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife.

Leave the outdoors better than you found it. Pick up and discard trash you see. When fishing, be sure to properly dispose of monofilament fishing line. And choose to spend time outdoors with your family. Get in the middle of nature instead of just watching nature programs on television.

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.

Bass fishing partners.

TPW Magazine: Epic Texas Challenge: Angler vs. Fish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Throughout 2018, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine is highlighting epic Texas challenges. In the April issue: Angler versus Fish. Largemouth Bass, to be exact.

The article, by Randy Brudnicki, takes readers on a journey through time, starting with a competition in 1955 that was the precursor of the Texas State Bass Tournament.

This year’s tournament is April 28 & 29 at Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Brudnicki asks and answers the question: what makes this tournament epic. He writes that perhaps it’s a combination of elements such as a storied history, unpredictable weather, venue vagaries and a high level of fierce competition.

Part competition, part reunion and part angler fellowship, the Texas State Bass Tournament has kept the man vs. fish vs. man challenge alive for 63 years.

The tournament includes divisions for mixed adult/child teams, senior teams, high school teams, adult teams and individual teams. Competitors range in age from 8 to 80.

Read about the trials and triumphs from past tournaments in Epic Texas Challenge: Angler vs. Fish in the April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series

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

Join the City Nature Challenge.

Help Your Region Win the City Nature Challenge Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Seven Texas regions will square off as teams against the world and one another during the City Nature Challenge. Teams try to document more plant and animal species than their competitors. Marsha May is a biologist and coordinator for Austin.

And we are using a format called iNaturalist, which is a real easy way of collecting data. You don’t even have to know what it is, because other people will come in and help you identify it through the program.

Last year DFW, Austin and Houston were in the challenge, igniting friendly competition.

Austin and Houston competed for the greatest number of species. We were going neck-and-neck for a while. And it looked like Austin was going to win, but then on the final count, Houston won—by five species. Dallas/Fort Worth, though, had the most observers and the most observations, So, they won with observations, but they had a very, um, gung-ho urban biologist up there.

That gung-ho DFW urban biologist was Sam Kieschnick.
Download the app to your smart phone from iNaturalist.org. Observations made in the metro areas of each city during the challenge will be counted. Any last words, Marsha?

Sam! We’re coming. We’re going to beat you this time. [laughter]

The City Nature Challenge is April 27-30th. There’s more information on the Texas Nature Trackers Page on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

Join the City Nature Challenge in your region.

Texas Competes Against the World Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The first City Nature Challenge took place in 2016 between Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2017, 16 additional cities joined in, including Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and Greater Houston. This year…

There are over 60 cities worldwide that are involved in this challenge.

Marsha May is a biologist and coordinator for the Austin region. Seven Texas regions will compete this year; the goal: document more species than other regions using the iNaturalist app.

We are competing against the world, and we’re also competing against one another. DFW is competing against Austin, competing against San Antonio, Houston—all seven of the regions that are involved in this project. It’s fun competition.

Go to iNaturalist.org to download the app to your smart phone. All observations made in the greater metropolitan area of each city—and uploaded to the app—will count during the challenge.

Then, all that data is collected in iNaturalist; it will be evaluated a week after the challenge is over, and a winner will be announced. Really, all you win is somebody beat somebody. So, everybody will be trying to get as many species as possible in their own regions.

The City Nature Challenge is April 27-30th, and a Nature Challenger rivalry is brewing in Texas. That’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

Wild turkeys in Texas

2018 Spring Turkey Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

If you were in the field on opening day of spring turkey season, you might have wondered, “Where are the birds?

According to biologists with Texas Parks and Wildlife, field observations prior to the opener suggested hens were playing hard to get and showing little receptivity to Toms and breeding.

Jason Hardin, Upland Game Bird Program specialist, said hens’ interest picked up near opening day of the season, effectively hampering a hunter’s chances of luring love-struck gobblers.

He adds that by now, most hens should be bred and hunting ought to be good from the time the toms leave the roost until they go back up for the night.

Biologists report habitat conditions throughout the state look promising. One region of concern, however, is the Rolling Plains, where the landscape is very dry with limited rain in the last six months.

The regular spring season for Rio Grande turkey continues through April 29 in the South zone. The North Zone general season runs through May 13.

Eastern spring turkey hunting in counties with an open season is April 15-May 14. Hunters must report harvest of eastern turkeys electronically to TPW within 24 hours of harvest. Reports can be made through the TPW My Texas Hunt Harvest App or online from the Texas Parks and Wildlife turkey page

The Wildlife restoration Program supports our series.

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