Passport to Texas

Urban Wildlife Biologists Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Wildlife biologists, like Kelly Simon (SEA-mah) specialize in–city critters–and their habitat in Central Texas.

09-I’m a wildlife biologist who happens to work in an urban area; just like all of our biologists, I deal with the issues that are important to their counties and their areas.

Like her rural counterparts, Simon meets with landowners to provide technical guidance regarding land use.

12- I also deal with municipal ordinances, and councils of government, and all the different landowners that have a stake in the wildlife and wildlife habitat for their urbanized area.

Outreach and public meetings round out her work.

05- [I] just try to help folks understand, and enhance the wildlife habitat that they have all around them.

This doesn’t mean developing downtown habitat suitable for mountain lions, but it does mean creating a balanced wildlife habitat for appropriate species.

18-So, what I do is I try to help people make decisions that will increase the diversity and balance of wildlife habitat, so that we have things like chickadees and titmice and owls and frogs and toads and lizards–and things that are important for ecological balance and biodiversity–and also appropriate for an urbanized area.

Find your county’s wildlife biologist when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

A drummer keeps the beat during a musical performance at McKinney Falls State Park.

Art in the Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Texas State Parks can inspire artistic pursuits.

07-Our state parks are such amazing places–for lots of reasons–but one of the reasons is how creative they can make us feel.

Chris Holmes is Director of Interpretation for State Parks, and writes about the Arts in the Parks initiative in the May issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. The idea for the program came to him after a family art activity.

21- We took an art workshop down at one of the strip malls, and we learned how to make a painting with the whole family–and it was so much fun–but the irony was, we were all doing a picture of the forest, but we were in the middle of Austin. And I thought: ‘Wow. Couldn’t we make this workshop be at a state park and let the family look at the outdoors versus being inside?’

The answer was: of course! While making art in parks is not new; the focus has often been painting and drawing.

14- We’ve really expanded it to writing, poetry, songs and dances, and film-making and blogging–and anything that goes under that whole creative artistic umbrella is what we’re encouraging to happen in our parks.

Find an art program near you in the calendar section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. And learn more about the Arts in the Parks initiative in the May issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

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

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

Grilled Shrimp

Fish | Cook: Learning to Cook Seafood Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

We love seafood, but when it comes to cooking it—most of us leave that to the professionals.

06— Because a lot of people are intimidated [by] seafood. They have this impression that it’s hard to cook.

But it’s not, says Rhonda Cummins with Texas AgriLife and Texas Sea Grant. Whether you harvest it yourself or pick up fresh fish from a local market, seafood is easier to prepare than you realize.

06— If you can master just a couple of quick easy [techniques] in the kitchen, you can cook seafood at home

The FREE monthly Cooking with Seafood classes Rhonda coordinates provide attendees the skills they need to prepare fresh seafood at home. Volunteer cooks teach demos, while fisheries biologists and others talk about the resource.

11— Sometimes I have to put the meal on hold because they’re still asking questions to the presenter. They’re coming to learn. I actually believe that it’s become more about interesting topics than about the food.

But there is food. The next FREE Cooking with Seafood class is Monday April 13 at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds outside Port Lavaca, and will include some combination of oysters, crabs, shrimp and fish.

14—The basic concept of the evening is going to be, you’ve harvested it, or you have bought it in its almost natural state at the fish market—what do you do with it next? So, we want to teach them some basic cleaning techniques and then cooking techniques.

Find out how you can attend at passporttotexas.org (see below).

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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If you want to attend the April 13, 2015 FREE Cooking with Seafood Demo, RSVP with Rhonda Cummins:

Cooking with Seafood
Free cooking demonstrations and samples using fresh, local seafood.
Calhoun County Fairgrounds, Bauer Exhibit Building
6 p.m.
RSVP to Rhonda Cummins: (361) 552-9747
Email: rcummins@tamu.edu

Dinosaur Exhibit at Dinosaur Valley State Park

State Parks: Hands-On Ranger Experience Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Folks like you are participating in the Citizen’s Park Ranger Academy at Dinosaur Valley SP. They’re learning skills needed to run a state park.

05—We actually go into the field and put those skills to the test.

Tracy Mays, with Park Operations, says participants learn in a classroom what it takes to assume the various park jobs before going into the field.

16—Last year – our search and rescue – we went over what you do when you do find a lost person. We had four different activities set up, and we had different search parties going out to those different activities, and they were able to actually go into the field and rescue somebody.

Cadets range in age from 16 on up and must be physically able to handle the nature of the work.

18—They have to be able to climb; we have some very advanced trails. There’s some lifting. And, they have to be able to withstand heat, because that’s pretty much the part of being in the park and having on the trails and working on stuff. You are out in the elements, so they have to be able to withstand that.

The Citizen’s Park Ranger Academy takes place only at Dinosaur Valley, but other parks may offer it in the future. Meantime, Tracy says participants leave with a deeper appreciation of what it takes to keep their state parks running.

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

TPW TV: Turkey Calls Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Making sounds like a hen turkey can mean the difference between bagging a bird this spring and going home empty handed.

06—Now you want the call of a hen turkey to try and attract the Tom, or male turkey, over to your position.

Steve Hall, Executive Director of the International Hunter Education Association, says a box calls can make enticing sounds.

53—One is called the basic cluck [clucks]. Now, a cluck is a call that says: ‘Hi. I’m here.’ And if you put the cluck in a series of calls, it would be a yelp [yelps]. Now a yelp call says: ‘Come over here; I’m having fun.’ Now, a slate call is much the same as a box call and you can make that basic ‘cut’ sound [cut sound]. And, you can also make a purr, which says ‘I’m on my daily rounds.’ Now, I like to use a diaphragm call; it’s a little more complicated
call. But it allows me, if I’m hunting, to move my arms and hands with my bow or my gun. It fits in the top of your mouth, and you can do it quite easily [cackle]. That was a cackle or a yelp. If you hear a ‘put’ though, that’ll scare a bird away – and that’s the alarm call [put call]. Put them all together and you can have fun imitating a flock of turkeys. [07-of turkey calls…fade]

More tips for talking turkey this week on the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV Series. Check local listings.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.