Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Trees are habitat for wildlife. And if you’re adding new trees to your landscape, you need to know the rules.

People frequently ask how close they can put a tree to the house, because shade on the house obviously is a huge energy savings. The general rule of thumb is you go no closer to the house than the eaves are high. So, if you measure up to the eaves of your house, and it’s ten feet high, then you need to get ten feet back from the house.

Scott Harris, a certified arborist in Austin, recommends planting only native specimens.

You always want to plant your trees at the exact level they were in the pot. Don’t dig a big deep hole, dig a big wide hole. Always use the same soil you took out to backfill. But, you can put your compost underneath the mulch, and then all of that organic goodness will dribble down in the way that nature intended.

By watering infrequently and deeply, we can help new trees develop extensive root systems.

If you just have a little bit of water in one area, that’s where the roots are going to go. But if you water very deeply, it’ll spread into the surrounding soil, and the roots will follow that moisture out.

Strong root systems help trees remain strong and withstand drought.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is passport to Texas

Now is an ideal time to plant trees throughout most of Texas…and you might wonder why.

Two reasons: the two most important constituents in tree planting—the people planting the trees and the trees. It’s just much easier on them.

Scott Harris is a certified arborist in Austin. Tree planting season in Texas started in October and continues through March.

Getting the trees in the ground in the fall [and winter], they have the entire cool season, dormant season, to spread roots out before the big demands on roots and water start in the spring.

Just because a tree will grow in Texas, doesn’t mean it should grow here. Harris advises that we all exercise caution about what we plant in our yards.

The biggest thing to avoid is non-natives. Our natives have all of the features you would want, but they’ve spent thousands and thousands of years getting used to being here, and with all of the wildlife used to having them, too. It’s all a web, and you can’t tell which string you can pull out without upsetting things.

Tomorrow we’ll have a few tree planting tips to help you and your newly planted tree enjoy a long and happy life together.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Ann Miller developed and hosts a new series of videos from Texas Parks and Wildlife called Take Me Fishing 101.

Well, the primary thing I want to convey is that fishing is great fun. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors with your family, with friends; it’s inexpensive, and it’s really pretty easy.

Miller says the eleven videos in the series cover basic skills that will help anyone get started fishing in a very short time.

I think that that’s the beauty of these. They were created to be about three minute segments. So, you can choose which segments you want to view. You can view two or three at a time, or one at a time, and practice a little bit, and then come back for more.

There are three ways to view the videos: on YouTube and the Texas Parks and Wildlife website…

Then, the third day you can do this is purchase the DVD set through the Parks and Wildlife website. Who do you expect with buy the DVDs? I really feel like there are a lot of folks out there that really just have this desire to get in the out of doors and that they’re going to look at these videos as a stepping stone to help them get out, and enjoy the outdoors, and enjoy fishing in particular.

Find links to the videos at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…we produce our show with a grant form the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Don’t let the fact you’ve never gone fishing—or that your skills are a bit rusty—keep you from casting a line soon.

We do offer classes, but we can’t offer classes to everyone. So, we thought a little video series would help.

Ann Miller coordinates aquatic education for TPW. She said the agency received many inquiries from adults interested in learning to fish for the first time, or who wanted to know how to get their children involved. Miller helped to develop—and hosts—the agency’s new Fishing 101 video series, which demonstrates basic fishing skills.

So, we have really started with the very basic knowledge and skills, just to get people started. Then, of course, we have also included a lot of links to resources, so that people will figure out the next steps to be able to increase their fishing knowledge.

The videos, available on YouTube and the TPW website, are for adults who want to hone their skills.

We do gear this for adults; both to teach them how to go fishing again if they’ve forgotten, or to help them teach their children.

Find links to the videos at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…we produce our show with a grant form the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Fishing 101 Videos on YouTube

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

By now, most school aged children in Texas are enjoying time off from the classroom, but still yearn to learn new skills. Texas Parks and Wildlife TV Series Producer, Don Cash tells us about segments airing in June that can help keep young minds and bodies engaged.

We’ve got a series of segments running called Take Me Fishing, and it looks at very simple ways to help a young person get started.

[fishing]. Many kids are uneasy with live bate. (child squeals) Bait their hooks for them, or try alternatives for them like hot dogs, kernel corn, or cheese. What do I do now? [water].

The Take Me Fishing series has ten segments to it, and all of them can be seen on our Life’s Better Outside dot org website now. Tying in with fishing, we also hit four state parks where you can go fishing; and one of those is Atlanta State Park up in northeast Texas. .

Great white perch lake. A great catfish lake. It’s not a real big bass lake, but as far as catfish and white perch and crappie, I would say it’s one of the best in the state. I’ll put it up against any other lake

.

So, if you’re looking to do a little fishing this summer, we have you covered on the television show.

Okay, so what are we supposed to say? Look out there and talk to him. Here fishy, fishy, fishy.

That’s our show…produced with a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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