Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, spoke to a group of educators in San Antonio this summer. He told them, as a child, he felt ownership of the woods near his home. But today’s kids may lack connection to the land.

I owned those woods to the extent that as an 8 year old—I’m sorry to tell you—I pulled out, I think, hundreds of survey stakes that I knew had something to do with the bulldozers that were taking out other woods. A developer told me a couple years ago I would have been a lot more effective if I’d simply moved the stakes around.

And then he began to cry in front of five hundred people. And despite his deep sense of embarrassment, he continued to speak about his sense of grief that his might be one of the last generations to have that kind of sense of ownership of land that has nothing to do with money—it goes deeper than that.

Help children connect with the land. Learn more at passportotexas.org.

For Texas parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Visit the Life’s Better Outside website.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

With the arrival of cooler fall weather, you may be inspired to get outside and stretch your legs. Hiking is a simple low cost way to engage the out of doors.

State parks offer a variety of trails no matter what your skill level or interest. The seasoned hiker may opt for a challenging rocky trail, whereas a beginner or family may prefer something a relaxing winding pathway.

Most of parks have multiple trails to explore. Take a guided tour to become familiar with the locale and nature.

While on your hike, be sure to notice your surroundings. Many trails parallel streams, or are in wooded areas that attract wildlife.

When hiking, be sure to dress accordingly for weather and exercise. Always wear comfortable shoes and protective footwear. A hat, as well as sunscreen, should be used for protection from outdoor elements. Insect repellent might be helpful in heavily wooded areas. Most importantly, bring along a bottle of water on your journey.

Details about hiking and state parks can be found on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The summer drought inspires one family to conserve water. Gretchen Mahan tells us more.

My family agreed to try and reduce their personal water use by implementing simple conservation techniques. The day before our experiment began, I printed out the San Antonio Water System conservation tips and posted them in bathrooms and the kitchen. My dad, Jim, reads one of the tips.

When brushing teeth, turn the water off until it is time to rinse. When shaving fill the lavatory basin with hot water instead of letting the water run continuously. I think that’s a good, conservative use of water.

We also changed the shower head in my brothers’ bathroom to a more water efficient one from San Antonio Water System. My brother Peter tells us about it.

There are two kinds of sprays…the normal spray, the massage.

But my older brother, Trey, says taking shorter showers, wasn’t the most enjoyable experience.

My shower today was approximately seven and a half minutes compared to what it used to be was over fifteen minutes. It was a very painful process, but it was well worth it to save the environment.

Okay, so there may have been a little sarcasm in that last line. My brothers aren’t exactly the environmentalists of the family. But with a little prodding, we managed to do fairly well, saving 3,000 gallons or 13 percent of our total water use.

Thanks Gretchen. That’s our show…Find more information at passporttotexas.org. For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

A few conservation methods can go a long way. Gretchen Mahan tells us more.

It doesn’t take much to conserve water. My family and I conserved about 3,000 gallons this summer by changing a few habits. Right after we began the project, the city implemented water restrictions. So we followed the rules and only watered by sprinklers once a week in the early morning.

In Texas, watering the lawn can account for 50 percent of residential water use in the summer. So to make sure our sprinkler system was efficient, my dad and I hammered rocks behind them so they would shoot closer to the ground to prevent unnecessary evaporation.

Yeah, that’s pretty low to the ground.

My mom, René, tends to beautiful gardens, but, unfortunately, gardens require water. And she says since we’ve been in a drought, the plants aren’t looking their best.

Most of them are real yellow and dry. I got several that are just absolutely crying. They’re just laying on the ground begging me to come water them.

Fortunately, none of our plants died, but we might need look into replacing some of our gardens with more native plants that use less water. The 3,000 gallons we saved was 13 percent of our total water use. If every Texan saved that much, we could put a major dent in the amount of water we use.

Thanks Gretchen. That’s our show…Find more information about water conservation at passporttotexas.org. 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 and Wildlife Restoration

At first glance, hydrilla—an exotic aquatic plant—seems beneficial to large mouth bass.

The hydrilla acts just as a habitat, refuge, cover for the bass. And so they’ll hide out in that, waiting for a bait to come by.

John Wedig is a supervisor of aquatic sciences at the Lower Colorado River Authority. He says many fishermen use hydrilla to their advantage.
The fishermen realize that [the way bass wait for bait], and now they mimic or imitate that bait with their lure and it improves their chances of catching a bass.

But the fun and games don’t last. Hydrilla is an invasive species, and if it’s not controlled, it can grow into a thick mat that becomes detrimental to fish and frustrating to fishermen.
That’s what we actually experienced on Lake Bastrop years ago, where we had a 900 acre lake with about 600 acres of hydrilla in it. And so there was so much cover, they [the bass] couldn’t get to their food fish. So we actually had what was referred to as “skinny bass.”

Earl Chilton, Parks and Wildlife aquatic habitat enhancement director, says combating hydrilla is an ongoing battle, and total eradication is highly unlikely.

Hydrilla produces tubers. They’re potato like structures that can remain dormant in the sediments for years, sometimes over a decade. So when you think you’ve got it under control, these things are sitting down there waiting to come back.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. We receive support from the Sport Fish restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

Invasive Exotic Aquatic: Hydrilla Play Now | Play in Popup | Download