Passport to Texas

Vintage image of kids fishing in State Park

50 Year Anniversary of Texas parks and Wildlife Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A legislative act in 1963 merged the Texas State Parks Board and the Texas Game and Fish Commission, creating a new agency…

03 — …called Texas Parks and Wildlife; and now we’re fifty years old.

Mike Cox is a spokesman for the department. We’re observing TPW’s fifty year anniversary throughout 2013, highlighting milestones from the past five decades.

16- A personal favorite of mine is the stocking of rainbow trout in Texas. They’re not native to the state, but they’re pretty tasty and they’re fun to catch. And so, starting in 1965, shortly after the merger, the department started stocking rainbow trout in urban areas, and of course in the Guadalupe River.

Trout stocking, the legislature’s ruling that made redfish and sea trout game fish, as well as giving game wardens full law enforcement authority are a few of the agency’s tangible achievements. There are intangibles, too.

23- The department is always working to improve the environment. The game wardens enforce the anti-pollution laws – that often doesn’t get a lot of publicity – but they’re working toward keeping our water safer and cleaner. We do work to encourage people to practice water conservation; if somebody hears our message that it’s better to rip out your St. Augustine and put in rocks, that saves the whole system.

Mike Cox says while those efforts transpire with little fanfare, they have a long-lasting impact on the well-being of every citizen of the state.

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

Stewardship: Land Management Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Al Brothers, of Berclair, Texas, views hunting as an outdoor experience; the opportunity to harvest deer is simply bonus.

Mr. Brothers, a ranch manager, values thoughtful white-tailed deer management on private land, and recognizes that sound conservation practices lead to sound economics.

52—The whole idea of quality deer management is: let’s maintain a healthy herd; and what you would term as a trophy animal is basically a by-product of maintaining a good, healthy herd. When you have a good herd, and have good buck doe ratios, good age structure, good recruitment, and the numbers are in tune with the habitat, and then you have quality animals out there.

I have a quality experience every time I go out. And occasionally I’ll fire a shot.

Find landowner assistance programs on the parks and wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series, and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

Stewardship: Understanding Your Land Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The best time to get to know your land is when you first buy it.

16—Walk it; look at it carefully. Study it over the seasons. Really find out what makes it tick. And, that’s the first step – to really understand the land – and then understand the management that it takes to achieve the kind of goals you want for your recreation.

Linda Campbell directs the private lands program at Parks and Wildlife. The program helps landowners with management goals. Campbell recommends getting started by visiting the workshop calendar in the private lands section on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

07—These are workshops and field days and things of that nature that occur all over the state. And so I would suggest landowners take a look at that.

Attending these events allows landowners to get to know other like-minded people in their region. The agency also offers free on-site technical assistance in wildlife management planning.

10—And so, we look at the entire picture – all the habitats that are there, what can be done, what are the landowners goals, and then we help them develop a plan that will help them achieve that.

Tomorrow, joining with adjacent landowners to form a wildlife management association.

That’s our show. We receive support from the Wildlife Restoration program.

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

Stewardship: Recreational Landowners Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Our state’s population may be mostly urban, but Texans continue to buy rural property as weekend retreats.

05—Recreational buying is the greatest motivation for exchanges in land in Texas.

Linda Campbell directs the private lands program at Parks and Wildlife. Various reasons drive the purchase of recreational land.

29—Game species are still a big driver – very important economically for landowners in Texas, and for the communities that are supported by this. But, we have a greater diversity of landowners, and so with a diversity of people , you have a diversity of interests. So, there are a lot of landowners, particularly those with smaller tracts, that are primarily interested in managing for birds and other non-game wildlife. Or, they just want to get away from the city to have a retreat. And that’s an absolutely valid goal as well. And, so, we work with all landowners in whatever their goal is.

Parks and Wildlife’s private lands program offers landowners free technical assistance managing their property.

12—Texas is over ninety percent privately owned, and so we recognized that if we’re going to have any impact at all on conservation of wildlife and habitats, we have to do it through the cooperation of private landowners.

Understanding your land…that’s tomorrow.

That’s out show…we receive support from the Wildlife restoration program.

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

Resolve to Have Outdoor Adventures! Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Don’t you love the start of a New Year? It‘s totally fresh and filled with possibilities. So, take a few minutes to consider how you’re going to make this year better for you and your family.

One way would be to get outside more, because—as we like to say: life’s better outside.

Spending time in the natural world has a way of resetting the brain and giving you a fresh perspective. Researchers have discovered that children who spend time in nature do better on exams, and are less disruptive in the classroom.

Bring a pair of walking shoes to the office, and during your lunch hour, stroll outdoors in the fresh air. Even if you’re in a city, you can still observe the varied wildlife and plant life you see along the way. It’s amazing how much nature you can actually find in a concrete jungle.

Spend time with friends or family at one of your state parks. Most folks are within 90 minutes of a state park; many are much closer. Take a nature hike, ride a bike. Pitch a tent and sleep under the stars, or find a park with cabins and rough it indoors.

Commit to learning something new about Texas history by visiting one of the state’s incredible historic sites.

There’s a world of wonder out there, and once you spend more time outdoors, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

That’s our show… from all of us at Passport to Texas, we wish you a New Year filled with outdoor adventure…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti