Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Making it easier for you to enjoy the wide open spaces is a big part of our job at Parks and Wildlife, and we take it seriously. You like spending time on the water, so we’ve made it our business to locate and document public water access points across the state.

15—What we tried to do is characterize these access points, because there are many different uses—whether you’re going to try to swim there, fish there, what you can launch there. Are they accessible during low water events, high water events? All kinds of different things.

Ron Smith is the River Information Specialist for the state of Texas.

30—About seven years ago we started trying to get a database together on where is the public water access in the state of Texas. And what we ended up with is the database that contains about 24-hundred public water access sites. About 18-hundred of those are boat ramps located all over the state, and about 500 of them are on the rivers, and may not be boat ramps; they’re just places to slide your canoe in, or get in with our inner tube. You wouldn’t be able to launch a “trailerable” boat at those locations.

Ninety-five percent of Texas land is in private hands, making these pubic access points all the more valuable. Tomorrow: collecting the information.

03—We actually held trainings to train them how to take the data.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding for boat ramps in Texas.

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

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If you have a question about water access points near you, contact Ron Smith at 512-389-8302.

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This is Passport to Texas

Dr. Larry McKinney isn’t shy about sharing his affection for the Gulf of Mexico.

19—It is one of the most beautiful places in the world…when you get out into the gulf, be it in the Laguna Madre, or the coral reefs of the Flower Gardens, or the Florida Keys, or the area off the Mississippi River where you see huge pods of whale—we even have giant squid. It’s an incredibly beautiful place, biodiverse and productive. It’s a hidden treasure, and it’s well worth our protecting.

McKinney is the Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, at Corpus Christi, Texas A & M, and appears in this month’s hour-long TPW PBS documentary The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea.

14—I think this upcoming documentary on the Gulf, will give individuals a framework to learn about the Gulf, and will hopefully pique their interest to go and learn more. But it’s a wonderful coverage of all the aspects of the Gulf of Mexico that makes it important to all of us.

These aspects include environmental, economic and recreational value. To fully understand and appreciate the resource, you have to engage the Gulf.

14—Go fishing, boating, swimming. Go to the beaches, go to our parks that surround the gulf—certainly there are some wonderful ones here in Texas. Get out into that environment, and you’ll see why it’s worth protecting, and I think you’ll take the actions that are necessary to make sure we have it, not only for us, but for our kids.

The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea airs on most Texas PBS stations February 24, Check your local listings.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…supporting conservation efforts in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

At more than 600 thousand square miles, the Gulf of Mexico is the world’s ninth largest body of water, yet its value is unsurpassed.

13—Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for nearly half of our oil and gas that comes into the United States, and similarly for fisheries, the same thing. But also, it’s one of the most incredible, biodiverse and productive areas of the world.

Dr. Larry McKinney is Executive Director at the Hart Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, at Corpus Christi, Texas A & M. You’ll meet him this month on the one-hour video documentary from TPW called The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea.

21—Well, I try to make the point in our documentary that the Gulf is a balance between economic needs and the environment, And we’re going to continue to need oil and gas in this country for many years to come—no matter how well we develop alternative energy sources (which we should). So, we’re going to have to find a way to balance the need to develop economically and to maintain the environment. And that’s the key to success in the Gulf of Mexico.

The documentary airs on most TX PBS stations February 24.

14—I hope that people will come to understand how important the Gulf of Mexico is to them, frankly no matter where they are. I mean, if you drive a car, use plastics, eat seafood, if you run water, if you fertilize your lawn, you have an impact on the Gulf of Mexico, and it has an impact on you.

Discover your connection with the Gulf this month on The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea. Check your local listings.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…supporting conservation in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

As we begin this New Year, consider how you think of and use water.

03—We need to be doing a whole lot more to conserve water.

Andrew Sansom, is a research professor of geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, and author of the field guide, Water in Texas.

15—Cities like San Antonio and El Paso, have reduced their water consumption per capita by as much as 40%, whereas, in other cities in Texas, water consumption is continuing to grow. And, in the years ahead, that won’t be economically acceptable.

Sansom says all water conservation begins at home.

17—We need to be conscious of water every time we turn on the tap, every time we brush our teeth, every time we decide to water our lawn or wash our cars. I know that sounds trite, but the fact is that it’s part of the consciousness that, I think, we need to evolve in order to address the problem.

As we develop our water consciousness, Sansom stresses to keep wildlife in mind.

21—One of the great struggles of the next 25 years is going to be to make sure that as we accommodate new growth in Texas: new industry, additional agriculture and all the rest. That we remember that there are fish and animals that depend on that water supply as well, and we cannot abandon them, because they are so much a part of our life and culture here in Texas.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife 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.

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This is Passport to Texas

Andrew Sansom, a research professor of geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, and author of Water in Texas, is passionate about this vital resource.

08—Water is life. We can’t do without it. We can go without food for several weeks, but we can’t live without water for two or three days.

Water will be the defining natural resource issue of the twenty-first century, exacerbated by a predicted doubling of our population by 20-40. Sansom says at the heart of the issue is the rural/urban dynamic.

32—Cities like San Antonio are desperate to take more supplies out of the Edwards Aquifer to meet growing population. While at the same time, communities downstream, like Victoria and Seguin on the Guadalupe, are dependent on flows out of the springs that feed the river systems. Dallas and Forth Worth area, want to build new reservoirs in East Texas, whereas, in those rural areas, people want to continue to farm and graze and raise crops and timber. So, there’s a conflict growing between urban and rural interest

Tomorrow: making a difference.

04—First and foremost, we need to be doing a whole lot more to conserve water.

Find information about Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Water Communication Initiative at www.texasthestateofwater.org… sponsored in part by Harte Research Institute and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority.

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

Conservation: Water in Texas, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download