Passport to Texas

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

[birds] I’ll be seventy-eight years old in a week or two, and I’m having more fun now than I ever had in my life. I’m getting to do for a hobby what I used to have to scratch out a living out of. [dog barking]

Jake “Bud” Dearing has spent over thirty years piecing together fourteen hundred acres of north Texas cross timber land devoted to native Texas Wildlife.

I love my wildlife. I love deer. We try to use what the good Lord provided us. And then whatever we don’t have, then we try to supplement it, and we’ve come up with some very good deer.

He purchased the original land in the seventies with a veteran’s loan, and spent the next five years adding to his acreage. His land management goal is to improve plant diversity to benefit a variety of wildlife, which he has done with the help of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Mr. Dearing is an extremely good partner with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

James Edwards is a Parks and Wildlife Biologist.

His openness and willingness to manage his land the way that it needs to be managed is one of the biggest assets that he has.

The Dearing Ranch earned the Lone Star Land Steward award for the Cross-Timbers and Prairies Eco-Region. Tomorrow: successful land management.

Y’all have pointed things out to me that I never thought about.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program.

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

The Dearing Ranch
http://www.dearingranchtrophywhitetails.com

Lone Star Land Steward Cross Timbers & Prairies, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The saying, slow and steady wins the race, applies to the recovery of endangered Whooping Cranes. From sixteen birds in the mid twentieth century, the migrating flock today has more than 200 members.

Last year we had 266 whooping cranes that arrived on the Texas coast. That included some adults and some young.

Wildlife biologist Lee Ann Linam says this wild flock, which winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, returns to Canada each spring to nest and raise young—and this year they were prolific.

When the birds returned to Canada, they formed at least 66 nests. And from that we hope that perhaps we will have thirty young or so make it down. Maybe we’ll hit another record this year—getting close to the 300 mark.

This wild population has been so productive that eggs from it have enabled researchers to try additional recovery efforts.

There are Whooping cranes in captivity to provide some insurance against loss, and to perhaps aid in some restoration programs. And we have a couple of experimental populations. And so, all total about five hundred whooping cranes exist.

Find links to more information about Whooping Cranes when you visit passporttotexas.org. That’s our show for today, with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Fruitful & Multiplying Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The saying, slow and steady wins the race, applies to the recovery of endangered Whooping Cranes. From sixteen birds in the mid twentieth century, the migrating flock today has more than 200 members.

Last year we had 266 whooping cranes that arrived on the Texas coast. That included some adults and some young.

Wildlife biologist Lee Ann Linam says this wild flock, which winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, returns to Canada each spring to nest and raise young—and this year they were prolific.

When the birds returned to Canada, they formed at least 66 nests. And from that we hope that perhaps we will have thirty young or so make it down. Maybe we’ll hit another record this year—getting close to the 300 mark.

This wild population has been so productive that eggs from it have enabled researchers to try additional recovery efforts.

There are Whooping cranes in captivity to provide some insurance against loss, and to perhaps aid in some restoration programs. And we have a couple of experimental populations. And so, all total about five hundred whooping cranes exist.

Find links to more information about Whooping Cranes when you visit passporttotexas.org. That’s our show for today, with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Fruitful & Multiplying Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Once widespread across North America, the Whooping crane, the tallest bird in the US, nearly became extinct in the mid twentieth century due in part to habitat loss and unregulated hunting.

By the time people started paying attention in the 1930s and 40s, the whooping cranes were restricted to occurring in the United States only in a small population in Louisiana, and along the Texas coast in the winter.

Wildlife Biologist, Lee Ann Linam, says Whooping cranes landed on the endangered species list in 1967… with no time to spare.

And those numbers were unbelievably low at some point. That Texas population got down to 15 or 16 birds one winter.

Collaborative efforts between pubic and private organizations and landowners in the US and Canada, helped the species to rebound. Biologists expect more than 280 birds to winter at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this year.

It’s so neat to be able to tell a come back story for endangered species. You know, so many times we are constantly fighting the threats that are hard to off-set, and species continue to languish somewhat, or at least struggle for recovery. [bird calls] And it’s nice to show that, in this case, the endangered species act and the other efforts that went on to protect migratory waterfowl were able to bring a species back from the brink.

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

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Back from the Brink Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Ask Claire Cabler about a memorable time in the outdoors and she’s got plenty.

We were at Guadalupe State Park. I was busy playing in the sand. My dad said, “Look up there’s a water snake!” and I looked and I saw this sticking thing and I thought that was the water snake.

It seems that Claire’s dad, Dru Cabler, is always pointing out wildlife to her. Even at home.

We point ‘em out as soon as we see ‘em if we think she’s never seen one before. We got all kinds of creatures just around our house. Deer that come through our backyard. Lots of rat snakes, grass snakes, a couple of rattlesnakes. Frogs that jump into our swimming pool. Big Texas spiny lizards, and green anoles.

And venturing out to state parks together, they find other creatures that aren’t as close to home.

We like to go to Guadalupe state park, like she said.

How about Port Aransas?

We like Port Aransas. We’re going next weekend. So we’ll spend a lot of time outside there on the beach. She likes to collect dead fish; stack ‘em up with her friends. Remember that?

I don’t really remember catching the dead fish but I remember picking up a bunch of shells. I found a full sand dollar.

We love hearing your outdoor discoveries and adventures. Share them with us at passporttotexas.org

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Sarah Loden… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Outdoor Story: The Cabler Family Play Now | Play in Popup | Download