Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Blackland Prairie once covered more than 20-million acres in Texas. Jason Spangler of the Native Prairies Assoc. of Texas says because of cropping and livestock overgrazing, less than one percent of this native habitat exists today.

It’s the most endangered large ecosystem in North America.

You can find a thriving 500-acre example of Blackland Prairie in Bell County thanks to the restoration efforts of Bob and Mickey Burleson.

I don’t think that any of our neighbors think of it as anything but Burleson’s folly. They all think that grass is for grazing to the ground.

Over four decades the Burleson’s visited remnant prairies collecting seeds they later used to restore their land.

Eventually it started working naturally to come back to a climax of what had been here. And, it’s still doing that. We haven’t gotten to the place where the Big Bluestem is the dominant—and that’s what would have been at one time—but we’re getting there.

The Burlesons won the Lone Star Land Steward Award for their dedication to land restoration and stewardship.

It’s what belongs here. This is where I live, This is my home, And this is what I love. (birds chirping)

Learn about land management at passporttotexas.org.

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

The Blackland Prairie, a tall grass prairie, once dominated a large area of the Texas landscape.

There were believed to be 20-million acres of tall grass prairie in Texas. Of that 20-million acres, it is believed that less than one percent of the tall grass prairie is left.

Jason Spangler is a member of Native Prairies Association of Texas. Bob and Mickey Burleson are founding members of that Association, and have spent four decades restoring 500 acres of former cropland and overgrazed pasture in Bell County back to tall grass prairie.

We bought the property in 1969, and started immediately to convert part of the cropland into original Blackland Prairie. At the time we bought this property, there was virtually no Blackland Prairie left around here.

By collecting and planting local ecotype native seed from area hay meadow prairie remnants, removal of invasive plants and use of various management tools, the Burlesons successfully restored the prairie.

We went out and spent every weekend for a year collecting seed from every tiny remnant in Bell, McLennan, Williamson and Falls Counties. And then, come fall in 1969, we planted it all at one time. That was our start. Then we’ve added to it every year since then.

It’s that kind of dedication that won the Burlesons the Lone Star Land Steward Award for the Blackland Prairie eco-region. We’ll learn more about Burleson’s Prairie tomorrow.

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 Wildlife Restoration Program

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2008-2009 seasons go on sale statewide this month.

Well, the licenses go on sale for the new year, August 15th, And I would advise folks to buy early. The new season—the dove season—will be right around the corner.

Tom Newton, who manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife, says there’s good news for license buyers.

For the first time in quite a few years we haven’t changed things up much, and it’s pretty much the same as it was last year.

The most recent changes to licenses happened last year.

We had a license called the special resident hunting license that encompassed seniors and youth. We split that license into two, so that each group has its own separate license. The other is that we have consolidated all of our temporary fishing licenses into just a one-day license that you can buy multiples of. So, we simplified that, and we’ve had a very good response form our constituents.

Buy licenses online at 17-hundred retailers statewide, at state parks, game warden offices and TPWD HQ.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting 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 Wildlife Restoration Program

It’s August: time to renew hunting and fishing licenses.

The licenses are effective beginning September first, but they actually go on sale August 15th.

Tom Newton manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The fishing is broken down into saltwater or freshwater, or what we call an all-water, which covers both. There’s a couple of different hunting licenses, which is your standard deer hunters, or turkey hunters, or alligator hunters. With the hunting license you have to purchase a couple of stamps. If you’re a bird hunter you’ll need the upland game bird stamp and the federal duck stamp.

The best license to buy — if you plan on hunting and fishing — is the Super Combo.

Which encompasses everything: All the stamps, all of your hunting options, all of your fishing options. The only thing you need in addition to that is your federal duck stamp. So, the Super Combo – at sixty-four dollars – is the best priced license. And, like I say, you buy that, you need nothing else for the whole year.

Buy your licenses early and avoid the rush. They’re available online and at 17-hundred agents statewide.

All of our parks sell licenses. All of our law enforcement sells licenses as we do here at Headquarters.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting 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

When you get a snarl in your fishing line, it’s usually not worth trying to pick it apart, so cut it off and toss it. But pitching monofilament line in the water or on shore is a bad idea.

People just don’t realize it can get caught up in boat motors, and it really has been quite a problem. There have been many animals that’ve been injured and killed with this monofilament fishing line.

Ann Miller is the Aquatic Education coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. She says you may think that disposing of monofilament line in the water or on shore isn’t a problem, because UV rays will break it down, rendering it harmless.

But…you forget that many times, if the monofilament is below the water line or in the shade, those UV rays are not there breaking it down. And so, we really do have a lot of monofilament that is in the environment for many, many years.

Circumvent future trouble by recycling that line in outdoor collection bins, or at participating bait shops. Volunteers clean the line of debris, then send it to Berkley Pure Fishing Company in Iowa for recycling.

The goal of the monofilament recycling program is to help reduce the amount of monofilament in the environment, to help protect wildlife and fish, and people’s property.

We have a list of recycling locations at passprttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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