Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Biking is a practical way to stay fit, save on fuel costs, as well an environmentally conscience style of transportation. Use your two-wheeled transportation to escape the hectic urban jungle and ride amid nature for a change of scenery.

Many Texas state parks offer a wide range of biking trails for your enjoyment. There are trails for all abilities, from beginner to advanced, making it easy for anyone to get outdoors to enjoy the natural world in truly intimate way.

Designated biking trails are numbered to indicate their difficulty level. Beginner Level is a course that only requires basic riding skills. Intermediate Level cyclists must have off-road experience and knowledge. Difficult Level tracks demand an advanced biker who can navigate various terrain conditions.

You will enjoy your ride more when you ride with safety in mind. Always wear a helmet. Be aware of hazards in your path such as ruts, rocks and even wildlife. Also, check the air in your bicycle tires regularly to avoid flats and accidents. Pack a large bottle of water—at least eight ounces for every hour of riding.

Find information about biking in state parks at passporttotexas.org.

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

You don’t need much time or money to feel like you’re miles away from the responsibilities of life in the urban jungle. Just find a paddling trail.

Paddling trails are simply segments of the coast, or river, or in this case now a lake.

Ron Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is part of the paddling trail team. The newest paddling trail is at Lake Arlington. When you’re on this 10.9 mile shore-hugging path, the only decision you’ll have to make is where to go for refreshments when you take out.

We tell them where to put in, where to take out, where the regulations are, where the fun spots are, and some of the historic things about the area.

Moreover, you will see things you never thought you’d see in an urban setting.

You start to get into a more natural setting. And you go by the dam—most people don’t get to get that close to a dam—and then you turn, and you go past an undeveloped area along the shoreline, and you start seeing wildlife. Then you go behind an island into a little more of a riverine sort of setting. And you start seeing herons and all kinds of different wildlife that pop in and out of the trees. Really a unique paddling trail. We’re excited about this one.

So close, yet so far out. The Lake Arlington paddling trail dedication is August 14. Find more information about Texas Paddling Trails 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

On August 14, Texas gets its newest paddling trail located at Lake Arlington.

We’re very excited. This will be our first lake trail. And, not only that, it will be our first urban trail.

Ron Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is part of the paddling trail team. The new 10.9 mile trail hugs the shoreline of Lake Arlington, and is a partnership between the Arlington and Fort Worth Parks and Recreations departments.

The cities actually split right there on the lake. So, it’s a neat partnership for us and for them.

Smith was part of the team that surveyed the proposed site for the Lake Arlington Paddling Trail.

You know, one of the things we do here is we’re providing and improving public access to waterways around the state. So, when we go out, we look certainly at the access point. Does it need improvement? Do we need an additional one? We like for our trails to be between four and twelve miles.

What to expect when you put in at this new trail….that’s 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

If you just can’t wait until your community hosts a Texas Outdoor Family workshop—you’re in luck. There’s a workshop planned at Bastrop State Park on August 13.

Which is famous for the lost pines of Texas. And it’s a great state park; it’s a historic state park built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 1930s. It’s one of the jewels of our park system.

Chris Holmes oversees the Texas Outdoor Families in State Parks program, and says it will be cool and comfortable under the canopy of pines as families learn basic outdoor skills like fishing, kayaking, geocaching and the all important—pitching a tent.

Once we’ve taught all the families to put the tent up, they’ll have some good camp food and we’ll actually have an evening program for the families so that they can learn a little bit more about the park. Perhaps we’ll go on a night hike, or perhaps we’ll do some stargazing.

Families will also learn about stewardship. The cost for the workshop is $55, whether you are a family of two or eight—the maximum family size.

And, when we say family, that can mean grandparents. That can mean single parents. There’s no boundaries. We just require that at least one adult will be there with the children.

Find a link to information about Texas Outdoor Families in State Parks at passportotexas.org.

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

Squirrel hunting is often a child’s first introduction to the sport. As Texas Parks and Wildlife television producer Ron Kabele tells us, the tradition is beginning to fade.

One of the reasons is the habitat is going away. A lot of the good squirrel habitat is hardwood bottomland. And, it’s pretty well accepted that we’ve lost just a tremendous amount of the hardwood bottomlands in East Texas.

In a segment this month, the television series follows a father as he takes his daughter squirrel hunting where the healthy habitat still sustains a squirrel population.

This is a beautiful place. And the squirrel habitat—I haven’t seen like this since I was a kid hunting in south Alabama. (gunshot) Macy, be sure he’s dead before you pick him up. I know that. This one? Whoa. That’s cool.

Kabele says biologists he’s talked to fear squirrel hunting may not survive the future, but they keep hope alive.

And so, we’re wanting to continue that tradition in hopes of instilling conservation ethics, and just a love of being in the out of doors.

You can view this story on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television show in August. Find a link to stations that air the series at passporttotexas.org.

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

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