Passport to Texas

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

We’re on the threshold of summer, which means more Texans will be on the water…and they won’t be alone.

I‘m Sgt. Chopan with the police department with the Grand Prairie lake Patrol unit. I’m just wanting to check to make sure you have all your safety equipment on board. You have your life jacket?

Lake Police, like Sgt. Chris Chopan, and Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens will be on the water, too.

Lake patrol is sometimes is good because the public likes to see you, whereas when I’m driving in a car they usually don’t want to see me.

Everyone aboard a boat must wear a life jacket.

Do you take the dog out often? Yeah, we’ve got three of them and they all have life vests. Sometimes, it’s amazing, you know, they’ll put life jackets on their dogs, but they won’t put life jackets on their kids.

Even people in the water need to think safety first.

Not safe for you to be here, No good. No bueno. Too many boats. Twenty-four feet of water, no life jacket, inflatable swim ring, and we wonder why we have to come pick them up later. I’m almost tempted to pick him up and get him out of there – what do you think? This is not illegal probably, but it sure is dumb.

Remember: Nobody’s Waterproof. Play it safe on the water this summer and still have a boatload of fun. Visit passporttotexas.org to find more information about boating safety.

That’s our show for today… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program..funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel…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

It’s illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs; the consequences of doing so can be devastating. Just ask Kay Rock.

At three o’clock in the morning, my husband and I were awakened by a policeman and a chaplain knocking at our front door. As soon as I saw them, I knew it was something bad. And the only question I had was, which child is it?

The accident happened several years ago, when the boat carrying Kay Rock’s 22 year old daughter was struck from behind. The driver of the other boat had been drinking at a lakeside bar…and in an instant, Debbie Rock’s name joined a growing list of boating fatalities.

And, I’m sorry, but this is kind of a hard part. Is that Debbie was not just a number on a court docket; and she was not just a number on the coroner’s report. She was a real, real person. And she had a lot to give. And that is one of the reasons that I want to stress the fact that bad things happen to really great people, and they don’t have to.

Remember: Nobody’s Waterproof. Play it safe on the water this summer and still have a boatload of fun. Visit passporttotexas.org to find more information about boating safety.

That’s our show for today… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel…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

Working with boating safety educator Jack Dyess, Ron Kabele, a writer/producer with the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series, created a segment that will make everyone think twice about before getting on the water.

I was trying to come up with an idea of how to present boating safety. And then Jack told me that, ‘well, you know you go out on the fourth of July, and there are going to be about two dozen people who die on that day from different kids of accidents, and one of them is boating accidents.’ One of the things he said was that you can reduce the chance of a fatality in your boat by eighty percent simply by putting on a life jacket.

I have never, nor do I know anyone who has ever, retrieved a drowning victim who was wearing a life jacket. Not once. Not one of the people thought that they were going to drown that day. Not one of them thought that they were going to need a life jacket. But they’re just as dead. If you want to reduce the odds of there being a fatality on your boat by eighty percent, all you have to do is require that everyone put on a life jacket.

And these days the life jackets aren’t those red, bulky, ugly things…the new generation life jackets…they’re very lightweight and they expand when they hit the water. So you can be safe and it not really affect your having fun. There’s really no excuse anymore for not wearing a life jacket.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television series airs on PBS stations. Check your local listings.

That’s our show for today… with support from the Support Fish Restoration Program…funded by our purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels. 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

National Fishing and Boating Week is June 2 through 10– and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Texas is diving into the celebration.

Well, right here at the beginning of the summer, we want to celebrate the fact that Texas has a multitude of opportunities for people to get out on the water to enjoy fishing and enjoy boasting and enjoy family time.

Ann Miller is aquatic education coordinator for Parks and Wildlife.

All over the state, we’ve got some wonderful family oriented events that are happening. And these events include fishing clinics and fishing derbies, and they cover the entire state from Lake Arrowhead State Park and Eisenhower State Park, up near the Oklahoma border to Galveston Island State Park and Huntsville State Park. And even in San Antonio and the Austin area – we’ve got lots of state parks who are holding these events.

When it comes to enjoying the outdoors, most people like to add water to the mix.

Every person enjoys water in a different way. But I think there’s just something innate in humans that water is just one of those ingredients that create fun.

Find links to boating and fishing opportunities at passportotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program… encouraging Texans to participate in Free Sport Fishing Day —Saturday, June 2nd. 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

Kayaking and canoeing allows us to see nature from a new perspective. And some of these waterways are official state paddling trails.

The reason a Parks and Wildlife paddling trail is so special is because, we’re very interested in conservation issues, water issues, the importance of water for the state of Texas, and educating the public on all of these issues.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. If your community has a stretch of river or coastline you think is trail-worthy, submit a nomination.

On our website, we have application forms that any community partner can fill out if they think they have a trail that has potential to be in our paddling trails program. The main requirement is that it’s a four to twelve mile river segment. We really want this to be a morning or afternoon river run that people can do with their family and friends, and not multi-day. If they have any questions, they can call the number on the website, or email, and we’ll review their application.

Applicants will receive a response in about a month – and if accepted — that’s when the work really starts.

The process for us to be able to get a river survey done, work with the community to develop text for the website and the kiosks, get kiosks installed, create panels for the kiosks….the entire process to become a paddling trail could take between six to twelve months.

Visit passporttotexas.org for a link to the application.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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