Passport to Texas

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

The Pierce Ranch is great. They’re motivated and they’re, they’re looking to do things from a wildlife and habitat standpoint.

Pierce Ranch is the Lone Star Land Steward Award Winner for the gulf prairies and marshes eco-region. David Forrester, a Parks and Wildlife Biologist, says managing for wildlife and habitat is only part of the equation.

Of course they’re looking at these things from an economic standpoint, too. But they always keep in mind, trying to preserve and enhance what they have.

Through careful planning, and work with Parks and Wildlife, Laurence Armour, III—the great-great grandson of the Ranch’s founder cattleman Shanghai Pierce—maintains the health of the habitat, wildlife and even his wallet.

This is a wetland that we flooded up because it was easy to put water in, and it was a nice little duck hole. It’s not hunted—this is sort of a resting pond for ducks. And then we started seeding with crawfish; and this year is our most productive crawfish pond. And we’re pulling up between two and three hundred pounds a day of crawfish out of this one pond here.

Learn how to nominate a landowner for a Land Steward Award at passportototexas.org.

That’s out show…with support from the Wildlife restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program… for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Pierce Ranch: Wildlife and Water Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Pierce Ranch, the Lone Star Land Steward Award winner in the gulf prairies and marshes eco-region, has a long history of stewardship. Laurence Armour, III.

I’m the fifth generation that has run the ranch; it was started by Shanghai Pierce who was a famous cattle driver back in the 1870s and 80s. He is my great-great-grandfather.

Wetlands development through rice farming—something the Pierce family has done for more than 100 years—also provides habitat for a variety of species.

What the rice field does is provide sort of a wetland ecosystem for those animals that need that kind of ecosystem to survive. As a result, we have a great deal of wildlife that we might not otherwise have.

Bill Stansky with the Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment applauds the family’s native prairie restoration efforts.

Well, this part of the Pierce Ranch is part of a few hundred acres that has never been farmed. And there’s very, very little native prairie left on the Texas coast. It’s just almost gone. And so it’s very valuable, and they harvest seed from this. And sell it to restore prairies all along the gulf coast.

Learn more at passporttotexas.org.

That’s out show…with support from the Wildlife restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program… for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Pierce Ranch: History of Stewardship Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The January 2009 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine focuses on the multi-faceted issue of endangered species. Managing editor, Louie Bond.

And so, we’re taking it, kind of, almost as a theme through the magazine. Starting out with our “At Issue” by our Executive Director, Carter Smith, who quotes the famous American Conservationist, Aldo Leopold, who says: There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. And, of course, here at Texas Parks and Wildlife, we fall into the latter category. We cannot live without any of these wild things. The main reason for a lot of the problems that these species are having is habitat loss. But there’s also some subtle things that go on, for example, wild fire control. I know that you and I grew up with Smokey the Bear—and tried to stamp out forest fires—which is a great cause. But, forest fires are a fact of life, and they’re Mother Nature’s way of getting rid of some undergrowth. And that does affect some of these species. And, I think that Carter Smith wraps it best. He says at the end of his at issue column this month, “I have no doubt that if we can collectively succeed in this worthwhile endeavor, our children, and their children, and their children after that, will be forever grateful. And if we don’t—they may never forgive us.”

The January issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is on newsstands now.

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

TPW Magazine January Preview 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