Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Forty years ago a soil conservation service technician told David Bamberger he’d purchased the worst piece of land in Blanco County. But Bamberger had a plan.

06—We were wanting to demonstrate and try to develop a model that perhaps other people could follow.

Bamberger, and his late wife Margaret, created a conservation model by dedicating themselves to restoring ecological balance… including flowing water…to their fifty-five hundred acre ranch.

09—Let me tell you, there wasn’t a drop of water here. There wasn’t anything in the way of wildlife. I drilled 7 water wells 500 foot deep; I never got a drop of water.

With careful land management, including the removal of 3-thousand acres of “wall-to-wall” cedars and seeding the land with native grasses…the land revived.

18—So, over this forty years, as the habitat was improved, we got 11 springs that started to run; after 7 years we had two creeks that were running. Today we have 22 ponds or tanks that weren’t here when I came. Two of them we call lakes because of their significant size.

This award-winning octogenarian conservationist’s latest project also involves water.

09—The idea behind this project is to capture all the water that falls here, and keep that little perched aquifer charged up.

We’ll learn more about that tomorrow.

That’s our show…made possible by a grant from the Wildlife Restoration Program…supporting habitat restoration in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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This is Passport to Texas

Prairie dogs live in connected underground burrows called “towns,” which have been known to encompass up to 1,000 acres of land!

These colonies are divided into social groups usually consisting of one male, up to four females, and offspring that are less than two years of age.

Pat Bales, San Angelo SP Assistant Superintendent, says the animals are active only in daylight hours.

30—They’re most active during the cool hours of the day, during that time they’ll engage in the social activities- visiting, grooming, as well as feeding of grasses and herbs. And normally whenever they are out feeding like that, they’ll have a sentry and they’ll have a lookout. And their mounds are built up high. They’re kind of unique little engineers. They’ll build one mound, end of their mound higher than the other, and an out hole. The reason they do that: it creates a high pressure/low pressure situation which enables air to continuously flow through there. And down in the burrow itself, they’ll have little compartments where they can sleep, where they can feed.

Prairie dogs were indigenous to the San Angelo area, but various factors drastically reduced their population. Yet, thanks to dedicated prairie pup lovers – they’re back.

04—Actually, we have 2 towns- we’ve established one on the north side and south side of the park.

See a video of the park and the prairie dogs on the Texas Parks and Wildlife YouTube channel.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Garner State Park in Uvalde County is the recipient of dozens of new, healthy trees thanks to a juice company contest and your votes. Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier, explains.

49— Garner is the recipient of 88 new trees because of a campaign that Odwalla has done nationally. And they did an online contest and the parks that got the most votes go money to be used to plant trees. And over the decades, we’ve lost hundreds of trees—a lot of these were planted by the CCC in the 1920s and 1930s, so to be able to replenish some of those is a real gift. And so Garner is getting more than 18-thousand dollars worth of trees. They’re all 10 feet tall, and they’re all native pecan trees, lvie oak trees and chinquapin oaks—and they were all bought at a local nursery there. And so it’s a win-win for us. And Odwalla is getting ready to do the campaign again this year. The parks that receive the most votes online, will get those trees as well. So, it’s a good situation for us.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Over the next quarter century or less, Texas will have to find water for twice the population it has currently, and still meet the needs of the environment.

Andrew Sansom, Executive Director of the River Systems Institute at Texas State University in San Marcos, says it’s no surprise people find this fact daunting.

And they say, ‘What in the world can I do?’ And I answer them by saying two things. One: everyone can save more water in their home. Everyone can do something in terms of their behavior that 0uts more emphasis on water conservation.

But more even important, everyone during the course of a year can take a child fishing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, to the beach—to expose a child to water in the natural systems. So that they can understand what incredible joys are to be found there, but also that they must take responsibility for it.

Go to texasthestateofwater.org for more information.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration supports our program….and funds conservation projects in Texas.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Legislators, alone, cannot ensure a future that provides an abundant supply of water for humans, fish and wildlife.

This month, as we observe the 10th anniversary of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s water issue, Executive Director, Carter Smith, reminds us that all Texans have a role to play when it comes to conserving this vital resource.

We all miss water when it’s not around. And ultimately we have to plan for those kinds of scenarios, and remember that the future of our water is a generational one.

And so, these are important things that every one of us as a citizen and steward can take to help ensure the vitality of this water for the future.

Go to texasthestateofwater.org for more information.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Supports our program….and funds conservation projects in Texas.

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

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