Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Making it easier for you to enjoy the wide open spaces is a big part of our job at Parks and Wildlife, and we take it seriously. You like spending time on the water, so we’ve made it our business to locate and document public water access points across the state.

15—What we tried to do is characterize these access points, because there are many different uses—whether you’re going to try to swim there, fish there, what you can launch there. Are they accessible during low water events, high water events? All kinds of different things.

Ron Smith is the River Information Specialist for the state of Texas.

30—About seven years ago we started trying to get a database together on where is the public water access in the state of Texas. And what we ended up with is the database that contains about 24-hundred public water access sites. About 18-hundred of those are boat ramps located all over the state, and about 500 of them are on the rivers, and may not be boat ramps; they’re just places to slide your canoe in, or get in with our inner tube. You wouldn’t be able to launch a “trailerable” boat at those locations.

Ninety-five percent of Texas land is in private hands, making these pubic access points all the more valuable. Tomorrow: collecting the information.

03—We actually held trainings to train them how to take the data.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding for boat ramps in Texas.

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

_______________________________________________________

If you have a question about water access points near you, contact Ron Smith at 512-389-8302.

Water Access in Texas, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles—UAVs—look like remote controlled planes, and Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologists use them to map habitat in reservoirs and rivers for species like Guadalupe Bass.

14—For species like Guadalupe Bass, we’ve done a lot of research, we understand what their habitat needs are. They rely on these boulder complexes, or log complexes. And, we know about how much structure we need in different segments of river to have healthy populations.

Tim Birdsong oversees the habitat conservation branch at Parks and Wildlife.

12—By using this unmanned aerial vehicle, to map these sections of river, we know where we need to put our conservation dollars and our conservation actions on the ground to add additional habitat so we can support healthy fisheries.

Applications exist for this and other high tech tools in much of the work Texas Parks and Wildlife does. And Birdsong says technology like the UAV is a boon to overall conservation efforts.

16—The technology better guides our conservation efforts and makes better use of available funding that we have within the agency. And it also supports our ability to monitor effectiveness of our programs, and do some follow-up that we haven’t historically had time or funding really to be able to devote to those things.

That’s our show…with support from the SFWR program……..providing funding to conserve habitat for Texas sport fisheries….…

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

Biologists Use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Sophisticated surveillance technology that once cost tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars is now within reach of the average citizen—including biologists.

14—That’s right. There are some technologies that were developed for military purposes, or oil and gas type purposes, that historically have been too costly for us to be able to apply for fish and game conservation.

Tim Birdsong is a biologist who oversees habitat conservation at Parks and Wildlife.

15—You can now purchase a side scan sonar until at Bass Pro Shops, or Cabela’s, or some other retail outlet for roughly $2,000. So, some of this technology that costs in the tens or hundreds of thousand dollars previously, anglers can go purchase off of a shelf.

One hundred ninety one-thousand miles of rivers and streams in Texas need to be surveyed, and biologists “on the ground” have traditionally collected the data.

24—And that limits our ability to be able to actually restore, protect habitat, for fish and other aquatic life. We may spend two to three weeks mapping invasive aquatic plants; [whereas] some of the newer remote sensing technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Aircraft, allow us to very cheaply map these areas in a fraction of the time…potentially 2-3 days to map a reservoir, compared to 2-3 weeks, historically.

More on this time and money saving technology on tomorrow’s show.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…..providing funding to conserve habitat for Texas sport fisheries….…

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

New Technology Helps Biologists Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The Guadalupe bass has been on the decline for many years, and it’s time to use everything we’ve got to keep the state fish in our rivers…starting with the Llano River in central Texas.

07—The south Llano is in pretty good shape, but it has its issues as all do.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Director of Watershed Policy and Management Gary Garrett says in the past, biologists have stocked rivers with the Guadalupe bass. Now, they’re combining that with other methods, including working with landowners to create a more sustainable habitat. And all this isn’t just for the fish.

10—It’s working with landowners and getting them to understand that if they’ll do A and B and quit doing C, or whatever, not only will that help the Guadalupe bass, but it will help them.

Texas Parks and Wildlife fish biologist Tim Birdsong says that’s because both fish and people like healthy rivers.

12—The areas that Guadalupe bass are found in are these beautiful, pristine country streams, and also the recreational value of the bass is fairly high.

In other words, good land management protects the bass and can lead to healthier ecosystems, prettier landscapes and better fishing for all Texans to enjoy.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program, providing funding to conserve habitat for Texas sport fisheries.

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

Guadalupe Bass in the Llano River Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Dr. Larry McKinney isn’t shy about sharing his affection for the Gulf of Mexico.

19—It is one of the most beautiful places in the world…when you get out into the gulf, be it in the Laguna Madre, or the coral reefs of the Flower Gardens, or the Florida Keys, or the area off the Mississippi River where you see huge pods of whale—we even have giant squid. It’s an incredibly beautiful place, biodiverse and productive. It’s a hidden treasure, and it’s well worth our protecting.

McKinney is the Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, at Corpus Christi, Texas A & M, and appears in this month’s hour-long TPW PBS documentary The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea.

14—I think this upcoming documentary on the Gulf, will give individuals a framework to learn about the Gulf, and will hopefully pique their interest to go and learn more. But it’s a wonderful coverage of all the aspects of the Gulf of Mexico that makes it important to all of us.

These aspects include environmental, economic and recreational value. To fully understand and appreciate the resource, you have to engage the Gulf.

14—Go fishing, boating, swimming. Go to the beaches, go to our parks that surround the gulf—certainly there are some wonderful ones here in Texas. Get out into that environment, and you’ll see why it’s worth protecting, and I think you’ll take the actions that are necessary to make sure we have it, not only for us, but for our kids.

The State of the Gulf-America’s Sea airs on most Texas PBS stations February 24, Check your local listings.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…supporting conservation efforts in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

The State of the Gulf--America's Sea, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download