Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Fire’s always played a vital role in the creation of healthy ecosystem. Yet, as Europeans settled Texas, fire suppression was the name of the game.

That’s correct. As Europeans settled Texas, the occurrence of fire went down, because nobody obviously wants to have their house burned up.

David Veale is biologist for the M. O. Neasloney (nez-low-NEE) WMA in Gonzales County. On January 16 he leads a prescribed fire workshop at the WMA.

We start off with the historical perspective of fire, you know, what some of the fire intervals were. The native Americans did use fire to manage some of their grassland communities. And, so why it’s important to reintroduce that fire into the landscape; we also talk about what fire can do, and what is the role of fire in vegetation management.

And that’s just the beginning of what participants can expect…although Veale says the workshop is simply an overview.

You know, you can give somebody the information, and you can talk about it on paper, but until they’re actually put fire on their actual place where they’re responsible for that fire, that’s a big hurdle to get over.

Veale recommends after the workshop, landowners and managers consider joining prescribed burn associations.

We have a lot of them popping up throughout the state. And it’s a pooling of resources, it’s a pooling of expertise—it’s really a good thing.

That’s our show… supported by the Wildlife Restoration program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

We’re taught from a young age to prevent fires. What we’ve forgotten is that nature relies on fire to flourish.

When you look at the historical occurrence of fire throughout the state, it’s something that pretty much every ecosystem in the state evolved with. All of our plant communities were evolved with fire at some certain interval—that’s going to differ throughout the state. But it’s been a pretty formative force in Texas ecology.

David Veale is a biologist for the M. O. Neasloney (nez-low-NEE) WMA in Gonzales County. He says we need reeducation about fire’s benefits.

And so we want to show landowners that it’s a responsible land management practice when applied correctly, when applied safely. And it’s something that’s really going to benefit not only your wildlife habitat, but generally your livestock program as well.

On January 16, Veale will lead a prescribed burning workshop at the M.O. Neasloney WMA.

The workshop is primarily targeted at landowners and land managers—the folks that are actually going to have the management decision to put fire on the ground and the responsibility for that. But it’s really kind of an introduction to burning. Because we’re not going to tell you everything you’d ever need to know about running a complete fire program in one day. So, this is just kind of a good overview; some of the things that need to be considered before a fire management program is started. And once that decision is made, it shows you some of the avenues for receiving some more training.

We have information about the workshop at passporttotexas.org. That’s our show… supported by the Wildlife Restoration program

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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January 16, 2010 — M.O. Neasloney WMA — Prescribed Fire Workshop — This workshop is designed to give landowners and managers a basic understanding of the use and application of prescribed fire in a wildlife and/or grazing management program. Topics will include historical perspectives on fire, the role of fire in vegetation management, fire weather and safety, planning the burn, fire line preparation, suppression equipment and smoke management. Participants will conduct a burn if conditions permit. Bring your lunch, drinks, leather gloves and boots and wear cotton outerwear. Accessible for the mobility impaired. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (830) 424-3407

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This is Passport to Texas

December’s Parks and Wildlife TV Series offers segments on rare breeds, including the endangered whooping crane. Producer, Ron Kabele.

The whooping cranes have two problems. One is that they are all centrally located into one area. So, if a hurricane come s up, or any other major storm, it could wipe out the entire population. So, what biologists want to do, is they want to create different places along the coast where the whooping cranes will nest. This has proven to be a pretty daunting task. But it’s a good idea. The other problem is one that people probably don’t think about. As the rivers come down, we divert more and more of that water for agriculture, for cities, and that decreases what’s called freshwater inflow. And this robs the bay of the nutrients that the whooping cranes need.

Another rare breed is the Texas Game Warden.

They have to be as much a diplomat as a law enforcement officer. Another thing, too, that’s cool about the wardens that I learned is not all of their contact with the public is in a negative way. They have to be as much a diplomat as a law enforcement officer. Who would have thought that law enforcement would be a basically a huge networking game? And that’s what it is for the game wardens. If they don’t have the contacts with landowners and the hunters and just everyone else—they’re going to be very limited in how they do their job.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration program…which funds fisheries research in Texas.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Lee smith is a Parks and Wildlife television producer. He’s currently working on the fourth in a series of water documentaries for the agency—this one is about the Gulf of Mexico.

But it doesn’t stop at the surf. It extends into coastal issues. So, we’ll be dealing with a lot of things going on in the bays.

Like red tide…the decline in flounder populations…and damage to oyster beds from Hurricanes Ike and Rita. It takes two years to complete one of these documentaries.

And that’s one of the great things about this job and about this show. We have the time to get the right footage, to find the right people, and to consider the topics and the issues.

The documentary on the Gulf will be ready for broadcast in 2011. Until then, view segments of previous documentaries on the PBS television series.

The issues are current. And each segment will have something that pertains to what’s going on right now and in the future.

One of the segments this month comes from the most recent documentary Texas—The State of Flowing Water, and discusses the value of rivers to all living things.

Rivers really are our connection to the natural world and if we don’t protect them we lose something that cannot be replicated by humankind.

We have a list of stations that broadcast the PBS series at passporttotexas.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Where to view the PBS series from Texas Parks and Wildlife:

• Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
• Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18, Sunday, 10 a.m.; Thursday 5:30 a.m.
• Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15, Sunday, 5 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
• Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16, Sunday, 12 p.m.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13, Beginning December 26, Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
• El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
• Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8, Saturday, 3 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
• Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple.
• Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5, Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9, Sunday, 1 p.m.
• Waco, KWBU-TV, Channel 34, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
• Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Cable

Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Allen, Atlanta, Baytown, Boerne, Cedar Park, Collin County Community College, Coppell, Dallas, Deer Park, Del Mar College, Denton, Euless, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Houston, Irving, Keller, Killeen, Lubbock, Lufkin, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Plano, Round Rock, Rogers State University, Seabrook, Temple, Texarkana College, The Colony, Trophy Club, Tyler, Victoria, Waco and Wichita Falls. Check your local listings for days and times.

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