Passport to Texas

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

The November issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine puts the spotlight on a land steward and a rugged bike ride. Louie Bond is managing editor.

We’re going to feature our newest Lone Star Land Steward this month, who is none other than the inimitable, beloved, David Bamberger from Selah Ranch. He has such a poignant story, yet such a great story of success and a love of the land that we’re really happy to share. And I think everyone’s really going to enjoy that. And we have another great adventure this month. Our own Karen Blizzard, who is a publication manager here at Texas Parks and Wildlife [magazine], went out on a big bike ride at Big Bend Ranch State Park; and she’s been exploring the new mile and miles of trails out there. There’s a whole lot more available for the public. Now, this is not for the faint of heart—this is some rugged terrain. But the payoff is what she calls “fall off your bike views in every direction.” And if you want to see it for yourself, there’s going to be a Big Bend Ranch State Park fiesta, Saturday November the 14th. There’ll be all sorts of tours. If you’re rugged and you love to outdoors, then get out there and try it for yourself.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuels. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The red-cockaded woodpecker is an endangered species found in the East Texas Piney Woods region.

Ricky Maxey, a wildlife diversity biologist for TPWD, says the red-cockaded woodpecker is unique because it’s the only woodpecker that makes its home in live pine trees.

It is a keystone representative of the upland pine savannah, so it’s a really fascinating specialized bird.

Because of demands for timber and an increasing urban landscape, there are fewer mature pine savannah forests. And it’s because the woodpeckers are so specialized that they can’t adapt to the changing habitat.

It does not adapt to loss of its habitat because it occupies a very specialized niche. That’s one of the primary reasons why this bird became rare to the point that it had to be listed under the endangered species act.

Maxey says, right now, the woodpeckers have a stable population thanks to forest conservation efforts by TPWD and the U.S. and Texas Forest Services among others. But even private landowners can do their part by creating suitable habitat for the woodpeckers.

If you’re a landowner, you can produce habitat for this species. We’ll be glad to work with any landowner to provide management recommendations to do just that.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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

The lesser prairie chicken isn’t endangered, but its getting close. Heather Whitlaw is a wildlife diversity specialist for Texas Parks and Wildlife in the Texas panhandle.

She says, last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services increased the priority of the lesser prairie chicken as a candidate for becoming an endangered species. Since 1998, the lesser prairie chicken has been a number 8 priority.

Then in December, 2008, the Fish and Wildlife Service looked at all the new things going on in prairie chicken range and made the decision that they needed to move that number up to a 2, which indicates to all of us in prairie chicken conservation that we’re very close to a listing.

Whitlaw says some of the new threats in lesser prairie chicken habitat include wind turbines and oil and gas developments.

A nesting lesser prairie chicken, female specifically, perceives a tall structure or a big group of tall structures like wind turbines on the landscape as a threat, maybe something they perceive as where they’re predators might perch.

But as they are slowly pushed off the prairies, the chickens have nowhere else to go.

And because all lesser prairie chickens currently live on private land, researchers are continuing to work with land owners to keep this species from becoming endangered.

That’s our show, made possible with a grant from the Wildlife Program…working to restore wildlife habitat in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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

The deadline to submit your entry to win one of seven exclusive Big Time Texas Hunt packages is October 15.

You know, if you’re lucky enough to win one of these hunts, we can guarantee you that it will be a great hunting experience.

Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting. The cost of an entry to win a guided hunting trip is just 10-dollars, and you can enter as many times as you like.

Even if you don’t win, though, you contribute to the work of the wildlife division and what we do to enhance habitat and hunting opportunities for Texans.

Entrants can walk away with deer hunts, bird hunts, and even an alligator hunt. Plus, the winner of the Texas Grand Slam gets the rare opportunity to hunt a desert Bighorn Sheep.

You know, it’s very rare that anybody gets to hunt a desert bighorn sheep; we have so few permits. That’s a guided hunt by our people on our wildlife management areas. They work very hard to provide an excellent quality hunt. Our hunters are generally just delighted with the experience overall.

If you win, but for some reason cannot go on the hunt…

You cannot sell these wins, but you can transfer them to an immediate family members, or to a youth 8 to 16 years old.

Find complete details about Big Time Texas Hunt on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

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

Life’s short, Hunt Big—that’s the motto of Big Time Texas Hunts.

Big Time Texas Hunts is a drawing that we offer for some high quality guided hunting packages. We do it to raise money for support of our various wildlife conservation efforts including research, also to increase our public hunting opportunities throughout the state.

Linda Campbell is the program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting. The program, in its 13th year, offers hunters the chance to win one of seven exclusive hunting trips; the first hunt offered through the program was the Texas Grand Slam.

It’s still one of our most important offerings. That’s the opportunity to hunt the four premier big game species in Texas, including: desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, and white tail deer.

The deadline to enter is October 15, and it only costs ten dollars per entry. And you can enter as often as you like.

We have around 80-thousand total entries for all of the hunts per year. You know that’s a gross amount that we earn—several hundred thousand dollars every year to support our research and management of our game species.

We have a link to Big Time Texas Hunts at passporttotexas.org.

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

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