Passport to Texas

Texas River School; image courtesy of www.texasriverschool.org

Outdoor Education: Texas River School Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

About twenty years ago, Joe Kendall and some of his friends decided to help protect Texas Rivers by getting people involved in their care.

05 –We started doing cleanups, and started the foundation with the idea of having an adoption program.

Kendall is the founder and executive director of the Austin Chautauqua Foundation.

13 – We did festivals and Chautauquas—which is to combine entertainment and education and races. We ended up doing a program with some fifth graders, and we discovered that was probably the most rewarding thing for us; and we thought, also, for the rivers.

Rewarding for the rivers because the more people who know and love rivers, the more people there will be to protect them in the future. The Texas River School, borne of Kendall and company’s original idea, gets a diverse group of kids on the water.

23 – Fortunately, we have Texas Parks and Wildlife to thank for that. They have provided us with a grant every other year to take kids to the river that wouldn’t normally get a chance to go. They identify them as their non-traditional constituents…people that don’t use the parks. And they see that’s the minorities, economically disadvantaged, females and at-risk kids. So, we target all those areas and have taken over four thousand through our discover the source program.

The source, in this case, is the spring that feeds Barton Creek in Austin. We’ll tell you more about River School activities tomorrow.

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

Bastrop State Park, Image by Robert McCorkle

Recreation: Nature Tourism Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When you engage the outdoors — whether camping, paddling, bird watching, hunting, fishing, or any number of activities – you’re participating in nature tourism.

07— Nature tourism, quite simply, is going out and traveling based on natural resources.

Shelly Plante oversees Nature Tourism for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

16— Nature tourism in Texas is booming. Wildlife viewing has been skyrocketing; people are doing more and more bird watching, people are doing wildlife photography, camping at our state parks, hiking. We’ve become so urban that I feel people are really just looking for a way to reconnect with the outdoors.

Plante says city squirrels, pigeons and community pools just don’t cut it anymore for urban dwellers. That’s good news for people in rural communities.

20— These nature tourism opportunities give rural communities a way to step in, market themselves, make activities available and easy for people to do: everything from paddling trails and wildlife trails, to photography opportunities on private ranches. Texas has it all, and it is definitely great income for private landowners, and great for the income of local businesses.

Find nature tourism opportunities on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Wild Mustang Grapes, Image Aggie Horticulture

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Before trudging into the woods with dreams of foraging wild persimmons or mustang grapes, remember: leave some for the wildlife.

09—When you’re a gatherer, it’s kind of like being a hunter: you should only take what you think you can use; although, I have been known to get fourteen gallons of wild grapes.

Dyanne Cortez writes about gathering and using wild Texas fruit for the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

15—Well, a lot of things grow in pretty wild places. So, you need to be aware of snakes; wear boots; be aware of your surroundings. You’re out in the field. There’s going to be sun; there might be poison ivy. You’re really out stalking the wild harvest.

Learn about edible Texas plants before going out; the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center are great resources for that. Cortez, meantime, advises about where to find wild fruit.

24—It is not legal to collect any plant or plant part in a state park or a national park. It can be a challenge because you see this stuff in the parks and it’s very tempting, but you don’t do that. Go for private land; look in your own backyard. Ask your friends. It’s so much fun when it’s all done. It’s just really worth it, and it’s so neat to know what nature has to offer.

Dyanne Cortez’ article about gathering and using wild fruit is in the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

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

Foraged feast; image courtesy of Edible Austin, www.edibleaustin.com

Foraging: The Wild Harvest Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Before grocery stores, humans acquired their sustenance directly from nature. Hunting was part of that culture.

09— The other side of the culture, which is very ancient, is the gathering side. So, I wanted to do something about gathering and just let people know what’s out there for the taking.

Dyanne Cortez calls herself a gatherer.

14— I started gathering when I was about 19, when I discovered wild mustang grapes. To me, it’s like this stuff is out there, and it’s almost an insult to Mother Nature if I don’t go make use of it.

She wrote an article for the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine about gathering and using wild Texas fruit.

30—Well, the article focuses on persimmons, plums; we also cover prickly pears, agarita berries, and wild grapes. And dewberries – which are the wild blackberries that are found in odd little places. We talk about where to find them, how to harvest them, the best season to harvest, and how to clean and prepare them. And then we’re going to have a web extra that has recipes to get people started.

The dos and don’ts of gathering wild fruit tomorrow; Dyanne Cortez’ article is in the August / September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

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

Engaging the Outdoors, Image courtesy www.projectwild.org

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Kiki Corry is the Project Wild Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

10 – Project Wild is an environmental and conservation education program. It is nationally recognized and distributed internationally. And, Texas Parks and Wildlife is the sponsor here in Texas.

Corry trains the facilitators who make Project Wild training workshops available to teachers.

11 – Some of them are teachers. Some of them work for nature preserves or camps, and they want to be qualified to train their staff. They like to contribute to the environmental literacy of the public.

Not all educators taking the workshops are classroom teachers.

20 – Not necessarily just classroom teachers, but also people at preserves and zoos and museums—people who run summer camps. Because this is a very active curriculum, quite often the activities look like a game, but when they’re done properly, the participants in what looked like a game, come away with a much deeper understanding of different environmental concepts.

Learn how to include Project Wild in your curriculum on the Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuels.

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