Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas with support from the WSFR Program

Before you sell seashells by the seashore, you first have to find them. Surprisingly, summer beachcombing may not yield the results you desire.

03—I feel the best time to go shelling is in the wintertime.

Paul Hammerschmidt, with coastal fisheries, is a lifelong and—admittedly obsessive—shell collector. He says winter storms churn up the Gulf bottom, sending marine critters and their calciferous containments onto the beach. To improve your chances of finding a variety of intact shells, Hammerschmidt says stay clear of crowded beaches.

12—If you get a chance to go to some more isolated beaches, like down on Padres island, or something like that, where the population of humans is not quite so thick, you’ll have a much better chance of finding some really unusual shells.

Such as a pretty little shell called baby ears—which looks like…well…baby ears. Or, there’s another special shell worth searching for called spirula.

19—And it’s a coiled, snail-like shell. But it doesn’t belong to a snail—it belongs to a little squid. And it’s inside the squid, and when the squid dies, that little thing has a lot of chambers in it with gas, and it floats and washes up on the beach. Those are very pretty, bright white, and they’re very fragile, so you have to be careful with them.

This winter, instead of heading to the slopes for skiing, head to the beach for shelling…you can still have hot cocoa when you’re done.

That’s our show for today…remember: life’s better outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Passport to Texas with support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

Nobody thinks twice about collecting shells from the beach. But I started to wonder if it’s really okay since beaches are public land.

08—It’s okay to collect shells. The ones that are broken and come apart, they create the sand that’s out there, but there is no law against it [collecting].

Paul Hammerschmidt, with coastal fisheries, is a lifelong shell collector. He says collect responsibly to avoid creating problems for the environment or marine animals.

05—I highly recommend that you only take shells that are from dead animals—not live animals.

How can you determine if something is still alive? In the case of the popular sand dollar, small spines cover the shells of living animals…so look for smooth, spineless shells. If, like me, you’ve never found a sand dollar on the beach—there’s good reason for it.

18—I think it’s because everybody wants to get a sand dollar. And, too, they’re another very fragile shell. And when the waves are strong, they’ll get broken up, and you’ll just see fragments of them. A lot of times, the best time to find a sand dollar, is after a storm—and then very early in the morning—before anybody else gets out on the beach.

When and where to go shelling on tomorrow’s show.

Our series receives support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program …funding diverse conservation projects throughout Texas…

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

This is Passport to Texas supported by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

This Friday, October 5th the Kerr Wildlife Management Area offers the third and final installment of their First Friday Tours for land and resource managers in the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion.

08—The third part is geared toward how an ecosystem behaves.

The region includes nearly 24 million acres in 42 Central Texas counties. Ryan Reitz, a biologist at the Kerr, says everyone is welcome to attend the free event when they register in advance by phone. This Friday: the tools of the land management trade.

10—We’re here to demonstrate how we’ve applied these tools on the Kerry Wildlife area, and what types of products the ecosystem started to provide after applying these tools Aldo Leopold talks about.

Aldo Leopold, considered the father of wildlife ecology, encouraged people to utilize the plow, cow, axe, fire, and gun, to care for the land. The October 5th event will also cover white-tail deer genetics.

13—We will be reviewing some very important aspects of a white tailed deer’s life – in terms of antler, body growth, and things of that nature that play a very important role to those interested in managing for quality white tailed deer.

There’s registration information in the calendar section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today… made possible by a grant from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program…

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

This is Passport to Texas

While it’s tempting to wear flip flops and sandals when visiting state parks and natural areas, if your goal is to hike trails or tread through other wooded or rocky terrains, you’ll need something sturdier and safer on your feet.

Choose the right shoe for the activity. If ambling along a relatively smooth, well maintained trail is your speed, then a light hiking shoe may suffice. They’re a more robust version of a running shoe, with great support and a flexible mid sole for comfort.

Next up is the hiking boot. These can be mid or high cut and take a little time to break in. Both mid cut and high cut boots wrap around the ankle. High cut boots provide greater stability and support. Overall, hiking boots are good to wear on day hikes when carrying light loads. If you commonly carry 40 pounds or more when hiking, a high cut boot will give you the best support.

Backpacking boots are the next boot in the lineup when it comes to support and durability. They generally have a stiff mid sole and may be mid to high cut to help prevent ankle roll when carrying heavier loads.

The sturdiest boot is the mountaineering boot. This is outdoor footwear at its most tough, supportive and durable. They’re heavier boots made to help you carry heavier loads. They’re also able to accommodate crampons should you find yourself scuttling up a glacier.

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

This is Passport to Texas

With as many outdoor recreational opportunities as there are in Texas—how does one get started?

08—Outdoor activity of the month is something we created to help folks understand what’s seasonally available to them.

Glenda Beasley is the marketing manager at Texas Parks and Wildlife. With input from staff interpreters, biologists and others, the agency developed a list of seasonal outdoor activities.

16—In March we’re promoting the Wildlife Viewing Trail maps that are produced here at Texas Parks and Wildlife and available online. There’s a lot of wonderful wildlife to be seen, and those trail maps help you to pinpoint where those locations are by region.

In addition to finding a master list of outdoor activities on the Parks and Wildlife website, if you live near one of the state’s bigger cities you can find specific Outdoor Activities of the Month featured on the websites of partner TV stations.

14—So you’ll look on our activities page and you’ll be able to see not only the big picture of where to go and things to do all over Texas on our events calendar, but also a way for you to look near the bigger cities for specific things to do.

Find more information about outdoor activities for the whole family on the Parks and Wildlife website. Remember: Life’s Better Outside.

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