Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Golfing has often been described as a good walk spoiled. The same has never been said about hunting. Hunting includes a good walk as well as a chance to pass on a Texas tradition to the next generation.

06—I’d like to encourage all hunters to take their youngsters hunting even if they start them out with a pair of binoculars.

That’s Terry Erwin who oversees hunter education at Texas Parks & Wildlife. The idea, says Erwin, is to help kids become comfortable with the outdoors.

09—They can be out there in the woods observing nature, even if they don’t hunt at the time. But as they gain insight and become older, they may want to start hunting.

Hunting is an activity that fathers and mothers are encouraged to share with their children, but learning at a parent’s side is no substitute for a sanctioned hunter education class. With more than 3-thousand classes offered annually, there’s one to fit every schedule.

07—They go on year round, from January all the way up through December. So that’s not something that’s just a seasonal thing right before hunting season.

You will find a complete list of hunter education classes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Our show is made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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This is Passport to Texas

Getting lost is unsettling for adults and downright terrifying for children—especially if they’re in a wilderness area.

:05— We teach them what they need to know to survive out there if they do get lost.

David Owens, assistant manager at Lake Mineral Wells State park, often teaches children wilderness survival skills. He does this by playing games with the kids, and by using acronyms such as S.T.O.P. to help focus their attention.

:23—And the acronym for the STOP sign tells them to: S—stay put; don’t go any further, you may get more and more lost. To T—think; think about initial things they need to do to start with. O—observe; look at their surroundings; make sure they stay in a safe place. And P—plan; plan on how to use the things that they may have brought that can help them out.

Parents should provide their young hikers with a pack containing a whistle to make noise, a mirror they can use as a signaling device, and a plastic trash bag.

:15—A garbage sack can help in many ways. You can make a raincoat out of it; you can also use it to flag down search and rescue people looking for you. I’ve had kids tell me you can make a shade if it’s too hot. So we teach them how to do a lot of those things.

There’s a wilderness survival skills workshop at Lake Mineral Wells SP on May 22. Find details in the calendar section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Invasive Species Campaign
:30 RADIO – Salvinia Monster
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REPORTING FROM THE LAKE

REPORTER: We’re here talking to one of the fastest growing invasive species in Texas.

SAL: Hi, I’m Giant Salvinia, nasty invasive species. I double in size every week.

REPORTER: I understand you destroy Texas lakes and ruin fishing.

SAL: Hah, oh, yeah, that’s my thing.

REPORTER: And that would be why Boaters, fishermen and skiers hate you.

SAL: Yep, but they do give me rides from lake to lake.

REPORTER: Folks, giant salvinia clings to boats, trailers and gear. So remove even the smallest piece and put it in the trash.

SAL: Don’t tell them that! Tantrum

REPORTER: Hello Giant Salvinia. Goodbye Texas Lakes. A message from Texas Parks and Wildlife.

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This is Passport to Texas

Giant Salvinia is a fast growing exotic aquatic plant from South America that’s thriving in Texas waters, killing off native plants and fish.

:11—Everybody’s always looking for possible outlets for some what that we can actually make it work for us instead of against us. But, we just haven’t been able to find any redeeming qualities behind giant Salvinia.

Howard Elder is an aquatic habitat biologist. The agency uses an integrated pest management approach to dealing with Giant Salvinia.

:18—Since it is a floating plant, and it grows so quickly, the winds can push it wherever it chooses. And that is one of the biggest problems that we have—locating the infestations and being able to treat them.

Elder says they can only conduct herbicide operations in the warmer months when the plant is growing. Using Giant Salvinia weevils that eat the plant look promising. But the best defense against its spread is educating anglers and boaters.

:13—Concerned anglers and boaters on infected waters should carefully inspect and clean their boat, trailers, jet skis and any other personal watercraft of all aquatic vegetation before leaving the launch area. Because that is how it gets spread around.

Visit www.texasinvasives.org to learn more about Giant Salvinia and other invasive species changing TX Lakes.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Giant Salvinia was first discovered in 1998 in a small schoolyard pool in Houston.

:10—Later that year it was found in Toledo Bend Reservoir. And our next sighting was in Lake Texana, and then we found it in Lake Conroe and then Lake Sheldon, east of Houston.

Howard Elder is an aquatic habitat biologist. It’s thought suppliers of tropical plants to nurseries brought Giant Salvinia to the US under a different name. And flood events introduced it to public waters where it flourishes, forming dense floating mats.

:11—Which essentially block out all the sunlight, shading out native aquatic vegetation species, and inhibiting the production of phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are critical to the health of any aquatic ecosystem.

Mature plants have leaves that are about the size of a fifty cent piece and are covered with hairlike structures. Plants can be light brown to chartreuse in color. One acre of Salvinia can become two acres in as little as one week, and can grow faster than our ability to remove it.

:08—We have documentation from a recent infestation in Hawaii, where it grew faster than they could remove it with backhoes out of a small pond.

Tomorrow: what Texas is doing to manage this invasive aquatic exotic. Find more information about Giant Salvinia and other invasive exotics at www.texasinvasives.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

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