Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Ongoing residential develop in and near coastal and marsh areas in Texas, is the primary reason why human / alligator interactions are on the rise.

Amos Cooper, a Natural Resource Specialist at J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area in Port Arthur – which is prime alligator habitat – says if you live in gator country, you need to remember this important rule:

Never ever feed one, because you stimulate him to look at humans as a food source. And that’s the potential danger we’re being impacted with right now in places around the Houston/Fort Bend area.

And then half of them, because they raised this alligator and they fed it everyday, they don’t want us to kill it not understand that that’s our only choice… because what are we going to do? We’re going to release it somewhere so somebody else can get injured from it? Because it’s going to attack you because it’s been stimulated with food.

Texas Parks and Wildlife has developed educational materials for the public about the dangers and consequences surrounding the feeding of alligators.

And you can find a link to that information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…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

J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area in Port Arthur offers the best alligator habitat in Texas. Amos Cooper is a Natural Resource Specialist at the site.

Murphree Wildlife Management Area was originally bought for waterfowl habitat, but by impounding this area, you actually created excellent habitat for the American Alligators, too. This is probably the most populated habitat that we have in the state.

There’s approximately one alligator per acre of land at J.D. Murphree WMA. And this month, the public’s invited to help census the big lizards during a nighttime count.

First, we give a little orientation and we explain to them, you know, what we do, why we do it, and basically how we do it. We take people out at night on a cruise and we go out and do a count. It’s data that we use. And they get to see first hand that this animal is not trying to jump in the boat with them. Also, we capture some so they can actually get close up to them and touch them and feel them and see what they’re about.

The Nighttime Gator Spotlight Count is Saturday, July 28th. It’s free with admission to the site – you must also have an Annual Public Hunting Permit or Limited Public Use Permit. Reservations are required, and space is limited.

Don’t forget your bug spray.

Log onto passporttotexas.org for registration information.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…which provides funds for the Private lands and Public Hunting Programs…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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

It continues to amaze boating safety educator, Jack Dyess that so many people who boat in Texas think they know the state’s boating laws.

When they are stopped by a water safety enforcement officer for some violation, their first response is “I didn’t know that.” That’s probably true; they didn’t know that…because they don’t know the boating laws.

Dyess says people think that just because they have a license to drive a car, they know everything there is to know about driving a boat.

It’s ridiculous to think that if you know the automobile laws you also know the boating laws…you can’t obey laws that you don’t know anything about.

Texas Parks and Wildlife offers boating safety courses statewide to familiarize everyone with boating laws, navigation rules, docking, anchoring and even handling accidents and emergencies aboard a vessel.

It’s in a classroom, you may take it through the internet, or you can take it through a home study course.

To find a class near you, log on to passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas…

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Only a handful of historic lighthouses remain standing; among them — the 155 year old Port Isabel Lighthouse on the Lower Laguna Madre. Perhaps you’ve been there… and as you climbed the spiral staircase to the top… wondered about the people who tread those same steps… more than a hundred years ago.

The lighthouse was used during the Civil War by the Confederate and the Union soldiers back in 1866.

Port Isabel lighthouse keeper, Gabriel Gildinas.

During the war, the light had been removed. The soldiers could use it as a lookout tower. The Confederate soldiers would be stationed upstairs and they would make sure none of the Union soldiers were moving into this area.

Removing the light wasn’t the only modification made to the lighthouse during the Civil War. The handrail was moved to the right of the staircase. Doing so gave occupying forces at the top… an advantage over those climbing the stairs.

The soldiers that would be upstairs, when they’re coming down, they want to be able to use their right hand [to shoot their guns], so if any soldiers [enemy forces] are going up to the top of the lighthouse, they’d be forced to have to use their left hand. It gave the soldiers that were stationed inside the lighthouse an advantage.

Of course, this assumes all soldiers were right handed.

Find a link to more information about the Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

For most of its 155 year history, the Port Isabel Lighthouse, like a lonely sentry, kept silent watch over ships that ventured into the shallow gulf waters of the lower Laguna Madre. One of sixteen lighthouses serving the state, this renovated structure is evocative of a bygone era; one that continues to capture the imagination of visitors.

A lot of people are fascinated with lighthouses.

Gabriel Gildinas is Port Isabel’s lighthouse keeper.

A lot of the visitors that we have are inland, so seeing a lighthouse is like finding treasure to them. It’s just an unbelievable site that they want to come, they want to experience this. It brings a lot to their imaginations. You just see the children. They’re just unbelievably fascinated with it. They just want to run up the stairs.

New technologies have made the need for lighthouses obsolete. But at one time – they were lifesavers.

Well, in the past, the use of this lighthouse was mainly to help the ships in this area. At the time, this was one of the largest shipping ports in the entire world. The lighthouses, they really don’t serve much of a purpose nowadays because of the GPS- global positioning system, but back in that time, lighthouses were like the GPS. The only way you could navigate and knows what’s in front of you is by knowing there’s a lighthouse right there.

Find a link to more information about the Port Isabel Lighthouse at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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