Passport to Texas

Barrington Farm Christmas

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The holiday season is a special time to visit your state parks. Parks throughout Texas offer festive activities that could cause even old Scrooge, himself, to crack a smile.

During the entire month of December enjoy History in Lights with a beautiful evening stroll through the grounds of Mission Espiritu Santo at Goliad State Park and Historic Site. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. each night.

On December 7th Celebrate Christmas at Mr. Buck’s historic ranch home at South Llano River SP in Junction, and decorate trees, take pictures with Santa, and sing Christmas tunes on the front porch, and more!

On December 13th it’s a Pineywoods Christmas Drive-thru at Tyler State Park. Drive through the Cedar Point, Lakeview and Big Pine Camping Loops; enjoy a Pineywoods Christmas in lights. Campers staying at the park for this event are encouraged to decorate their sites.

On December 15th, head to Johnson City and join the Texas Hill Country community for the 50th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at LBJ State park and Historic site, started by President and Mrs. Johnson. Enjoy carolers, a live nativity, Santa Claus, refreshments, and of course, the spectacular tree lighting.

Check out the calendar section of the Texas parks and wildlife website for more holiday events at state parks.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Christmas Bird Count participants. Photo: Camilla Cerea/Audubon

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For Texas birders it is sheer delight now that the annual Christmas Bird Count is nearly in sight.

The Christmas Bird Count is a fantastic way for people to get involved in what we call citizen science. You can be a participant and help count birds during the Christmas season.

Cliff Shackelford is a state ornithologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

There’s a three week window that straddles Christmas where teams go out at specific times for 24 hours in a specific 15 mile radius circle and count birds.

The Christmas Bird Count officially started in 1900. Even though it took a while for counts to get established in Texas, some bird counting circles in the state have been in existence for 60 years.

So how can you participate?

The first thing to do is find out if you live in or near a Christmas Count circle. The next step is to find the count compiler, that person who’s in charge of coordinating that circle and making sure that people are spread out and have a little piece of the pie and don’t double up on certain sites.

Find your nearest Christmas count circle at Audubon.org

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

American Alligator

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It’s hard to find a hunt that will make your eyes wider and your heart beat faster than looking for alligators in the swamps of East Texas.

American Alligators are a really a conservation success story.

Justin Dreibelbis [Dry-bul-bis] is the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Their populations were very low not very long ago. We now have huntable populations in a number of different places and especially in the Eastern part of our state.

Managing those populations is necessary, and now you have a chance to participate in this conservation effort by entering the Big Time Texas Gator Hunt. One lucky winner and their guest will enjoy three days pursuing legendary alligators at the premier J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area.

With the Big Time Gator Hunt, the winner and a hunting guest will be able to enjoy a lot of time out on the airboat with the WMA staff. Be able to get assistance cleaning their gators and also get the opportunity to squeeze in an early Teal hunt, which is a cool opportunity there on the coast.

Like all Big Time Texas Hunts, food and lodging is provided along with on-site transportation and expert guides. To enter online, just go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and search for Big Time Texas Hunts.

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

Let’s Hunt BIG!

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This is Passport to Texas

For just 9 dollars you can enter to win a Big Time Texas Hunts package and support wildlife conservation at the same time.

Big Time Texas Hunts is a conservation fundraiser.

Justin Dreibelbis is the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Since 1996 we have brought in 14 million dollars plus of gross revenue to go directly to wildlife conservation and public hunting opportunity. We started with one single grand slam package then and its now evolved into ten different high-quality hunting packages.

Including: Nilgai Antelope, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Muledeer, Pronghorn, White-tailed deer, alligators, wild hog, waterfowl and others. Each hunting package includes meals and lodging, on-site transportation and professional guides.

Enter one of them or all of them online for only $9 each. There is a $5 online administration fee, but for that, you can enter as many times as you want in a single transaction. Just go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and search for Big Time Texas Hunts.

The deadline to enter is October 15th. Don’t miss your chance to win the hunt of a lifetime and support wildlife conservation in Texas.

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

Mason Mountain WMA–location of the Big Time Texas Hunts Exotic Safari.

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Have you ever dreamed of hunting the kind of game only found on other continents? Then Big Time Texas Hunts Exotic Safari may be for you. Janis Johnson.

The winner of the Exotic Safari Package gets to hunt two animals, he gets to choose between a gemsbok, a scimitar-horned oryx, an axis deer or new this year a common waterbuck. You get to bring a hunting companion along and he or she also gets to harvest an animal.

Johnson oversees marketing for Big Time Texas Hunts . The safari takes place at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

What’s new this year, the winner will also take home a Ruger American rifle, and that’s a 300-win mag. We’re also including a Vortex Diamondback scope. So this is going to be an awesome hunt for the winner. It’s a real premium hunt, and the addition of the Ruger rifle and scope makes it even more special.

Those items courtesy of McBrides Guns of Austin. The hunt package also includes food and lodging, expert guide services by Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists, and if you harvest animals: up to two shoulder mounts to preserve the experience.

Add to that an opportunity to fish, harvest unlimited feral hogs, and to bring along a third guest as a non-hunting companion.

Deadline to enter Exotic Safari, and all Big Time Texas Hunts hunt packages is October 15; entries are $9 each on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, with a $5 administrative fee for online transactions.

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