Passport to Texas

Children enjoying the outdoors

Nature: Feeling Ownership of the Outdoors Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle is coming to Texas in April for the Children in Nature Network Conference. As a child, he says he felt ownership of the woods near his home, the kind of ownership that often eludes today’s youth.

As an 8 year old, I pulled out –I think—hundreds of survey stakes that I knew had something to do with the bulldozers that were taking out other woods. I think I held ‘em off for a while. In any case, I was telling the story about pulling out stakes [at a conference]. And afterwards in the discussion period a rancher stood up, and he was sunburned, he was in his sixties, white handlebar moustache…And he said, you know that story you told about pulling out survey stakes? And he said, I did that when I was a boy. And then he began to cry in front of five hundred people. And despite his deep sense of embarrassment, he continued to speak about his sense of grief that his might be one of the last generations to have that kind of sense of ownership of land that has nothing to do with money—it goes deeper than that.

Help children connect with the land. Learn more about the Children and Nature Network Conference April 7 – 9 at passportotexas.org.

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

Independence Hall, Washington-on-the-Brazos

History: Texas Independence Day Celebration Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Celebrate Texas Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site February 28 and March 1.

07—And, there’ll be lots of activities going on in the park. They’ll have special programs and demonstrations down at the Barrington Living History farm…

Houston McGaugh is director of the Star of the Republic Museum for Blinn College.

12— We’ll have some various demonstrations going on in the museum, and just lots of activities in the park. Food. And, it’s a free, two-day event for people to come out and enjoy and learn a little Texas history.

We remember The Alamo, and the Battle of San Jacinto and their roles in gaining independence for Texas, but what about Washington-on-the-Brazos? On March 2, 1836, it’s where delegates signed the declaration of independence from Mexico.

21— And, I think that’s something we always keep coming back to. That, you know, it’s not necessarily battles; it’s the documentation; it’s the representatives of the people that come together and say, you know what, we’re not going to do this anymore. We’re going to be a free and independent country, and have a democracy. And that’s really what we celebrate here, I think. It’s the birthplace of a democracy. The Republic of Texas.

Find details about this year’s Texas Independence Day celebration at Washington-on-the-Brazos on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Funding for our series provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

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

Dead crab in abandoned trap, San Antonio Bay. Image
Art Morris, © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Fishing: Crab Trap Cleanup Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Lost and abandoned crab traps become hazards to marine life in Texas bays.

06— We are particularly concerned because of the ghost fishing effects; they continue fishing unmaintained.

When something gets in the trap and dies, it acts as bait, attracting more marine life, which in turn suffers the same fate. Art Morris is with coastal fisheries at Texas Parks and Wildlife, and coordinates the annual cleanup of derelict traps.

12— And what we do once a year in February, is get volunteers together up and down the coast, and we try to remove all those traps that have been lost, or vandalized or whatever that are potentially ghost fishing.

Volunteers have removed more than 31-thousand traps in the cleanup’s 14 year history. This year’s cleanup is February 20 through March 1, with a big one day push on February 21. And Texas isn’t alone in its efforts.

12— And we’re particularly excited this year in that we have a joint closure in Sabine Lake with the state of Louisiana, and we’ll be using joint efforts there to remove traps from the Louisiana side of the lake.

Find details on the cleanup and volunteering, on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The wildlife and sport fish restoration program support our series and is funded by your purchase of hunting and fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

Grilled boar chops.

Hunt | Fish | Cook: Getting Wild in the Kitchen Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re a regular listener of this series, you’ve heard me talk about cooking and eating wild game and fish. This native protein is natural, sustainable, and plentiful; if you shot it or reeled it in – or know who did – you don’t have to guess about quality or freshness.

One down side is that game can have a strong flavor some find off-putting. But it doesn’t have to when you follow proper handling protocols in the field and in the kitchen.

That’s why Texas Parks and Wildlife created a variety of online resources for new and seasoned hunters and anglers who want to eat what they harvest. Find videos on our website and YouTube channel that illustrate field dressing, proper storage, butchering and cooking your harvest.

We have a growing list of wild game and fish recipes on the website to help you discover new, inventive ways of enjoying this healthy, natural food source. And the digital hunting and fishing issues of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine often have game or fish recipes for your enjoyment.

In addition, Texas Parks and Wildlife partners with Central Market Cooking Schools statewide to offer demonstration and hands on wild game and fish cooking classes every other month. In fact, there’s one coming up February 10 at most of the schools that features oysters,
pheasant and venison. Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Find information about upcoming classes on the Central Market website.

And, make 2015 the year you get wild in the kitchen.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

History: Enduring Spirit of African Americans in 19th Century Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Enduring Spirit: African Americans in 19th Century Texas is a yearlong exhibit at the Texas Star of the Republic Museum in Washington-on-the-Brazos.

08—It actually started from a recent acquisition that we acquired. It was about 15-hundren documents from a gentleman names Asa Hoxey.

Houston McGaugh, director of the museum for Blinn College, says Hoxey moved to Washington County in the early 1830s, and brought black slaves with him.

14— And that prompted us to wonder if there are any descendants of those slaves still in Washington County. And we were able to identify some. So, that really made us start thinking about, more of – well, gosh, there’s an awful lot of African American history that you don’t hear about.

A question the museum wanted answered: when did Blacks first arrive in Texas?

10— And we were surprised to find out they started coming in the 1820s when this was still part of Mexico; and they were actually trying to get land grants like some of the Anglo settlers were in Austin’s Colony.

Mexico abolished slavery in 1829, so Blacks here before Texas Independence were free. That changed when Texas became a republic.

07— And, actually, the free blacks that were here, were given one year to either go back into servitude, or leave the Republic.

Many of these free Blacks went to Mexico where their ancestors live today. Learn more about the exhibit and special events and speakers at starmuseum.org.

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