Passport to Texas

Picture Yourself in State Parks

Photography: Picture Yourself in State Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On your next trip to a state park, bring the family, a camera and start snapping; then enter your best shot in Texas Parks and Wildlife’s state park photo contest.

03—The theme of it is “Picture Yourself in State Parks.”

Chase Fountain –photographer with Texas Parks and Wildlife – says judges want to see how you engage the outdoors.

12—Imagine taking a selfie, and you’re, for example, at Garner State Park. If you’re walking up “Old Baldy” and you have your hiking poles behind you, and you’re looking up…just taking a picture of yourself with that in the background says it all.

Photos don’t have to look professional. They just need to show you enjoying Texas state parks.

09—We are looking for families having a great time in state parks. Capture those wonderful moments and share them with us. And we’ll be happy to take a look at them – and maybe you might win!

Entries are being accepted now through April 15th. There are three categories.

19—One is 18 and over; and we’re having a 17 and under category for all you kids out there. And, of course, we’re doing an Instagram category as well. And in order to do the Instagram, you need to do #MyParkPick, and upload it. Whitney Bishop – our social media director over there – will take a look at them and get them ready for the contest.

Find rules and entry forms on the activities page of the TPW website. The person with the winning photo receives a Hero Edition Silver GoPro Camera.

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

Take your camera to a State Park.

Photography: State Park Photography Contest Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What kind of camera do you take with you to a state park?

06—When I’m with my family out and about in parks or wherever, I use my phone – that’s my primary camera – and I love it.

Chase Fountain works as a professional photographer for Texas Parks and Wildlife. While he uses sophisticated equipment on the job, he says point and shoot digital cameras as well as camera phones offer tools to help all users take well-composed shots.

16—My iPhone has a little option on there where you can put the grid on, and it displays the grid. If you have time, look into the concept of using the rule of thirds; it’s about placing interesting subject matter in the intersecting points of your camera [grid] to increase the value of composition with your photos.

We love landscape images, yet photos that include people actively engaging the outdoors can be more compelling.

12—It’s funny that you bring that up, because we are coming up with a state park contest; the theme of it is “Picture Yourself in State Parks.” And it’s really going to be focused on photographing you and your family out doing an activity in a state park.

So grab your camera or camera phone and submit your entries now through April 15th.

12—I saw a recent photo that a family submitted the other day, and it was just their silhouettes, or a shadow of them. And, they had all their shadows on the side of a rock at Enchanted Rock. That was a very fun way to engage a natural setting like that.

Tomorrow: A few contest rules and what the winner receives.

That’s our show…Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Watch a video featuring 2011 winners. Lots of great talent!

Art/Fish: Enter to State Fish Art Contest Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Budding artists [and fisheries biologists] take note: draw or paint any recognized state fish, include an essay on the species, and you might just win a great prize.

14—The Toyota Texas Bass Classic sponsors this, and they give us money for prizes.

Zoeann Stinchcomb, with the Texas Freshwater Fisheries center in Athens, says the competition is open to Kindergarten through twelfth graders.

14—This is one of my favorite times of the year, once we start getting the entries in, because I don’t think most people realize how many talented students we have as far as artwork goes—it’s amazing.

Students must also submit an essay [K-3rd grade are exempt] about the fish they draw in order for judges to consider their entry.

16—The idea on that is they have to do a little but of research about the fish that they’re going to be representing. And, they have to be able to tell us something about that fish: either the conservation status, the biology or ecology of that fish… And they can even put it in story form.

Deadline to submit an entry is March 31. Find contest details at www.statefishart.com.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport fish and Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding for management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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

Battleship Texas in need of repairs

History: Battleship Texas Needs a Makeover Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

At 100 years old, Battleship TEXAS, moored in a slip at San Jacinto SP & HS in LaPorte, has seen better days.

06— TEXAS, being permanently moored at San Jacinto, we don’t have the capability of taking it to a dry dock.

The ship—now a museum—experienced one dry dock cycle since its 1948 arrival at San Jacinto. Andy Smith, who oversees the care of the ship, says years spent submerged in brackish water, resting atop mud, damaged the craft.

22— They weren’t able to patch all the leaks, and she slowly filled with water. Some of the internal structures are severely deteriorated, and that’s some of the work we’re doing right now: trying to repair those internal structures – but also her exterior. The shell plating – the hull – has so many leaks. And that keeps water coming in; water coming in creates more problems with deterioration on the inside. And it goes on and on.

Despite challenges involved in keeping this antique dreadnought repaired, the benefits of doing so are many.

14—It’s a nice bookend between the monument that commemorates the battle of San Jacinto and the battleship that commemorates both WWI and WWII. You have a broad scope of both world history, US history, and Texas history.

Next month we celebrate the centennial of this venerated vessel with a Texas Uprising.

09—The public family festival that we’re going to have on March 15 is going to be a party the likes of which we probably haven’t seen before.

Proceeds from the event will fund repair work on the Battleship… festival details tomorrow.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Birders on the lookout for…well…birds.

Birding/Wildlife: Birding Classic, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas provides important habitat for species migrating throughout the US and North America. The annual Great Texas Birding Classic – April 15th through May 15th –raises money to conserve that habitat.

09—By paying entry fees, by getting a sponsor for your team, you are donating money to grants that we’re going to award for habitat projects here in our state.

Shelly Plant nature tourism manager for TPW, says the tournament is statewide this year, with an expanded date range, creating new opportunities for birders.

26—We have made this so easy for anyone, anywhere in the state to participate. You can now go in your backyard; you can go down the street to your favorite park. You can travel wherever you wanted and you can do this anywhere. In addition, by having it open from April 15 to May 15, it makes it very easy to blend with whatever your schedule is. So, hopefully, we’ll have more teams than ever before, which means more registration fees, which means larger grants than we’ve ever given, which is better for the birds.

There are tournaments for all ages, interests, and abilities…and registration fees are lower than they’ve ever been.

06—So, hopefully, by taking these steps, we’ve made this as easy as possible for anyone who likes biding or birds to get out here and participate in the birding classic.

The Great Texas Birding Classic is April 15 through May 15, and registration deadline is April 1st. Find details at birdingclassic.org.

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