Passport to Texas

Bison Celebration September 17, 2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Caprock Canyon SP has much to offer visitors. Some folks have even called it the hidden gem of the state park system. Park Superintendent Donald Beard can support that claim.

29— We have beautiful canyon country. We have thousand foot elevation drops. Twenty-eight miles of biking, hiking, and equestrian trails inside the park. Plus, we have our Trailway, which is an abandoned railroad line, which runs from Estelline to South Plains–65 miles long. It has Clarity tunnel, which is home to 250-thousand to half a million Brazilian free-tail bats that emerge nightly. We just have so much to offer here…it’s an amazing place. You can come here and spend all kinds of time and never see it all.

The park also has the official state bison herd. And on Saturday September 17, everyone can celebrate the completion of the first phase of a park’s restoration project, which triples the room these animals have to roam.

24—We’re going to start out the day with an official ribbon cutting to celebrate the fact that we are completing phase one. And then that will kick off our day’s activities. We’re going to have food vendors, we’ll have a lot of living history type exhibitors, with buffalo hunter camps. Native American camps… Pioneer days type stuff. It’s just going to be an all day fun thing. Everybody’s invited to come on out.

Find details about the September 17 Bison Celebration at Caprock Canyon SP at texasstateparks.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas

Traveling overland in the punishing climate of the desert southwest during the mid-nineteenth century took its toll on the US Army.

12—Following the Mexican-American War, political and military minds had seen the lack of water on the western frontier. They were truly losing soldier, horses and mules because of dehydration.

Doug Baum, is owner/operator of the Texas Camel Corps, a business that offers camel treks through Monahans Sandhills SP and Big bend SP, under conditions similar to what the original camel corps experienced.

10—As early as we were fighting at the Alamo…this idea was proposed. And it would be twenty years, before camels were actually purchased and unloaded on the coast of Texas.

On May 13, 1856, the first group of camels arrived from Tunisia at the Port of Indianola in Lavaca County. After some training, the army caravanned the animals to their permanent home at Camp Verde, between San Antonio and Kerrville.

03—They arrived in 1856 and promptly went to work.

Camels’ ability to go long distances without water, and in sweltering Texas heat, allowed the army to successfully explore the Big bend Region.

The Corps operated until the end of the Civil War, when it was disbanded and the camels sold to private citizens and the circus.

That’s our show…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Camel Corps Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

April 21is the day Texans remember the Battle of San Jacinto—a turning point in the story of Texas. Our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, tells us about a battle reenactment to take place on the San Jacinto Battleground.

This is one of the most iconic battles we have in our colorful Texas history. It’s a reenactment of what happened on April 21, 1836. There’ll be people in period costume and battle garb, and they will actually reconstruct that battle from 1836 where the Texans courageously won their independence from Santa Anna’s forces down in Southeast Texas. And that’s at San Jacinto Battleground, down just outside of Houston. Every year it draws lots and lots of people, and it’s just one of those times where you can get up close and personal with living Texas history, because the battle is reenacted right before your very eyes. People who go say it is a pretty revealing, interesting and powerful thing to see—and its so fundamental to our Texas history base. It’s something that we think everyone who’s a Texan should understand what happened and its significance to our state. Few times can you get up and really see, or witness and event that did happen in history that turned the tide of a nation.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find more information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

San Jacinto Day Celebration and Rememberance Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The good old days of the old west are closer than you think, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier explains.

Out at Big Bend Ranch State Park, people can still do an authentic, four-day cattle drive with the longhorns and some of the most majestic scenery that we have in Texas anywhere. And it’s coming up in April, and it’s fantastic, and we have some availability. You know, you need to know what you’re getting into; your going to really be doing the trail ride, you’re really going to be moving the longhorns, and there’s going to be food out on the trail—the chuck wagon—it’s the whole experience of a cattle drive. People who go say they love it. It’s like being in the movie City Slickers for real.

So do you have to have any background in cow poking or horse riding?

It’s better if you’re comfortable in and around horses and realize that you’re going to be in the saddle for quite a while during each day, it’s not easy or for the faint of heart. But, for people who want an adventure and want a chance to get out—this is your chance.

How do they sign up?

Advanced reservations on this are a must. So they can call the park directly at 432-358-4444.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find more information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Spring Longhorn Cattle Drive

When Apr 20, 2011 08:00 AM to
Apr 23, 2011 06:00 PM

Contact Phone (432) 358-4444

This four-day event is an ideal opportunity to leave the suit and tie behind and be a West Texas longhorn wrangler. The experience is guided and directed by Big Bend Ranch wranglers that can accommodate all levels of experience. Come visit us at the ranch headquarters in Sauceda for great food, lodging, and lasting memories. Early arrival 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday, cattle drive 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Thursday-Saturday; call for fees; reservations required.

Big Bend Cattle Drive Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

When you sign up for free e-newsletters from Texas Parks and Wildlife, you’re signing up for multimedia outdoor adventures delivered to your inbox.

03—It’s a really fun way to find out about what’s going on.

Darcy Bontempo, Marketing Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife, says the e-newsletters give subscribers more than a list of outdoor activities.

11—Also learning about conservation, about wildlife. People love stories about animals and all the critters in Texas. So, this is a really easy way to get the information to them, but it’s also fun to read.

The free e-newsletters from Texas Parks and Wildlife can help to streamline your interactions with the agency.

21—[If you] Read a story on a state park and you’re interested in going there, you just can click right there and go right to our online reservation system [and] make a reservation. Or, if you read a fishing story, and you want to buy a fishing license, or you might see a promotion about the horned lizard license plate, or one of our other license plates; you go directly online and buy. So, it’s real convenient, and you know you even can do it from your smart phone. So, it’s pretty cool.

Look for the envelope icon on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website to sign up your e-newsletters. You decide what you want depending on what your interests.

24—Also, they can opt out at any time; they can change their profile at any time, so if they find they’re getting too much or too little information, they can just go right online to their subscription profile and change it.

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

Multimedia Outdoor Adventures Play Now | Play in Popup | Download