Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

You don’t have to be a birder to appreciate Resaca de la Palma State Park, north of Brownsville. Pablo De Yturbe is park superintendent.

We are part of the World Birding Center, so birds are important to us. But, not only that, when you get birds, you have butterflies, you have dragonflies, and five hundred and so different plant species, which some of them are very rare.

You also get a variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The 12-hundred acre park is the largest tract of native habitat in the World Birding Center network.

It also offers viewing decks overlooking the resaca, thus affording visitors a bird’s eye view of wildlife that uses the wetland.

Experience it for yourself on Saturday, December 6, when Resaca de la Palma State Park celebrates its grand opening with Family Day.

Our aim is to have not only bird watchers and nature lovers, but the whole family come and spend the day at the park. We’re going to have different activities. We’re going to have vendors, food, interpretive tours, hawk shows, and the buffalo soldiers.

Entrance is free for the grand opening. Resaca de la Palma State Park is possible thanks to increased park funding provided last session by the Texas Legislature.

Find information about the park at passporttotexas.org. That’s our show… 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

Dense Tamaulipan thorn scrub and other habitats make up Resaca de la Palma State Park, near Brownsville.

We have four different observation decks where they [visitors] can view the wildlife that uses the resaca. And each deck is a little bit different both in terms of the amount of sunlight that it gets during different times of the day, and also—to a degree—the vegetation that’s in that area where the resaca curves through it.

Katherine Miller is a natural resource specialist at the site. Once a dry riverbed, park staff flooded the resaca this summer, and control water levels to support a wide variety of wildlife, including more than 277 bird species.

It just amazes me how I can go outside in the park and walk around and find a new butterfly species that I’ve never seen here, or a bird species that’s just migrating in. Being able to get into all these different habitats and seeing the variety of birds, and knowing that we’re providing a place for them. I think that’s the most important thing—we’re doing something for the environment and protecting those species.

The 12-hundred acre park, part of the World Birding Center, is open for day use only. It has eight miles of trails in addition to the observation decks.

It’s mostly a park for people to get out and experience nature by walking or biking. We also will have a tram, and the tram will allow visitors into the park.

The Grand Opening celebration for Resaca de la Palma—details tomorrow.

That’s our show… with support form the Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

There is something magical about how stars peer through the bare branches of trees in winter. Kreische Brewery State Historic site in La Grange duplicates this celestial wonder during its annual trail of lights.

The park is lit up with very beautiful lights all around the trail—it’s about a quarter mile walking trail, including a trip through the house—the old Kreische House—where we have entertainment, and refreshments, and Santa Clause is here; and all the families and kids can come and enjoy a beautiful setting for a Christmas Celebration.

Site superintendent, Dennis Smith, says the park’s location adds a special aspect to the experience.

Our park sits on a 200-foot bluff that overlooks the river and overlooks the City of La Grange. And just the night view from up here, looking over down to La Grange, and the beautiful setting of the lights in the park are absolutely spectacular.

A generation of Texans has enjoyed this holiday event, and so can you.

Our trail of lights program is open to the public on December sixth, twelfth, thirteenth, nineteenth and twentieth. There’s a cost: three dollars per person thirteen years old and older, and one dollar for children between the ages of three and twelve.

Children under the age of three get in free. Visit passporttotexas.org for ways to light up your holiday season.

That’s our show… 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 and Wildlife Restoration Program

We met David Guthrie at Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo a couple of years ago. As a boy, he and his buddies camped in the woods and fields around his parent’s home, sometimes with startling consequences.

In the middle of the night it started to rain. So we packed up our things, and just took off and went back to my parent’s house and then we crashed on the living room floor. And the next morning I remember feeling something on me – it was moving across my leg – and I woke up and I looked down and there’s this enormous bulge around my leg. And across my stomach was the tail of a snake. And I woke up the kid next to me and I said, hey! You know, you’ve got to get this snake. You’ve got to grab him by the head so he can’t bite me. And his first reaction is, I’m afraid of snakes. But he reached over and he grabbed it and clamped down on it and it started thrashing in my pants leg. And so finally I got him to let go. The snake came out of my pants and went under a chair in the living room. And it turns out we had to go get a neighbor, and he came over and ultimately, trapped the snake in the house, and it was a non-poisonous snake. It was a three foot one inch long black racer; it was a rather memorable experience. I had a lot of sleepless nights as a kid after that (laughter).

Expo is this weekend at the Austin Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters in Austin, and it’s free. We have complete details at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show …we receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

EXPO: Snakes Alive! Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Several years ago, we met, then, 15-year-old Mike Landin at Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo. The Austin resident told us about a time he went deer hunting with his Dad, and they came upon a huge buck.

And this deer was bigger than I’d ever seen in my life, and I was like 14 and I was shaking real bad, and I…I ended up missing him, but we thought I got him. So we sat in the blind for about a half an hour and I was like, okay — c’mon Dad, c’mon Dad, we’ve gotta get him. So we walked around for about two hours just looking for this deer. I heard this like sound, and it was like this sound of something scraping. And I was like, I found the deer, I swear this is it! And I hopped over this little cliff hanger thing and I was like I found it! I found it! And ran over and it was an armadillo. I got all excited over this armadillo there again. And we found out I missed this huge buck! And that’s my hunting story.

Mike’s Aunt Kay who was with him, tipped us off that Mike is all Texan, but likes to tell stories using phony accents… and we’re glad he does.

Join us at Expo this weekend in Austin at Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters…and get in touch with your inner outdoor enthusiast…and it’s free.

That’s our show …we receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

EXPO: Deer of Dillo? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download