Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The State Natural Area Partners group, or SNAP, raises funds for improvements to the Hill Country State Natural Area in Bandera. Sometimes they collaborate with other groups to achieve their goals.

The State Natural Area Partners came to TETRA and asked for a partnership so that we could help them run a trail ride. And all the profits that come off the trail ride, goes into the pocketbook of SNAP. And they’ve put in many improvements in the park with this money.

Debbie Alley is a member of TETRA—the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association. March 14—16, the groups host the 5th Annual Spring Break Benefit Trail Ride at the site. It starts Friday night with registration, and a hearty dinner. The ride begins early Saturday.

You know somewhere between eight and nine o’clock we ride out, go up and down the trails, then come back to camp around noontime, and have a real quick lunch, and then we head out again about one, one-thirty, two o’clock. And go down a different set of trails. Then, Saturday night we have supper—it’s a potluck supper—which I remember doing as a kid. It brings back such sweet memories, you know? Then we have the live auction.

There’s another morning ride Sunday, and everyone pack out by noon. All ages and skill levels welcome, but you have to bring your own horse.

Find trail ride information, including costs, at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…remember: Life’s Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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March 14–16, 2008 — Hill Country SNA — 5th Annual Spring Break Trail Ride — Join the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association and Hill Country State Natural Area Partners and help support the natural area. Arrive and get settled in on Friday afternoon, then enjoy Cowboy Chili (while it lasts!) on Friday night.

Begin Saturday morning with registration and Coggins check followed by a free breakfast for registered riders. Ride outs at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., lunch is on your own. The evening brings a Pot Luck barbecue dinner and silent auction.

Sunday morning registration and Coggins check for new arrivals, free breakfast for registered riders and morning ride out. Check out at 2 p.m. Fees $20 single day, $35 weekend, TETRA members $30, children 12-18 $10 single day, $20 weekend.

For more information, visit Hill Country State Natural Areas Partners or call (830) 796-4413.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

If you want something different to do with the family, consider the fifth annual Spring Break Benefit Trail Ride at the Hill Country State Natural Area March 14—16.

The only thing we ask is that you do bring your own horse. We do not have horses for rent.

Debbie Alley, a member of TETRA, the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association, http://www.tetratrails.com/, is one of the event organizers. She says don’t fret if you lack experience in the saddle.

We’ve had people show up that had never ridden before—and didn’t know the front of a horse—and you ought to see all the people all around them trying to help ‘em. And then we have people that have ridden since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. And they’re the ones over there helping the new ones.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children.

We hope that kids will show up. We cater to the children. We go out of our way to make sure that they get what they need. Like, we have short rides. We have a ride in the morning. Then we come back to camp and we have a ride in the afternoon and we come back to camp. That way, if the children get tired, they can stay in camp and not wear their parents out by getting bored.

We’ll have more on the ride tomorrow. Find event details and costs at passporttotexas.org.

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

March 14–16, 2008 — Hill Country SNA — 5th Annual Spring Break Trail Ride — Join the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association and Hill Country State Natural Area Partners and help support the natural area. Arrive and get settled in on Friday afternoon, then enjoy Cowboy Chili (while it lasts!) on Friday night.

Begin Saturday morning with registration and Coggins check followed by a free breakfast for registered riders. Ride outs at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., lunch is on your own. The evening brings a Pot Luck barbecue dinner and silent auction.

Sunday morning registration and Coggins check for new arrivals, free breakfast for registered riders and morning ride out. Check out at 2 p.m. Fees $20 single day, $35 weekend, TETRA members $30, children 12-18 $10 single day, $20 weekend.

For more information, visit Hill Country State Natural Areas Partners or call (830) 796-4413.

Spring Break Benefit Trail Ride, Part 1 of 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Whether you’re a native Texan or got here as soon as you could…the place to be on Saturday and Sunday, March first and second is Washington-on-the-Brazos state historic site–the “Birthplace of Texas,” where we’ll be celebrating 172 years of Texas Independence.

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site honors the 59 men who met there in March 1836 to declare Texas a free and independent nation.

Throughout the weekend historical re-enactors, skilled artisans and period musicians will transport visitors back to a time when Texas was a struggling young nation.

In addition, a special ceremony will be held Sunday afternoon honoring Texas’ past and present ending with a Texas sized birthday cake. Maybe it won’t really be as big as Texas, but it’ll get pretty darned close.

Because it’s a party, tour fees will be waived on this special weekend so all Texans—as well as those who simply love the Lone Star State–can learn about our common heritage.

So, make plans to be in Washington, Texas, at Washington-on-the-Brazos Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2, between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days to celebrate Texas Independence …at the “Birthplace of Texas.”

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

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

Each winter, inland fisheries stocks lakes and reservoirs with rainbow trout to provide a unique winter angling opportunity. Fish that escape the hook eventually succumb to the heat.

In Texas, we’re outside of the range where rainbow trout, at least for the most part, can survive throughout the year. So, we just bring them in during the winter months; and there’s an opportunity to fish for them until the spring.

Carl Kittel coordinates the trout-stocking program for Parks and Wildlife. He admits that—from time to time—a few fish manage to adjust to summer temperatures.

In years when conditions are right, particularly below the Canyon Dam and the Canyon tailrace, fish can survive the summer—occasionally. The problem is they can’t do so consistently, so we generally don’t get established populations.

So hurry and get these fish while they NOT hot. Anglers 17 years old and older must have a 5-dollar freshwater fish stamp and a license to hook a rainbow. You won’t need either if you fish in a stat e park.

We consider all of our rainbow stocking in Texas to be a put and take fishery. We put the fully-grown fish in, which are a catchable size when we stock them. And the purpose of stocking them, and our expectation of those fish, is that they’ll be fished out by anglers.

There’s a link to the rainbow trout stocking schedule on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which also helps fund winter trout stocking in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Calling all bird lovers. On February 15 through 18, you have a chance to participate in The Eleventh Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard bird count is a nationwide event coordinated by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Joshua Rose is a natural resource specialist at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park. The park is part of the World Birding Center.

The Backyard Bird Count started as a count where people just count on their own property, in their own backyard. But over the years they’ve gradually expanded it, and encouraged people to count birds not just in their backyards, but also to count in, say, local city parks and around their neighborhoods, and wherever they happen to spend time that weekend.

The Great Backyard Bird Count, says Rose, is one of the first steps many people take when first getting involved birding. All you need is a field guide and an internet connection.

The whole count works through an online data entry. The data is entered through a website, and so when a person reports bird sightings to the Great Backyard Bird Count, the website has blanks to fill in for where and when they counted the birds and for how long.

Find a link for the data forms at passporttotexas.org.

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

Great Backyard Bird Count, Part 1 of 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download