Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Mike Quinn is Texas Parks and Wildlife’s invertebrate biologist. His interest in bugs developed through an interest in birds.

My parents were birdwatchers, and I had an interest in outdoors as a child. But it wasn’t until I was in my twenties… I was helping ornithologists at UT study painted buntings at McKinney Falls State Park, and walked around the bend, and we saw this large butterfly there sunning itself – absolutely gorgeous in the sun – and Anita Fauquier says, “I think that’s a giant swallowtail.”

And I went home and I borrowed my mother’s butterfly field guide (which I haven’t quite returned yet), and just from that point on I started paying much closer attention to insects, and that led me to my degree now that I have in entomology and the job that I have studying them at Parks and Wildlife.

Do you have an Outdoor Story? Go to passporttotexas.org, and share it with us…and we could share it with Texas.

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

Outdoor Story: Mike Quinn Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Some of Kate Lipinski’s earliest memories are of camping trips in northern Wisconsin with her family. She said they would spend a week in the north woods, paddling and living in a rustic cabin.

And I’d never done any real camping until I was about twelve.

The sunset was still going on, on the other side of the sky, and it was perfect. And we were just watching this storm roll in. That’s when I realized that it was all worth it. Even if you have to hike tons of miles, and you’re really tired and you’re really sweaty, there’s always a reward when you go out in nature. There’s always something that you can get out of it.

Thanks, Kate. By the way, Kate is Passport’s new intern, and we’re delighted to have her here.

That’s our show for today…remember Life is Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Outdoor Story: Kate Lipinski Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Cliff Shackelford, Parks and Wildlife non-game ornithologist, was a city kid whose family owned land in east Texas. It’s there Cliff discovered his passion.

It was great to have this big backyard of a hundred and twenty acres. And I used to wander around with a BB gun shooting cans, and pine cones…I saw this big bird, and I couldn’t believe how big it was. The colors – it was black and white and had this big flaming red crest and it landed on a trunk of a tree and started hitching up like a woodpecker.

So, to me, it was really fun to identify things – and it hasn’t stopped. And, thirty plus years later and I’m still doing it.

Thanks, Cliff. Go to passporttotexas.org to share your outdoor story.

That’s our show for today…remember Life is Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Outdoor Stories: Cliff Shackelford Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

It’s a rare individual who – once introduced to the outdoors at a young age — fails to continue their relationship with nature long into adulthood.

Lisa Korth is no exception. She’s education coordinator for the Freshwater Resources Center in San Marcos. With a lifetime of outdoor adventures to draw from, she’s chosen a more recent memory to share with us today.

Well, I grew up around water, and one of my favorite memories is a recent memory: snorkeling in the San Marcos River. It’s one of my favorite places to snorkel because the clarity of the water is just so magnificent. It’s just really clean and pristine. And, when you snorkel, it’s like being in another world.

And just being under water and getting an up close view of that underwater world is just really magical. A friend of mine recently compared it to riding a roller coaster. And I agree. Just that exhilarating feeling of being in the water….pushing you downstream…seeing all of the plants and fish. It’s just really, really amazing.

Thank you Lisa…now it’s your turn. Visit our website, passporttotexas.org …and share your outdoor story with us.

If we use your story on the radio, we’ll send you high quality Life’s Better Outside t-shirt.

That’s our show for today…remember Life is Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Outdoor Stories: Lisa Korth Goes Snorkeling Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from TPWD

Barbara French is a wildlife biologist and science officer at Bat Conservation International (BCI), in Austin.

Bat Conservation International works to protect bats and bat habitat. We do education, we do direct conservation action, and we do it world-wide.

And French is on the front line of bat conservation. In her Outdoor Story she shares with us how she became passionate about bats and BCI.

I lived in Wisconsin for many years and then I moved to Austin in 1981. And it was not long after that that a friend of mine came and said ‘Hey, there are fruit bats under the bridge! Under Congress Avenue Bridge.’

And right at that moment they dropped down to start flying out, and it was just the most awesome thing I had ever seen. I was really captivated from that moment on. I began learning more about bats and a couple years after that became involved with Bat Conservation International.

Visit passporttotexas.org and share your outdoor story with us, and we might just put you on the radio.

That’s our show…we had help today from Loren Seeger…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Outdoor Stories with Barbara French Play Now | Play in Popup | Download