Passport to Texas

Diving near an artificial reef.

Angling: Artificial Reefs Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What do concrete, decommissioned ships and retired oil platforms have in common? They’re all materials used to create artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. But if you ask Dale Shively which is best material for creating this marine habitat, he says: it depends.

04— We have all of those materials in our program, and they all serve a different purpose.

Shively is Texas Parks and Wildlife program leader for artificial reefs.

27— Farther off shore, we have mainly petroleum platforms. They’re solid, stable, and durable. They’re massive structures that give a lot of area to invertebrate growth and bring in a lot of fish species. Ships that we put out are good habitat, but they’re also primarily to bring in diving opportunities. And then as you move in closer to shore, in our near shore reefs, we use a lot of concrete – bridge rubble and things like that – that are good for fishing.

The reefs create habitat for marine species, and this leads to better angling and diving opportunities.

12— What we’ve seen with the Texas Clipper project, is that economic returns for angling could be over a million dollars a year back to the local economy. Whereas diving could be several million.

Find an article on the value of artificial reefs in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our Series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Box of zebra mussels.

Invasives: Clean, Drain and Dry Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Arriving in the ballast of ships from Eastern Europe, zebra mussels reached the Great Lakes in the 1980s.

05— They’ve been pretty steadily moving across much of the eastern and central portion of the United States.

Inland fisheries biologist Brian Van Zee says they arrived in Lake Texoma in 2009; and occupy waters of 6 lakes in north and Central Texas.

10—They’re primarily moved from water body to water body by boaters, who don’t take the time to clean, drain and dry when heading from an infested lake to a non-infested lake.

As filter feeders Zebra Mussels impact the aquatic food chain and compete for plankton. They clog water intake pipes of municipal utility districts, causing significant increases in maintenance and operational costs. It’s vital boaters clean, drain and dry their boats after every outing.

19—We recommend boaters dry their boats for at least a week before they go from one lake to the next. If they pull the plug out of the bottom of the boat, lower the engines down, and make sure there’s no water in them, and make sure the live wells are empty, and open those compartments up and let them dry in between going from one lake to the next, you really reduce that risk of moving zebra mussels from one lake to another.

At this time, clean, drain and dry is the law in 47 Texas counties, and could expand to statewide. [NOTE: Since the program was first produced, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission met and approved a new regulation requiring that all boats operating on public fresh water anywhere in Texas be drained before leaving or approaching a lake or river to help combat the further spread of zebra mussels and other invasive species. The new measure takes effect July 1, 2014.]

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Safety first when on the water.

Paddling: Kayak Safety Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Putting others first is a selfless act, but when it comes to being on the water, Rob Owen says: you are number one!

03— Look after yourself first, and be safe about your decision-making.

That just means if you’re going out on a canoe or kayak be prepared, aware and set a good example. Owen works on the Parks and Wildlife Texas Outdoor Family and Texas Outdoor Education team.

17— Take along with you what you need for your day. Taking water is especially important. Sunscreen also; there’s nothing worse than a beet red sunburn on the end of a paddle trip – I’ve been there. Additionally, a life jacket and a whistle are two very important pieces of equipment for being on the water.

Having a lifejacket on board is one thing; wearing it while you’re underway is another.

10— As we like to say: Nobody’s Waterproof. You never know what’s going to happen when you fall out of the boat. So, it’s always a good idea to have that insurance policy. So, have that lifejacket on at all times [when you’re on the water].

Log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website to find safety information, paddling 101 workshops, and where you can rent paddling gear.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series, funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

Getting underway on Beaver Pond Paddling Trail.

Paddling: Learn to Kayak Before the Year Ends Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Just because the year’s half over, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to make good on your New Year resolutions; especially the one where you said you would learn a new outdoor activity like canoeing or kayaking.

04— A lot of state parks offer paddling 101 workshops.

See? It’s your lucky day. Rob Owen is a member of the Texas Outdoor Family and Texas Outdoor Education team.

12— These [101 workshops] will be an opportunity to come out to a park and learn from a ranger, briefly, about safety and some paddling strokes and having an opportunity just to use some equipment that otherwise you might not have regular access to.

Talk about removing barriers to your success. And, if you use good judgment on the water – Rob says you can forgo the workshop altogether.

14— Oftentimes, paddling skills are developed just through experience. If you take the opportunity to be safe, and think ahead about your plan, and where you want to paddle – and match your skill to the body of water you want to paddle on – then you really can start from scratch.

Good-bye excuses, hello good times paddling in Texas state parks. Just log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website to find the next paddling 101 workshop, or where you can rent paddling gear.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

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

Biscuits in a Dutch oven.

Recreation/Cooking: Seasoning Your Dutch Oven Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cast iron Dutch ovens have been around a long time.

05—You may have seen something that your grandmother had –an old pot that she sat on the stove that was black.

Tim Spice is a Dutch Oven enthusiast. The ovens have changed little since great-grandma’s day, except some now come pre-seasoned.

18—You know, what’s neat is, in the last couple of years, one of the major manufacturers has come out with a pre-seasoned Dutch oven. And I swore as a purist I wouldn’t buy one, and I did get one, and wow – already seasoned – it was fabulous. Jump right in and start cooking.

If you prefer to season it the old fashioned way – use it.

13—And after you cook a few times it will be season. And what we mean by ‘seasoned’ is, as you cook, micro-layers of carbon build up on the cast iron, and gives it a non-stick quality.

Groups, such as the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society are dedicated to preserving this kind of cookery.

12—And you can just do a search on your favorite engine, and you’ll find lots of different things. Some of these groups have ‘dogs’ is what they call them – Dutch oven gatherings – where they get together and they just all cook their favorite food, and have a grand old time.

Find recipes and links to Dutch oven groups at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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LONE STAR DUTCH OVEN SOCIETY: http://www.lsdos.com/index2.html [copy and paste link into your browser]

RECIPES FROM TIM SPICE

Hello folks. It is easy to get started with Dutch Ovens cooking. Here are some simple and great recipes! You want to cook these over a 350-degree heat. And to determine that, place your hand six-inches over the hot coals and count — one Mississippi…two Mississippi…three Mississippi…. If you can keep your hand over the coals for three seconds, then you have a temperature of 350-degrees. TS

CHICKEN STEW

Heat your Dutch oven over the coals with 1/8 inch of vegetable oil. When it is hot (not smoking), carefully place a cut up chicken in the oil and brown the chicken on both sides. When the chicken is browned cover the chicken with stock, (I use pre-made stock from the grocery).

Dice half an onion, place in the pot with one Bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and celery and continue to simmer until the chicken falls off the bone, approximately 45 minutes.

When the chicken is done, you may thicken the stew with flour or cornstarch.

For an added bonus, get some biscuit mix and make dumpling in a plastic baggie. Cut a hole in one corner and squeeze out golf ball sized dough right on the top of the stew. Cover and heat until the dumplings are done in the middle. Add a few more coals to the top for a golden brown dumpling.

NOTE: You can use this same recipe to make beef stew by just substituting beef for the chicken.

COBBLER

Nothing beats a hot cobbler sitting around the campfire!

Start with canned fruit. (Peaches for the traditionalist.) For a 12 inch Dutch, 4 standard size cans will do. I use 2 cans of fruit and two cans of fruit pie filling.

Drain the fruit and reserve the liquid. Place the fruit and a few dabs of butter in the Dutch oven along with brown sugar and cinnamon. (I have a big sweet tooth so I use up to a cup of brown sugar, you may use less or none at all.)

Next, take 1/2 a box of yellow cake mix and place it in a plastic baggie. Mix with the reserved fruit juice and water until it is a little thicker than cake batter. Cut a small hole in one corner and pipe the batter on top of the fruit mixture. Then take a handful of dry mix and sprinkle on top of the cobbler.

Place the Dutch oven on the coals and maintain a 350-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. If the top is not browning after 30 minutes add more coals to the top.

If the fruit filling is not bubbling gently, add more coals to the bottom. Finally, 5 minutes before the cobbler is done sprinkle with pecans. GUARANTEED TO PLEASE!