Passport to Texas

Geese at Bonham State Park

Hunting: Goose Conservation Order Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In 1999 the US Fish and Wildlife Service, on the recommendation of scientists, implemented a light goose conservation order.

05— With intent to try to reduce the rate of growth of white geese.

Dave Morrison is Small Game Program Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

15—We were seeing problems in the arctic ecosystems whereby the numbers of light geese that were showing up were starting to do habitat degradation. So, in an effort to try to stem that tide, light goose conservation order began.

The conservation order—generally in effect after the end of the migratory bird hunting season—is not, itself, a hunting season.

33—It’s a management action, so it doesn’t fall under the same type of guidelines that our hunting seasons do. For example, the Light Goose Conservation Order –when it started – we increased the daily bag limit to no bag limit. You were able to hunt 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset; you were able to use electronic calls; there’s all sorts of things that came along with this conservation order as an effort to try to reduce the numbers of birds in the nests, and try to turn that population around to get it – instead of increasing to see a declining trend.

It’s been fourteen years since the order was enacted. Has it worked? We’ll find out tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series… and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel…For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Goose hunting in Texas.

Hunting: Goose Hunting in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas has a great reputation when it comes to goose hunting.

04— Texas has long been known as the snow goose hunting capital of the world.

Dave Morrison is Small Game Program Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife. To hunt geese in Texas you’ll need a hunting license, a migratory game bird stamp, a federal migratory bird stamp and HIP certification. You wouldn’t necessarily hunt geese as you would ducks.

12—A lot of times you’re hunting ducks over water, and in water. A lot of times you’re hunting geese in dry conditions – dry fields. To goose hunt, you need lots of decoys, and you’ve got to have someone who really knows what they’re doing on a call.

Historically, hunters harvest Canada geese in the panhandle, although snow geese are starting to appear on the landscape. The coast, meantime, offers a higher concentration of snow geese.

13—But understand that the snow geese that show up in the high plains are different than the snow geese that show up along the coast. Snow geese that show up on the coast are from the mid-continent flock, whereas that those that show up in the high plains are the western arctic group.

They’re still the same animal, the just come from different subsets of the population. Visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website for hunting seasons and all regulations.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series… and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel…For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Trail Riding

Nature: Trail Riding Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

While driving a gas powered vehicle is the way most of us enter a state park. Barbara McKnight says once inside, you can see more of the natural beauty of your surroundings on hay power.

17—Something about riding a horse…looking at things is so much better. You’re more likely to see wildlife. We see bobcats and other things that will hear the engine of a car or smell it and they’ll leave.

As a member of the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association, McKinight says state parks offer the perfect opportunity for exploring while on horseback. But before you hit the trail, there are a few safety precautions you need to be aware of…

18—The horse you want for trail riding needs to be completely unflappable, things shouldn’t scare it. It should be brave about walking up a hill, through water and over bridges. And the main thing you need to be sure and understand that horse and know how to control it.

Keep in mind horses are not allowed be ridden in the park until a Coggins test is verified at the park office during office hours.

Find a listing of state parks with equestrian facilities on the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site.

[Happy Trails to You — music]

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

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

Big Bend Tree Lizard, image by Michael Smith

Wildlife: Herpetology Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Herpetology is a branch of zoology concerned with amphibians and reptiles.

16—Amphibians are the species that are associated with water in their lifecycle. [They’re] smooth skinned, and usually lay their eggs in water and often have a larval stage such as a tadpole for a frog. So frogs, salamanders, and an interesting creature called the caecilian are amphibians.

Leeann Linam is a biologist who recently retired from Parks and Wildlife. Reptiles are those species with scales that tend to lay hard-shelled eggs on land in dry nests.

13—And so we have several divisions of reptiles as well. We have the turtles, we have the lizards, and we have the snakes… And then there are a few other groups. The crocodilians and some others that are kind of unique.

Linam says scientists agree they need to give reptiles more consideration.

14—Lizards are a group of organisms that scientists have said: “You know, we really haven’t paid much attention to what’s going on with them. They are mostly eating insects in the environment, and so one can perhaps think of them as being sensitive to things like pesticides and habitat loss, as well as
direct persecution, or killing, as areas are changed in terms of their use.”

Before you spray or spread a pesticide on your lawn or garden, think of the lizards.

That’s our show with support from the wildlife restoration program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Caprock Canyon in Winter

Outdoor Safety: Treating Hypothermia Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cold temperatures and strong winds increase the risk of hypothermia when outdoors this winter. It’s a potentially serious condition whereby the body’s core temperature drops below normal.

Dorian Drigalla (Dre-gal-a) is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Scott and White Memorial Hospital with tips on combating this condition.

51—The first thing to try to do is to get the patient to the warmest possible environment, whether that be getting them out of the wind or out of the water. So the first two things to be concerned about on a hike or in the wilderness are basically to remove everything possible wet, get the patient dry and try and get them into a warmer environment. Even if that just means out of the wind behind shelter even of a hillside. Then you want to try additional measures, whether that’s using insulating materials like a sleeping bag or dry clothing to warm the patient and also ingestion of warm liquids can help. If the person is cold and they’re already in water, the water between them and their clothing is actually insulating. The heat is conducted out of the body and into the water but it’s maintained between them and their clothing. And it’s only if those clothes can come off and all the water can be removed that that’s actually helpful.

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

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