Passport to Texas

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Recreation: Go Coastal, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Writer Melissa Gaskill is never at a loss for things to do on the Texas coast.

09—I spent my middle school and high school years on the beach; I have spent my adult life all along the coast. Believe it or not, that article only scratches the surface.

The article Melissa’s referring to is one she wrote for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine titled: Go Coastal. It’s a compendium of diverse activities.

10—I just made a list right off the top of my head and sent it to the editor and said, ‘how does this look?’ and she goes ‘great!’ And we refined it a little bit, but for the most part these are things that I’ve been doing my entire life and loving.

Melissa says the first place to start a coastal visit is on the beach…but you needn’t stay there.

26—There are places to hike… you can get in a kayak; a kayak is a wonderful way to explore. You can charter a boat, you can go offshore. You can go out on a fishing pier. There are all of the touristy things: you can go to the pier and ride a Ferris wheel, you can go to a restaurant, sit out on the deck and feed fish– that sort of thing. Or you can go off the beaten path: ride a horse, kayak, or hike off into some pretty remote areas.

Melissa Gaskill returns tomorrow and shares more about her Go Coastal article for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Funding for the show’s provided in part by RAM Trucks: Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

TPW Magazine: Going Coastal

TPW Magazine June 2013 Preview Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With summer looming, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine editor, Louie Bond, says the June issue of the magazine is going coastal.

58 – We are going coastal in June. Melissa Gaskill is going to take us on a grand tour of the coast. Melissa is one of those writer’s who’s been everywhere and done everything – so we thought she was the perfect person to tell us what the best things to do on the coast are. And that’s everything from kayaking to birding to fishing to swimming to riding your horses on the beach – there’s just a million things to do. There are great aquariums; great food to eat… there’s lots of recreation whether you’re quiet or an adventurous daredevil. So, we’re taking everybody down to the coast this month. Of course, there is one danger of living on the coast, and that’s hurricanes. So, our own Lance Robinson takes a look at the damage after hurricane Ike. It’s hidden damage; it’s salt marshes and oyster beds. And it takes a long time for those to recover. But there have been some great efforts made to help those get back to their natural health. And he’ll help us see how they’re recovering. So get on your flip flops and come to the beach with us this month.

Thanks, Louie.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series and funds coastal conservation and fisheries projects in Texas.

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

Caddo Lake

Wetlands: Caddo Lake Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Abundant water and huge old cypress trees makes Caddo Lake ideal wildlife habitat.

06 – Caddo Lake is the mother load for several species of neo-tropical migrants.

Cliff Shackelford is a non-game ornithologist stationed in Nacogdoches. The prothonotary warbler, northern parula, and yellow-throated warbler flock to Caddo.

17 – A dawn chorus of those warblers singing is quite a neat thing. It’s good to be out in a boat, a canoe, a kayak, something where you can get out in the middle of the swamp to hear these things—they’re just loud and explosive. It’s really refreshing to hear things like that singing in the morning.

But warblers aren’t the only creatures that make use of Caddo’s resources. Vanessa Adams is the area biologist at the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area. And says you’ll find white-tailed deer and…

14 – We unfortunately do have feral hog, but that is a huntable population, of course. We see several species of ducks. You’ll see wood duck year round. We get mallards; we have other unusual ducks. In fact, we’ve had white bellied whistling ducks nest here.

There’s more information about Caddo lake on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

Mother’s Day in a Texas State Park

State Parks: Getting Mom Outside Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and our state park guide, Bryan Frazier, recommends giving Mom the gift of the great outdoors.

47 – There’s a dilemma sometimes of ‘what do I do that’s special for my mom?” So, I want to encourage people to think not only outside the box – think outside. Take your mom on a hike, on a scavenger hunt a la Geocaching; sign her up for a Texas Outdoor Woman’s workshop, or sign the whole family up for a Texas Outdoor Family guided camping experience. Or, just go together with the family and enjoy some time along a nature trail. There are moms out there that love to fish, too. She will never need a fishing license inside a Texas State park with the free fishing in state parks program. So, there’s lots of different things to do, from the spontaneous to the planned event. Check the calendar at texasstateparks.org and this year – maybe this maybe mom needs a trip outside.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find myriad outdoor opportunities to share with mom on mother’s day and every day at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Indian Lodge

TPW TV: Stephanie Rubio -- A Hero Among Us Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Coming up on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series the week of May 12 a story where a cooler head prevailed. Producer, Alan Fisher has details.

63— We profile an employee – Stephanie Rubio – who works at Indian Lodge in the Davis Mountains State Park. Stephanie is one of the people who keeps Indian Lodge running. I think Stephanie probably has one of those jobs that if everything is going right you wouldn’t know that she was even working there. But, there was a particular incident in April of 2011, where she had quite a different day at work, and really rose to the occasion. So, in April of 2011, there was a wild fire that started outside of Marfa and tore all the way into Fort Davis. Stephanie was really in charge at that time; she was kind of the only person there to sort of keep an eye on things. And she made the decision to evacuate people out of safety concern. With the fire approaching, she saw the danger – only one road in and out – and made sure that everybody was safe. Everyone who knows her well, said that she’s always very calm and collected; and she really stayed calm through the entire incident. I think afterwards she kind of realized that that was kind of a big deal, but a very modest person. Humble; would never brag about it. Just doing her job.

Thanks, Alan.

Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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