Passport to Texas

TPW TV: Owl Be Seeing You Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

[Great horned owl call]

A great horned owl nesting in a residential window box became an instant sensation with neighborhood kids. See what all the excitement was about when you tune in this month to the The Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV series. Producer, Abe Moore.

56—We got a strange call from somebody that said we have a great horned owl nest in our windowsill here in Katy Prairie. They’d always go like ‘who who, who who’ in my chimney. It’s just awesome. It was becoming the talk of the town, so we had to go out there and check it out. Owls get a bad rap often, and these owls are a great example of living in harmony with the homeowner and the neighborhood. This nest was right on a planter box, up on a window—right next to this cute little park. So, the kids would just come out and enjoy nature’s wonder right in front of them, and it was pretty neat. Two babies have hatched@ I see them! I see them! It’s white and fluffy and fluffy and white! They’re rising…they’re rising…they’re rising! Oh my word! So, it was a very cool outdoor classroom type of situation. And if you want to see the story and check out the owls, that’s going to be on Texas Parks and Wildlife Television June third through the seventh.

Thanks Abe.

Check your local listings for the show.

The WSFR program supports our series and funds conservation projects in Texas.

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

Boat/Fish: National Fishing and Boating Week Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Time on the water is time well spent. It’s not only an ideal way to connect with friends and family, it’s also a way to protect Texas waters.

First lines of defense for America’s waterways are the anglers and boaters that are out there. And it’s important that we maintain that strong commitment to taking care of the resource by being sure there are a lot of folks out there that enjoy using it.

Texas is one of the top states in terms of angler participation and the number of licenses sold. There are some tremendous fishing resources in Texas in both saltwater and freshwater.

Our state provides a great example for many other states as the right way to manage resources as well as how to be in touch with the anglers and boaters that are out there using it.

National Fishing and Boating Week, June 2nd through 10th.

It’s a time to celebrate being on the water …a time to unplug from the workaday world…where there’s nothing that gets in the way of communicating with your family and friends. It’s simply a great way to reconnect with those who matter to you, while engaging a resource that’s precious to everyone.

That’s our show, made possible by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

State Parks: National Trails Day Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saturday, June 2 is National Trails Day. It’s a day when we encourage everyone to lace up a pair of sturdy shoes, slather on some sun screen, fill a reusable bottle with water, and grab a healthy snack. Then head to a state park to find miles of trails waiting for your arrival. Our State Park Guide Bryan Frazier tells us more.

37—Our very own research in state parks—from park visitors on site—says that the number one most sought after amenity and experience when they get to a park is hiking trails. We have more than 25 state parks in Texas, all over the lone star States, where we will be doing nature hikes and birding hikes and interpretive hikes. And they’ll be uphill and they’ll be downhill. And they’ll be on boardwalks and even on the beach. So it’s a great time to get out and enjoy—not only a little bit of healthy exercise—but to see once again just what makes Texas Texas—and state parks are great places to discover that.

Thanks Bryan

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.

State Parks: Calendar of Events Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is the time of year when everyone wants to be outdoors. And our state park guide Bryan Frasier says you can find out what opportunities await you at parks when you visit the online calendar of events.

52—One of the most visited parts of the state park website is the calendar of events. People simply want to know what can I do with my family once I get to the park. Yeah, we know where there’s great hiking trails, and the campsite are big with great scenery and great backdrops right along the lake or the river and the trees. But there’s a whole other list of things to do once you get to the park. And a lot of these are lead by park rangers and park staff or park volunteers or even master naturalists. And they range, everything from fishing programs with a park ranger, nature hikes, birding tours, and night walks through the park. And once we get into May an on into the summer, we have those just about every weekend in lots of parks. So, we encourage people to go to the calendar of events on the state parks website—that’s texasstateparks.org—and find out just what’s going on. You might be surprised.

Thanks Bryan. Make reservations when you log onto 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.

Bats and Agriculture Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Millions of Mexican Free-tailed bats are back in Texas where they will bear young and eat tons of pesky insects.

05—The Mexican free-tailed bat in particular is really valuable for agricultural purposes.

Meg Goodman is a bat biologist.

13—Current research has shown that these bats can save farmers up to two sprays of pesticides per year because of all the insect pests that they’re eating. They’re eating things like the corn earworm moth and the cotton boll worm moth, among other crop pest species.

In addition to eating their weight in crop pests and other annoying insects, their nightly flights from inside caves and under bridges attract tourists.

14—Just their numbers and nightly emergences bring in a lot of tourist dollars to a lot of small communities and big communities like Austin. It’s one of our top tourist destinations right here in Austin. But they do provide a lot of dollars through nature tourism through a lot of our smaller communities throughout the state.

The Ann Richards Congress AV Bridge in Austin is home to more than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats.

Beginning in late spring, people line the bridge to witness adult bats emerge about sunset and head to the agricultural land east of Austin where they begin their nightly feeding.

Our show receives support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program…which funds conservation projects throughout Texas.

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