Passport to Texas

Recreation: Off Road Options in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

08—Texas has more off highway vehicles than any state other than California.

California also has more room for these off highway vehicles to roam.

06—They have 132 legal venues on public land, and in Texas we only have about 20.

Steve Thompson manages the off highway vehicle program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

09—The Texas Off Highway Vehicle Program was created by the Texas legislature to provide a managed program for off highway vehicles as a sport in Texas.

He works with communities to identify and develop land suitable for safe, legal off highway vehicle recreation. Money for the development comes from grants and the sale of an annual off road vehicle permit/decal.

25—Over the last six years we’ve helped create legal venues in the City of Childress. We gave them grant money to buy land and build the infrastructure in that park. It’s been open now for about five years. We’ve done the same thing for non-profit like the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition. They’ve created a park up near Tyler called Barnwell Mountain. And they’re working on their second park near Ozona, a venue called Escondido Draw.

The goal of the OHV Program is to create safe, legal, parks where families and friends can enjoy their off road vehicles.

Find more information on the Parks and Wildlife website.

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

TPW TV: Renewal Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Springtime is a season of renewal, and two stories scheduled this month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series illustrate this rebirth. Producer, Alan Fisher.

60—One [called] A New North Deer, is about one of the largest rookery islands in all of the upper Texas coast. North Deer Island in Galveston Bay has been under threat of erosion. It’s home to some 18 species of birds. There are tens of thousands of birds there nesting, and so they were threatened, essentially, by this erosion.

Thanks, Alan.

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.

Women Getting Wild In Rockport Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Game Warden Brandi Reeder developed the Women in the Wild Workshop, an annual event where a diverse group of women gather to learn the wild arts.

15—A lot of professional women; we’ve had some homemakers who’ve come out. It’s just really a diverse group. I think my oldest participant was 70. My youngest was 21, which is the start age to actually participate in this. It’s all sorts of ladies that are interested in the outdoors, so it’s been great.

The workshop, scheduled April 13-15 in Rockport, connects attendees with experts in shooting, fishing, boating, Dutch oven cooking, and more.

15—This is just the beginning. And then, all across the state, we have our Texas Outdoor Women Network clubs (T.O.W.N.). And so it’s a springboard for them to start out at this event, and then to continue through their local T.O.W.N. chapters—to continue their knowledge. And most of these ladies teach those skills to their families as well.

The cost is $125 for the weekend; early registration ends March 5, at which time the cost goes up to $150.

18—This is a day camp situation, so they’ll be responsible for their own lodging. We’ll have an opportunity to check in on Friday. Then on Saturday the event begins at Fort Bay Hunting Club. They get to pick four courses that they want to participate in over the course of the weekend. And then we accommodate that on a first come first serve basis.

Find more information on the event’s Facebook Page.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

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

Women Gone Wild Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Game Warden Brandi Reeder lives and works in the Rockport area. In addition to protecting our state’s natural resources…for the past three years she’s helped area women hone their outdoor skills.

20—A lot of the ladies felt comfortable enough to come up to me and ask for instruction on outdoor skills; the felt unable to learn from their husbands. I knew that I couldn’t do the one-on-one consistently. So, I came up with an event to offer them a wide range of opportunities to try all sorts of different things in one location.

The event is the Women in the Wild Workshop; this year scheduled April 13-15 in Rockport. Women who attend the workshop learn skills such as shooting, angling, boating, archery, game processing, and more.

11—This is a safe environment to do so. We’re not expecting mastery of anything. We’re just looking for them to feel comfortable enough to try something and determine whether or not they want to pursue it in the future.

Experts teach the women throughout the weekend, and past participants have offered praise for the event.

08—By the time the event’s done, they’ve always expressed appreciation for the confidence that they have developed in this event and the willingness to go forward and learn more.

Cost for the weekend Women in the Wild workshop is $125 before March 5, and $150, afterwards. Registration closes March 31. Additional details about the Women in the Wild Workshop tomorrow.

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

This is Passport to Texas

Late February is not too early to begin planning for spring break. As spring breakers often like to experience the wild side on their week away from classes, we’d like to suggest they blaze a trail by following a special set of maps to the best spots for wildlife in Texas.

07—Through this series of maps, we now have over 950 sites, statewide, that show you the best places to see all kinds of wildlife.

You do know we’re talking about actual wildlife—not questionable behavior.

07—From bighorn sheep to monarch butterflies to migratory song birds, to nesting shorebirds on the Texas coast.

Shelly Plante oversees nature tourism for Parks and Wildlife.

30—Fifteen years ago we started with the Great Texas Coastal Birding trail, which was a series of three trails on the Texas coast: the upper, central and lower Texas coast. With the success of those, we moved on and did the Heart of Texas, and Panhandle Plains, and those were so successful we then moved on to the Prairies and Pineywoods. About two years ago, I started partnering with the Texas Mountain Trail and Texas Pecos Trail regions of the Heritage Trails of the Historical Commission to create the final map of the series. And that is the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map.

Download any of the nine Great Texas Wildlife Trail Maps from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website…and have a wild spring break—the kind you can tell your folks about.

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