Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

[Snippet from The Wizard of Oz–05 “…any wild animals? We might.”]

Don’t be afraid of the wildlife you might meet at Texas state parks. Wildlife viewing is a treat, not a terror, as our SP guide, Bryan Frazier, explains.

What we want to encourage people to remember is, the outdoors are typically much, much safer that what they’re getting in the urban environment.

And when you leave the park, I think you’ll have a greater enjoyment and understanding of just what we do have in Texas.

Thanks, Bryan.

Start planning your next state park getaway when you log onto the Texas and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…We record our series at the Production Block Studios in Austin, Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

For thirty-nine year old Keith Burns, fishing isn’t just a hobby, it’s a family tradition. His grandfather and father both grew up fishing on Caddo Lake in East Texas.

Now it’s our turn to take our kids, or nephews or whatever down there and start fishing.

Burns fishes every free chance he gets. But fishing hasn’t been so good on Caddo Lake for several years because of the invasive giant salvinia plant.

You just kind of had to fish where there was open water. You couldn’t really fish some of your favorite places because of the invasive aquatic life that was in there. I hate that stuff.

Then, flooding and a cold winter killed off some of the giant salvinia, allowing Burns to really fish again. In fact, Burns didn’t just fish. This past March he caught a lake record 16.17-pound sharelunker bass.

I can’t tell you what it meant for me to do that. With the history our family has on that lake, it just meant the world to me.

Burns says he now wants giant salvinia to get off his lakes, and he wants everyone to help make that a reality.

We’ve got to take five minutes and check our trailers and make sure we don’t have any hitchhikers we are taking to another lake and depositing there.

That’s some good advice from a great fisherman.

You can find more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we had research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan…the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

It’s easy to get the impression that where Ty Chumley goes, bad luck follows.

09—Lost my house and everything. Got stuck in the snow one time. Three days later got stuck in the mud. Had to walk a long ways until we got a cell phone signal.

Not all his luck is bad, though. Chumley, a tugboat operator from Nederland, bought one chance in last year’s Big Time Texas Hunts Grand Slam category, and he won!

08—I was actually buying some fishing lures at Academy and was checking out when I seen the poster up there. I just bought one ticket for it. So, it was a lucky day.

The Texas Grand Slam hunt package includes four separate guided hunts for white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and desert bighorn sheep.

13—I followed that one up and down the mountain, twice. And when I shot him, I thought I’d missed him. I seen the dust fly. Started cussing, and, uh, then he fell down.

Big Time Texas Hunts is back with a diverse range of hunting packages for 2010; entries are available now through Oct. 15: $9 online, or $10 by phone and wherever you buy licenses.

08—You never know. It could be you—you could be the winner this year. I’m entering again. I don’t know if I can win this one again, but I’m going to enter another one.

Money from the sale of entries supports conservation, wildlife management and public hunting. Find details and a link to Big Time Texas Hunts at passporttotexas.org.

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

Big Time Texas Hunts: Ty Chumley Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

During hot summer days when you’re zipping around in a boat on a Texas Lake, a cold adult beverage could really hit the spot. While it may be legal, research suggests boat operators should avoid drinking while boating.

06—National statistics show that upwards of fifty percent of boating accidents involve alcohol.

Steve Hall is Education Director at Parks and Wildlife. The good news is Texans are involved in fewer alcohol related boating accidents than the national average.

15—In fact, it’s down around 10% in Texas. But still again, alcohol is involved way too many accidents.

Hall says everyone on a boat needs to keep their alcohol consumption in check.

08—If you’re the operator of the boat, you’re going to have to try and avoid it. Even the passengers should not overindulge, because they’re the proper boat lookouts.

The most common cause of a boating accident is failure to have a proper boat lookout, which is basically the failure to see what’s in front of you—like a stump, a dock, or another boat.

11—It usually happens on clear days. It usually happens on calmer waters. So, we know that those boating accidents could be prevented by having a second person on board that’s avoiding alcohol as well.

That’s our show… We receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

Everyone, no matter how long they’ve been boating, benefits from a little extra education.

04—Boater education goes over the basic responsibility of every boater.

Steve Hall is director of Education at Parks and Wildlife. In a boater education class you’ll learn how to equip your vessel with the proper safety equipment and how to file a float plan…but it doesn’t end there.

Next it follows all the navigation aids and procedures on the water and getting underway—and that is familiarization with the rules of the road, they call them. And this is the rules of the waterway.

Boating education is mandatory for those 13 through 17 years of age. But, unfortunately, the age group that’s involved in most boating accident are above that age, and comprise most of the operators in the state of Texas. And so, trying to get more adults to take boater education is a trick, but it would be imperative if we’re going to reduce the accidents even more.

Find boating education courses, including Internet options, at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website.

That’s our show… We receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

A Boatload of Learning Play Now | Play in Popup | Download