Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

With more alligators being spotted by the public in residential areas, you might think you’d be better off selling your home. The fact is… there’s no need to panic if and when you see a gator in your neighborhood.

We’re just trying to help people put it into perspective. People will begin to see more and more alligators in the future and not every alligator is going to be a problem.

Greg Creacy is a wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. He says horror movies and attacks by the more dangerous and non-native crocodiles have caused people to be afraid of Texas alligators.

The number of attacks by alligators in the United States each year is less than injuries and fatalities from dogs and scorpions and snakes and sharks…all of those are much more dangerous to people than alligators.

So what do you do if you see an alligator? Keep a safe distance from them and keep your pets away from them. Don’t swim in an area where there are alligators…and don’t feed them.

Because people have fed that alligator they’ve broken down their natural fear that alligators have for people.

And you know that’s not good. That’s our show for today…For information on living with alligators, as well as research reports and basic natural history, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site. Our show is produced with a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Brad Bell doesn’t think twice when you ask him why anyone would climb a rock.

Why would someone wanna…because it’s there…

The Austin resident teaches the sport of rock climbing. He says although you don’t need rock-hard abs to climb –before you attempt this sport — a little weight training may be the first order…

Upper body strength is good and leg strength is even more of a plus.

There ya go…push with your hand and then move your hand up to the next one…there ya go. Pull on up…good!

And even though rock climbing offers climbers a feeling of solitude, it is critical – whether you’re a novice or a seasoned climber — never go alone.

You should always have team partners… when you go you should never do it alone because up there you have to have a partner to help you belay and help you repel down and basically it’s a team effort all the way up.

Four Texas state parks offer rock climbing: Enchanted Rock, north of Fredericksburg, Hueco Tanks, just north of El Paso, Caprock Canyons southeast of Amarillo and Lake Mineral Wells.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Waterfowl molt twice a year. During their first molt in summer they lose all of their feathers because of damage that occurred during their grueling migration.

Their second molt of the year—at least for the drakes— now that’s a little bit different. That molt has more to do with romance…the waterfowl version of it, anyway.

And this molt is the replacement of feathers – putting on their breeding plumage …for the males of waterfowl species this is the time you start seeing the very, very colorful plumage which is an attractant for attracting mates.

Kevin Kraai is a waterfowl specialist in East Texas. Kraai says the hens also molt at this time, but instead of getting a bright set of feathers…

The females do the exact opposite. They put on more camouflage or cryptic plumage…because where they nest…they actually nest in the uplands….up in the grass….very vulnerable to predators. And the more camouflaged they are the more likely it is they’ll survive. One sex is putting on very, very vibrant colors and the other one is putting on very, very cryptic colors…for the same purpose.

You can learn more about waterfowl plumage at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site.

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

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Twice a year you may find yourself face-to-face with some ugly ducks…

A duck will undergo two times during the year what we call a molt where they lose and replace all the feathers on their body.

Kevin Kraai is a waterfowl specialist. The first of the twice yearly molts leaves the birds vulnerable.

They molt every feather on their body, including their wing feathers, or their primaries. That takes place in late summer. And there is a period when they’re replacing their wing feathers that they are flightless, and it is a vulnerable time in their lifecycle.

However, these creatures are programmed to survive, and plan for their safety.

It just so happens that they will migrate to places that are conducive to their survival where they aren’t close to land bearing predators – and they’ll be out on the middle of large wetlands – away from predation.

Waterfowl molt because feathers don’t last forever. Drakes molt first, and hens molt once their ducklings are a little older. The reason waterfowl go through a second…partial molt… in winter …is strictly personal.

And this molt is the replacement of feathers – putting on their
breeding plumage.

That’s our show…sponsored with a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The July issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is traditionally devoted to water, and covers serious issues. This July, Managing Editor Louie Bond says they’re having a little fun.

This July’s fun article will be about natural water gems—these beautiful little oases. And the ones we’re focusing on are primarily in Central Texas. And so we have places like Blue Hole and Jacob’s Well in Wimberley, and Hamilton Pool and West cave, and Gorman Falls. And these places are just magical. The thing about these places is that they’re actually very fragile, and we’ve loved many of them to death. And so, there’s a balance that we have to find between enjoying these wonderful places and preserving them. So, we tell the stories of these five places; I’m lucky enough to live near several of them, and I know in my little home town of Wimberley, we’ve gone to great efforts to preserve Blue Hole and Jacob’s Well. And, it takes citizen action, government involvement, and so, there’s a call to action, I think, for people to look around them in their own communities. If they don’t have a place like this, they might want to come visit one and see if they want to be part of that. But, we can all work together to enjoy and protect these natural wonders.

The July issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is on newsstands now.

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

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