Passport to Texas

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

At first glance, hydrilla—an exotic aquatic plant—seems beneficial to large mouth bass.

The hydrilla acts just as a habitat, refuge, cover for the bass. And so they’ll hide out in that, waiting for a bait to come by.

John Wedig is a supervisor of aquatic sciences at the Lower Colorado River Authority. He says many fishermen use hydrilla to their advantage.
The fishermen realize that [the way bass wait for bait], and now they mimic or imitate that bait with their lure and it improves their chances of catching a bass.

But the fun and games don’t last. Hydrilla is an invasive species, and if it’s not controlled, it can grow into a thick mat that becomes detrimental to fish and frustrating to fishermen.
That’s what we actually experienced on Lake Bastrop years ago, where we had a 900 acre lake with about 600 acres of hydrilla in it. And so there was so much cover, they [the bass] couldn’t get to their food fish. So we actually had what was referred to as “skinny bass.”

Earl Chilton, Parks and Wildlife aquatic habitat enhancement director, says combating hydrilla is an ongoing battle, and total eradication is highly unlikely.

Hydrilla produces tubers. They’re potato like structures that can remain dormant in the sediments for years, sometimes over a decade. So when you think you’ve got it under control, these things are sitting down there waiting to come back.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. We receive support from the Sport Fish restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

Invasive Exotic Aquatic: Hydrilla Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Before Houston and surrounding communities took root, and farmers turned wild land into farmland, the area was covered in tall grass prairies.

We’re restoring these croplands back to the historic tall grass prairies that they were fifty, a hundred years ago.

Robert Comstock is superintendent of Sheldon Lake State Park, outside of Houston. Four hundred acres in the park have been identified for restoration, and volunteers have already replanted 100 acres with native grasses.

And they’re what we call rescuing grasses from, say, highway projects, construction projects all throughout the city. They bring them out here, and cut them up, and pot them into smaller pots, and then grow them out, and then transplant them into the prairie.

Comstock says he’s already seen an increase in wildlife.

That’s what’s most exciting about this. A year or so after we did the first one hundred acres, our bird census has already documented close to a dozen species of birds that we’ve never seen before in the park. So there’s tangible results right then and there that we’re doing is good and is improving the environment and the habitat in the area.

Volunteers are always welcome to help with this project. Find more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…made possible by a grant from the sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…working to restore native habitat in Texas.

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

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August 2009 — Sheldon Lake SP — Prairie Restoration — Every Tuesday. Volunteers are needed to help with the ongoing restoration of 80 acres of tall grass prairie. Activities include separating and potting rescued grasses, planting mature grasses and collecting seed. No training necessary, work gloves and boots recommended. Meet at the Park Office. 8-11a.m. (281) 456-2800.

Sheldon Lake State Park Prairie Restoration Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Robert Comstock can see the Houston Skyline from his office at Sheldon Lake State Park.

And yet, I can walk out the back door and go around the corner, and there is a chance that I will see bobcats, 250 different species of birds, coyotes, rabbits, and deer—there’s no telling what. And it’s all in Houston’s backyard.

Superintendant Comstock says the 3-thousand acre park, located in northeast Harris County, is unique among other parks in the system.

It’s actually one of the few state parks whose main reason is education with recreation as a secondary aspect.

Thousands of area school children visit the Sheldon Lake SP each year, and environmental education, including alternative energy, is on the curriculum.

[We] have a wind turbine out here generating a one and a half kilowatts of electricity, two solar arrays and geothermal air conditioning, and all our water in our restrooms are heated with solar heaters. And then there’s compost and recycling demonstration areas. They can get a well-rounded experience during their stay here.

From high tech to high touch–Sheldon Lake SP is restoring 400 acres of native tall grass prairie—and you can help. Learn how on tomorrow’s show.

That’s our show…made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…working to restore native habitat in Texas.

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

Sheldon Lake State Park Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The popularity of state parks with lakes and pools goes up in the heat of August. Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Producer, Ron Kabele, explains.

This has been a pretty brutal summer, so people are going to want to stay cool however they can. So, Cedar Hill and Lake Colorado City State Parks are going to be popular, because they’re both parks with large bodies of water. A big draw for Cedar Hill is that it’s so close to Dallas and Fort Worth. It’s Dallas’ own version of Central Park in NYC.

Just being right down the street—20minutes away—is convenient. Just being in the outdoors is a plus for the family. Everybody needs an escape, just to regroup and charge your batteries.

As far as Lake Colorado City goes, it’s right on the edge of the West Texas desert. So, it’s one of the few places in the region where you can go out and enjoy the water. And some people have called it something like an oasis in west Texas.

People out here, in a drier climate, tend to enjoy the water because they don’t have much of it. That’s why we think of ourselves an oasis. A place to come and enjoy the lake.

These are parks that not only have access to the water, but you can do all the other things. And it makes camping a lot more tolerable when you’ve got water around.

Thanks, Ron.

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

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

TPWD TV: Water in State Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Texas hunters are not only conservationists, they are also philanthropists who help feed hungry Texans.

This past season, we had 192,040 pounds of meat donated, which is the most that we have had donated in one season.

That translated to more than 768-thousand quarter-pound servings of ground venison. Anitra Hendricks coordinates the Hunters for the Hungry program, administered by the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies.

The way that the meat processors package it is in two pound servings. Some of the pantries will use the venison in soups, or they will use it in spaghetti, or they may just hand out the individual packages.

Hunters taking part, bring donated deer to participating processors, and pay a small processing fee.

He can request a receipt if he’s not automatically given one; and that receipt will be for what he paid for the processing. That cost may or may not be tax deductible. And that is up to the hunter to contact a tax consultant.

We have links to more information about Hunters for the Hungry at passporttotexas.org.

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

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

Hunters for the Hungry Play Now | Play in Popup | Download