Passport to Texas

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

Some say you can smell a resaca long before you see it. The peculiar perfume of decaying vegetation often fills the airspace of these marshy wetlands that snake along the border, defining the floodplain of the Rio Grande.

When we filled the resaca with water, then we had a lot of plant life that started to rot away a little bit. So right then, there were some stronger smells. Most of those have dissipated into the atmosphere.

Katherine Miller is a natural resource specialist at Resaca de la Palma State Park—the newest park in the system—north of Brownsville.

What we have here is a resaca that curves through the park. And the way that was originally created was that when the Rio Grande would flood, it would get these oxbow lakes. And this resaca has been dry since the seventies. And Texas Parks and Wildlife acquired the land and we started putting water in it this summer.

The addition of water has attracted wildlife. The park encompasses 17-hundred acres of intact Tamaulipan thorn scrub.

And we also have other habitat. We have hackberry. We have anacua ebony type of woodlands. And we have some revegetated grassland as well. So we have a variety of different habitats the birds and the other wildlife can use.

Resaca de la Palma State Park, part of the World Birding Center, has its grand opening December 6. Tomorrow, we learn about the wildlife at the park.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program. 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

The Colorado River is a source of water, recreation and reflection for the people living along its banks. This month the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show, highlights this important water body. Producer, Alan Fisher.

Coming up in December, we have a segment called Reclaiming the River that follows some folks in the Bastrop area, who have really gotten their town a little more in touch with the river that runs through it.

Part of the function of land is to clean the water. And part of what this land can do is help make sure that we have a clean, clear Colorado River instead of a mud hole.

They’ve gotten paddling trails established along the Colorado, in the Bastrop area. Also coming up in December, we have a series of videos called Take Me Fishing. They are basically very introductory fishing videos—information about how to fish, where to fish, what kind of resources are available. A lot of people growing up in urban or suburban environments may not have ever been fishing—it could be a little intimidating. So, these videos provide some great resources for people who are maybe interested in fishing but have never tried it before.

Here are a few tips to ensure that both you and your kids have a good time together. Here fishy…fishy…fishy.

There are all sorts of ways to enjoy the outdoors in Texas—fishing and paddling among them.

Thanks, Alan. Check your local listings.

That’s our show… with support 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 and the Wildlife Restoration Program

At first glance, South Texas’ arid brush land seems inhospitable to man and beast.

[hawk screech] The biggest challenge, of course, is the lack of rainfall. We have over forty tanks on the place, so whenever it rains, our goal is to have every drop stay on the place.

Capturing rainfall through vegetation and soils management along with construction of tanks, diversion levees, and pipelines… keeps water on the 43-hundred acre High Lonesome Ranch, in McMullen County, owned and operated by Charles and Nancy Hundley. The Hundley’s wildlife program emphasizes management for trophy white-tailed deer, quail and dove. But that’s not all… the property also sustains a western village for hunters and eco-tourism.

This little western village is actually guest rooms and accommodations for our hunters. It’s very expensive running a ranch. And, uh, so, so, this is another attraction for guests other than hunters. The bird watchers want to come, and this brings in new revenue…brings in new interest, actually.

The High Lonesome Ranch is the regional winner of the Lone Star Land Steward Award for the south Texas eco-region. Learn about the awards program and land management when you visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program.

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

High Lonesome Ranch, South Texas Eco-region, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

[wind] People from the city might think, this is God-forsaken country, and how could anything live off of this. But in reality, it’s a smorgasbord for the deer and the wildlife. [truck pulling away]

The High Lonesome Ranch covers 43-hundred acres of arid South Texas brush land in McMullen County. Charles and Nancy Hundley own and operate the ranch.

We’re in the middle of a big transformation that’s taking place in Texas. I was born and raised on a dairy farm, and I watched the family farm die as we know it. [cow moos] The beef industry is pretty much in the same position, and money is what drives it. There’s a lot more [money] in wildlife than there is in cattle.

The Hundleys have spent over ten years transforming their ranch from a parched patch of land into a premier hunting destination.

Any time you develop a herd that’s better: more deer, bigger deer, bigger horns… You take care of the doves and the ducks…it’s always better for wildlife if they come and thrive here than it was when they couldn’t.

The High Lonesome ranch is the regional winner of the Lone Star Land Steward Award for the south Texas eco-region.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Hurricane Ike rendered Texas coastal communities, neighborhoods, and the surrounding landscape unrecognizable.

Hurricane Ike did a lot of damage. Not only structural damage to the people who lost their homes, to the ranchers—and also did a lot of devastation to habitat.

Habitat losses, particularly those to wetlands, were substantial. Yet, Parks and Wildlife waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says, not all is lost.

You look down the road a few years, and I think you’re going to see some benefits from this hurricane. One of the things that you see that we have been fighting and struggling for several years with invasive species—noxious weeds that we just could never get a holt of. Well, guess what? You put salt in those systems, and they’re dead.

Winter forage for migrating waterfowl also went the way of the noxious weeds.

There’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them. But, this storm did a lot of good from the perspective that you’ve seen through time, things [open wetlands] close in. With all the high salinities now, it’ll kill all that vegetation. The seed base is still there, so the important plants that ducks need are still going to be available because the seed base is still in that substrate; that’ll rebound.

Morrison says all we need now is rain to flush out the systems so nature’s recovery can begin.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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