Passport to Texas

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

Because of our quality habitat, Texas is the winter destination of migrating waterfowl traveling through the central flyway.

And those birds are scattered from the High Plains all the way to the Laguna Madre.

Everything changes this winter; waterfowl will have to scatter farther a field because of habitat devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike along the Texas coast.

The devastation was tremendous, particularly in the mid to upper coast. Add to the fact there’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them.

Waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says we will have ducks in Texas this winter, although their distribution will change. Waterfowl season goes on as usual, but hunters must be flexible.

From a duck hunting perspective, there is a lot that people need to consider simply because the devastation was tremendous. So, people that are used to going out duck hunting, used to following this canal, this trail, to where their hunting lease is—that thing may have barbed wire fences across it, there may be barges out there…there’s going to be debris from all the people that lost their homes. There’s going to be a lot of things that people are going to have to contend with if they want to go hunting.

Tomorrow: something positive from the storm.

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

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

Waterfowl Season After Ike Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Construction of the new $27 million East Texas Fish Hatchery in Jasper County, with an anticipated completion in early 2010, is now underway.

The new East Texas Fish hatchery is proposed to replace the Jasper Fish Hatchery.

Todd Engeling is chief of inland hatcheries. The state-of-the-art facility is being built just below Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a juxtaposition that’s no accident.

We chose the Jasper County site to sit just below the Sam Rayburn reservoir. It sits below a quality water source, where we have an agreement with the Lower Neches Valley Authority to withdraw water from the reservoir that will guarantee us a good water source well into the future.

Beyond access to quality water, this site also allows for environmental efficiencies.

Under some circumstances within the reservoir throughout the year—we can gravity flow water from the reservoir to the hatchery. A significant part of the power consumption of any facility is the cost to pump water. Moving water can be very expensive. Where we can get some assistance from gravity to do that, to move water without having to use powerful pumps, it’s to our benefit. And this location offers that opportunity.

Learn more about inland fisheries at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish restoration program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas’ state fish hatcheries.

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

East Texas Fish Hatchery Environmental Efficiencies Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

After seven decades, the Jasper Fish Hatchery will be retired, and replaced by the new state-of-the-art East Texas Hatchery.

Construction has begun in early July. We’re anticipating the completion will be sometime early 2010.

Todd Engeling is chief of inland hatcheries. The new facility is under construction on 200 acres below Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

About 2000, we did a feasibility study to determine if it whether it was more feasible to renovate the facility where it was at, or to move it to another location. And based on that assessment, we chose to build a new facility in another location.

The East Texas Hatchery will provide at least 45 acres of fish production ponds capable of delivering up to 4.5 million fish annually for stocking in Texas public waters, including….

Primarily a sub species of the large mouthed bass; channel catfish and blue catfish, and bluegill sunfish. Those will be the principle species that it will be raising. It will also have the capability to participate with our striped bass and hybrid striped bass program should it be needed in the future. We think right now, given what pond space we were planning, we should be able to produce four to five million fingerlings a year.

Innovations and environmental efficiencies at the new hatchery…that’s tomorrow.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas’ state fish hatcheries. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

New East Texas Fish Hatchery Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The Seven Cross Ranch, a stocker cattle operation, grazes its animals on restored native prairie. The ranch is the Lone Star Land Steward Award winner for the High Plains eco-region.

This is crème de la crème of the high plains ecological region.

Gene Miller is a wildlife biologist based in Canyon, Texas.

What you see, when you see this Seven Cross Ranch, is a microcosm—a natural prairie ecosystem.

Seven Cross Ranch didn’t achieve rarified status by accident. Owners/operators, LH and Nama Webb, utilize a rapid rotation grazing system that simulates a bygone era when vast herds of bison roamed the high plains.

They’d come through, graze it down, and then move on in their trek. So, it’s more like the way it evolved over centuries. The more cattle you can get on one spot, you have the animal impact, the hoof action, and you get a more uniform graze, because you have more cattle in a smaller area, but you have to move them faster. And you know, my goal is possible a hundred pastures, and you know, you’re hitting one pasture a day—and then you’re off of it. And if you have a hundred pastures, you know, you’re hitting one pasture a day, and then you’re off of it. And if you’ve got a hundred pastures, then you’re off it for ninety-nine days before you get back to it. You don’t want to severely graze it, you just want to kind of top it off and move them on.

Learn more about the Lone Star Land Steward Program at: 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.

Lone Star Land Steward High Plains Eco-Region, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

In 1969, J. David and Margaret Bamberger purchased a fifty-five hundred acre ranch in Blanco County.

Let me tell you, there wasn’t a drop of water here. There wasn’t anything in the way of wildlife. I drilled seven water wells five hundred feet deep; I never got a drop of water.

By employing land management practices, the Bambergers restored the ecological balance to their land, and water began to flow.

(birds chirping) We were wanting to demonstrate, and to try and develop a model, that perhaps other people could follow.

The Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve—regional winner of the Lone Star Land Steward award for the Edwards Plateau—attracts visitors of all ages who come to learn from this conservation couple.

And that where my strength was, which was outdoor education. For the children, we have a special fifth grade program. We also do workshops for adults. Mostly landowners, trying to teach them the basics of stewardship. David and I have very much worked as a team. All of the things that we do involve both conservation and education.

Learn about the Lone Star Land Steward Awards at 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.

LSLS Regional Winner for the Edwards Plateau, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download