Passport to Texas

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

You may think a marsh area is the same as any other waterlogged piece of land, but Goose Island State Park interpreter Mike Mullenwig, begs to differ.

In this case, a marsh is a wetland that is distinguished by the vegetation that is growing in it, which would be low grasses and shrubs. If you have a wetland that has tall wooded plants, that would be considered a swamp.

Development is often to blame for loss of marshland, but not at Goose Island. Wind and waves from the gulf have eroded significant portion of the land.

At Goose Island over the past 25 years, almost close to 35 years, we have lost roughly 25 acres of marshland due to erosion. So, the marsh walk that I do talks about what Texas Parks and Wildlife is doing to restore the wetlands here around Goose Island.

Attend a Marsh Walk at Goose Island with interpreter Mullenwig, and learn about this fascinating ecological resource.

The plants that we look at on our marsh walk include the front line grass, and that’s the smooth Court Grass. As far as the animals living out there, probably the most noticeable that you will see are of course the Brown Pelican and Great Blue Herons.

The Marsh Walk is Saturday, August 4th from 10 to 11 AM at Goose Island in Rockport. The program is free with park entrance fee.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series…and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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August 4, 2007 — Goose Island SP — Marsh Walk
— Come join our park interpreter as he leads a walk along the shell ridge and high marsh of the western portion of Goose Island. Learn about the flora and fauna that make this area their home and learn what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is doing to protect and preserve this endangered ecosystem. Bring your binoculars, drinking water, insect repellent, sun screen and some shoes you won’t mind getting muddy. 10-11 a.m. (361) 729-2858.

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

The first week of August, if paperwork and weather cooperate, the Texas Clipper will have a new home below fifty feet of water, seventeen miles off the coast of South Padre Island, where it will serve out the rest of its days as an artificial reef.

It could be a number of months before you see a tremendous amount of growth, but growth will occur almost instantaneously.

That’s good news for anglers and divers because it will improve the fishery and provide a unique environment to investigate. Dale Shively coordinates the artificial reef program.

We have sunk ships before using explosives and other devices. But, in this particular case, we’re going to use controlled flooding. So, I’ve been told from the contractor that once they start the flooding sequence, it may only take about thirty minutes for the ship to go down.

Divers will not be allowed to explore right away, though.

After it’s done, for the first forty-eight hours, we’re going to prohibit any sort of diving on the ship. That will give us time to inspect the vessel to make sure its safe – to do some preliminary type investigations on it, and to make sure that we’re to open it up to the public.

Find more information about the Texas Clipper at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing 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 Restoration Program

Mark your calendars for August first. If all goes well – that’s the day the Texas Clipper officially joins the Ships-to-Reefs program.

The idea behind this project is to place a ship about seventeen miles off of South Padre Island for the purpose of enhancing marine life, but also as a premier dive attraction out in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dale Shively coordinates the artificial reef program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

We are designing it for diving. So, we’re making it very diver friendly. We’re opening up the insides of it, where the divers can go tour the inside decks, especially on the super structure. And, we’ve left as much of the ship intact as possible.

Once marine life starts calling the Clipper home, divers will have more to enjoy.

Organisms will start to settle on it; fish will be attracted to it just because it’s a structure. And then as the food chain develops and the microorganisms that grow on the structure itself increase, then you will see more and more fish.

And more fish means increased angling opportunities.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing 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 Restoration Program

The Texas Clipper served as a WWII troop transport ship, a luxury cruise liner, and a maritime training vessel for Texas A&M University. This summer, the Clipper begins a new life as an artificial reef.

An artificial reef is a reef site that’s created from man made materials for the enhancement of marine life.

Dale Shively coordinates the artificial reef program for Texas Parks and Wildlife. Preparing the Clipper for the Ships-to-Reefs program has taken years of hard work.

It’s been at least ten years just to get through all the administrative paperwork and get to the point where the ship could be transferred to us.

The ship will eventually rest on the gulf floor, seventeen miles off the coast of South Padre Island. Since November 2006, the ship’s been in Brownsville for remediation.

As we got into the ship and the cleanup began, we found a couple of items that were unknown. Such as extra PCB type materials that were on the bulkheads behind wallboards and things. So, that has caused a delay in the cleanup process.

Nevertheless, the date for sinking the Clipper is near.

If I had to bet money, I would put my money around the first of August.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing 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 Wildlife Restoration Program

Smiley Nava served as borderlands biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife before retiring last year. His job involved understanding and developing conservation strategies for the natural resources along the shared border between Texas and Mexico.

We have ecosystems; we have natural resources that we share between Mexico and the state of Texas. We’re talking about an area that is a little over 12-hundred miles in length – from El Paso, Ciudad Juarez – to the mouth of the Rio Grand. And that’s all inclusive of the area that is my project.

Nava identified local, state and governmental partners in Mexico to join this mission. During his tenure, Nava said one border city, in particular, lead the way.

The City of Nuevo Laredo, they have an ecological department. It’s a sub directoria de la ecología – as it’s called — subdirectory of ecology. They make sure that there’s conservation implemented… if they’re clearing out trees that they’re replanted with native vegetation. And they’re very proactive… They’re setting the example and showing their other cities along the border how this can work and be beneficial.

Learn more about Borderlands Ecology and other conservation topics on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… 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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