Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas parks and Wildlife

The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon is a new sixty-minute documentary by Amarillo PBS affiliate KACV-TV; it tells the story of the canyon from prehistoric times until today.

[It’s] a Jam-packed hour.

Marcie Robinson is a producer at KACV-TV. The program which airs September 12 not only digs into the canyon’s ancient past, it also highlights when Palo Duro became a state park.

There weren’t any national parks [in Texas] to speak of when Texas was annexed, and so state parks came into play. And Palo Duro Canyon was basically all privately owned and people were really interested in the community to get a state park because Palo Duro was so beautiful and so interesting. They wanted to preserve this land. The land was sold to the state of Texas after a long, drawn out process. And the state park was born. Fourth of July, 1934, was the grand opening of Palo Duro Canyon State park.

Robinson says you will always remember the first time you set eyes on the canyon.

We’re flat here in the Panhandle. We’re flatlands and you’re driving, and you’re driving, and it’s flat and it’s flat and it’s flat, and then all of a sudden the ground opens up, you know, and it’s wow, what is this? And it’s mind-boggling. And Randy Ferris, Palo Duro Canyon Superintendent, he talks about it as a mountain in reverse.

The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon airs on KACV-TV in Amarillo, September 12; and later on their website for all Texans to enjoy.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Calendar of events at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

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Passport to Texas from Texas parks and Wildlife

Ken Burns’ six-part documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea airs on PBS stations nationwide this fall. Inspired by Burns’ series, Amarillo’s PBS affiliate, KACV-TV produced a one-hour documentary The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon, set to air September 12.

We’re going to try and hit the highlights. And hopefully, people will see that small part of it and do some research of their own, or come visit the canyon.

Marcie Robinson is a producer at KACV-TV. She says viewers will experience this magnificent, historic canyon from the ground up.

We delved really, really deeply into the geology of Palo Duro Canyon; the lowest layer of the canyon is 250-million years old. And then on into the Indian, early civilizations, primitive Indian cultures. And then, into the Apaches, Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne. And then, another thing I had no idea about was that the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps], during the depression, built a road into the canyon, and built cabins in the canyon, the El Coronado Lodge, and most of the buildings that you see now that people use in the Palo Duro Canyon were built by the CCC during the depression.

Once The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon airs locally, it will be available for all Texans to enjoy on the KACV-TV website. We have a link to it on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Texas Outdoor Family Workshop at Palo Duro Canyon September 19-20, 2009

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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.

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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.

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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.

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