Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Todd Imboden, manages Palmetto State Park in Gonzales County, and performs a daily balancing act between the park and his personal life. Ron Kabele tells Todd’s story this month in a Texas Parks and Wildlife TV segment.

So, how does he balance that and being a dad? People think like a park manager, you’re out there in the park all day. You’re not. It’s not an easy job. It’s not a particularly glamorous one, either.

A perfect example of this is toilet paper. The average Joe doesn’t think about how much toilet paper the park uses, but we use a lot of it!

In addition to being the park manager, he’s very involved in the community, and in his sons lives. He’s one of the coaches on the little league team. He talks in his kids’ schools. He’s great at show and tell.

This is a Kemp’s Ridley shell. That’s a big turtle, isn’t it? See how big his head is? It’s almost as big as yours. See? Look at that! (laughter).

And, another neat thing about Todd, he started here when he was twenty hears old as a janitor.

I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go. A friend of mine, he told me he could get me a job. I showed up that day. And they gave me a janitor’s cart to clean the bathroom.

So he came up through the maintenance areas, then he became a park ranger, then he became an assistant manager, and now he’s a manager. Someday he’ll probably be a division chief. When people think about Todd, he’s the epitome of what a park manager is.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

TPW TV -- Todd Imboden Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The worst part about visiting a state park is leaving. Yet, if you make your last activity a shopping spree at the state park store before driving away, you’ll depart with more than memories.

Our park stores are mainly an extension of the park experience.

Tony Lucio oversees state park stores for Texas Parks and Wildlife. The park stores sell a wide variety of keepsakes and educational gifts that help to generate income for each location.

We want to provide our users, and our customers, a little something – whether it’s an educational product – or something that will help enhance the experience. And so, they can take home some sort of memory of the park to commemorate their experience visiting the state parks.

You’ll find a wide variety of mementos in the stores – many specific to the site you’re visiting — although some items rank high as visitor favorites.

Probably our number one and number two sellers in our park stores are our t-shirts and caps. Three and four would be our books. And then patches and magnets.

By the way, until December 31 when you purchase a state park pass or a gift certificate for a State Park Pass through our Austin reservation center, you will receive 2008 state park ornament free.

A state park pass makes a great gift for the state park enthusiast on your list.

Find a link to state park stores at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

State Parks Stores Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Looking for something fun to do with your family this holiday season that gets you out of the mall and into the wild? Texas State parks may have the answer.

On December 15th, Martin Dies, Jr. State Park is hosting a Holiday Celebration. At 2 pm, the park will be holding it’s annual Gingerbread House Design and Construction Marathon followed by a holiday sing-a-long with a live band concert.

If you’re in West Texas, the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center is hosting Christmas on the Border on the 17th. The season will be celebrated in true border fashion with local community performers providing entertainment. Treats will be served and Santa Claus is scheduled to make an appearance.

Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site and the Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway in North Texas is featuring a visit with Saint Nick on the 22nd. Visitors are invited to go back in time and see what Jolly Old Saint Nick was like in the 1870’s.

Battle Ship Texas State Historic Site, on the Gulf Coast presents Santa Swingin’ 40’s Christmas on the 22nd. Santa is on board for the occasions along with swing dancers, who will perform live.

You can find more information about these and other holiday events happening in state parks this holiday season at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Holiday Events in State Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Fall is an amazing time to go outside and play. The mild weather and remarkable scenery will draw many of us outdoors.

With so many people heading to state parks this fall, the question of etiquette arises. How should we act while exploring these wide open spaces?

Texas Parks and Wildlife has the answer. They have created seven basic guidelines to help you be polite in the outdoor setting. The guidelines are care, caution, courtesy, cleanliness, cooperation, conservation and common sense. These are the seven c’s of camping.

Care is a reminder to be considerate of others.

Caution encourages us to remember that camping can be dangerous. The right way is the safe way.

Courtesy is something that enhances the camping experience; respect the privacy of others and they will do the same.

Cleanliness reminds us to help keep parks and our campsites clean.

Cooperation asks us to work with rangers and follow state park rules.

Conservation calls for us to protect the outdoors for future generations, and common sense prevents accidents.

With these simple guidelines in mind, it’s easy to make a positive impact on state parks and fellow campers this fall.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

The Seven C's of Camping Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas state parks have beautiful trails for mountain biking.

I was in west Texas, I’d say, a year ago and rode there. The formations there are like some surrealist painting, and it’s almost too beautiful to ride because you always want to be looking up instead of watching the trail.

Dan Oko, author of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s guide, Bike Texas, tells us about his favorite trails.

Well I call Austin home, so the trail that I ride most of all is the Barton Creek Greenbelt. It’s very challenging. At the far end of the ride from Zilker Park, you reach something called the Hill of Life, which is, I think, a rite of passage for every mountain biker in Texas is to get up that hill without stopping. The most beautiful place I have ridden in Texas is Palo Duro Canyon outside of Amarillo in the Panhandle.

Oko says there’s more to mountain biking than scenery.

I always think of the idea of the balance on the bike as the balance in your life, which is, once you get that sense of balance and the security as a mode of transportation balanced on the bike, then you can feel like everything else in your life can sort of follow that fluidity.

The Bike Texas guide highlights more than forty trails throughout the state, including road bike rides in parks. It’s available online; find a link at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

A Matter of Balance: Life & Bikes Play Now | Play in Popup | Download