Passport to Texas

Longleaf pine Seedlings photo from naturejournals.blogspot.com

Habitat: Restoring Longleaf Pines in East Texas Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

A reforestation project underway in East Texas will see the expansion of a stand of native longleaf pine trees at Village Creek State Park.

09— There’s no other state park that has longleaf pine in it. And only the Roy Larsen Sandy Lands Unit in the Big Thicket has a good stand of longleaf pine.

Davis Riskind is director of the natural resource program for state parks. He says the agency acquired property for the reforestation project from The Conservation Fund.

32—And our objective here on most of the state park land is to restore natural habitats. We had a special circumstance occur, in the process of acquiring the property from the conservation fund. There was an outstanding gas drilling right. So, we accommodated that; we worked with the gas company; we found a site that was suitable in the tract, out of the way for them to pursue their rights to explore for gas. The good news is they hit a huge gas well. The bad news was – the well blew out.

David Riskind says a huge fireball cooked a huge swath of land, taking some of the longleaf pine seedlings with it.

Tomorrow: How bad news turned into good news for the longleaf pine reforestation project.

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

Longleaf Pine Forest

Habitat: Loss of Longleaf Pines in Texas Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

While we’re familiar with native loblolly pines, the longleaf pine – another native – has struggled for a century.

07— It’s a very, very desirable timber tree. Consequently, by the turn of the last century, it was almost all timbered.

Davis Riskind is director of the natural resource program for state parks.

33—So, there’s very little old growth longleaf pine; it grows on dry upland sites, sandy soils. Or, some of these sites can be very, very wet – they vary from wet to dry. And only longleaf pine is an adapted native species. Of course, what’s happened is, most of the pine has been timbered and has been replaced by exotic species. Slash pine, for example, or even loblolly pine, which used to grow mostly in bottomlands in wet sites. But now it’s a very common fast growing timber tree. So, essentially the habitat has been lost.

Riskind says more than just the trees have been lost.

10—Well, essentially all the wildflowers [associated with that habitat have been lost], a lot of bog plants; orchids, pitcher plants and things like that. And it’s a very open stand, and it usually has a lot of grasses and quite a few of our rare species.

Tomorrow, David Riskind returns to talk about an effort to reforest longleaf pines in an east Texas state park.

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

Fanthorp Inn Stagecoach

History: Fanthorp Inn as a Communication Hub Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site is…

05—The old Stagecoach inn that brings history to life in Andersen, Texas.

Tom Scaggs is a park ranger at Fanthorp, which during the mid-19th century, served as a communication and transportation hub.

31—Before the days of the telegraph, and even before the railroad, the only way to communicate was by mail. And one of the early settlers to Texas, Henry Fanthorp, developed his home as a stagecoach inn. Basically he was providing an overnight facility for the stagecoaches tht were carrying the mail, and providing transportation for the many travelers finding their way through this new republic we call Texas.

Located at a major crossroads (about 30 miles southeast of what is today Bryan/College Station), Fanthorp Inn played a key role in the development of Texas.

15—As you can imagine, people were traveling through Texas, and traveling through Fanthorp…spending the night at a stagecoach inn like his was probably a wonderful experience in that you could communicate and visit with travelers almost worldwide.

It’s where information was exchanged and new ideas hatched. Learn the impact of Fanthorp Inn SHS on Texas history, and the history-makers who stayed there; that’s tomorrow.

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

Archaeological Dig

Pre-History: Preserving Texas' Ancient Past Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Before Texas Parks and Wildlife starts projects on its nearly 50 wildlife management areas, they call this man:

04— My name is Chris Lintz, and I’m the culture resource specialist for the wildlife division.

As an archaeologist, Chris ensures the agency complies with federal and state laws around preserving cultural resources.

10— Cultural resources constitute both the prehistoric Indian sites, and historic sites up to 50 Years of present, according to both federal and state laws.

Think: ancient campsites, rock art, and Indian burial mounds…. With more than three quarters of a million acres of public lands, Chris says there is plenty of history to protect and preserve.

17— And that’s true. There’s an awful lot of buried cultural resources that exist out there. Our goal – before we develop projects on our WMAs—is to go out and take a look and see what’s out there. And if we can, we try to redesign projects to avoid impacts to cultural resources.

Whether TPW is building a structure or an oil and gas company requests access to lay new lines on public lands, Chris says protecting the past has value in the present.

16—The folks that made these artifacts at various times in the past going back 11,000 years, are no longer with us. So the sites that they’ve left behind are finite. Our job is to identify which resources are the most important and save those for future generations.

That’s our show for today…funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

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

Texas Outdoor Family Workshop

Recreation: Texas Outdoor Family Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

You want to camp overnight in a state park but don’t want to spend money on gear until you hone your skills?

04— Texas Outdoor Family provides all of the camping equipment that a family needs for a weekend.

Robert Owen oversees the Texas Outdoor Family Program. During supervised weekend workshops, Texas Outdoor Family provides nearly everything families need for a successful overnight camping experience.

14—Generally a family needs to bring their own food and personal items like a sleeping bag. We provide the rest from a tent to the air mattresses, pots and pans… And even a bunch of ranger guidance to go along with it Rangers actually spend the night in the campground with the families.

TOF staff helps families set up camp, and plans activities for them like kayaking, geocaching, fishing, and hiking to get them into the outdoor groove. If one weekend isn’t enough …

21— We invite families back to join us as many as three times. The first time is very much their beginner experience. So, you come out the first time you realize it’s fun; you realize your family has really enjoyed it. The second and third times you refine your skills. And then we hope you’re ready to be released out there into the parks, and do it on your own.

The cost of the weekend is $65 for up to six people. There are Texas Outdoor Family workshops this fall; find details on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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