Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

09—This monument was built to be a memorial to remind us of the sacrifices of all those who fought for Texas independence.

Larry Spasic, President of the San Jacinto Museum in La Porte. He’s talking about the San Jacinto monument, which commemorates the battle of San Jacinto. Learn more on the TPW TV show this month. Producer, Bruce Biermann.

44—Tucked away alongside the Houston Ship Channel, among all the oil refineries of today, was one of the most major battles in the world’s history. And it was not that the battle itself was major, but the outcome was one of the largest transfers of sovereignty of land in the world. The land from east Texas, all the way to the Pacific ocean was owned by Mexico. And, this battle at San Jacionto, because of the outcome, because the Texas army won, was the beginning of the end of Mexican ownership of that land. So, even though the battle only took eighteen minutes, the outcome is one of the largest changes in sovereignty in world history.

Thanks, Bruce. This show airs the week of May 15. Check your local listings.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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• Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
• Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18, Sunday, 10 a.m.; Thursday 5:30 a.m.
• Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15, Sunday, 5 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
• Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16, Sunday, 12 p.m.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 2:30 p.m., October-April Only. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
• El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
• Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8, Saturday, 3 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
• Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple, Waco.
• Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5, Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9, Sunday, 1 p.m.
• Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Cable

Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Alice, Allen, Atlanta, Baytown, Big Spring, Boerne, Brownsville, Cedar Park, Coppell, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Deer Park, Del Mar College, Denton, El Paso, Euless, Flower Mound, Fort Stockton, Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD, Frisco, Garland, Haltom City, Houston Community College, Irving, Keller, Killeen, Lubbock, Lufkin, McKinney, Midland, North Richland Hills, Plano, Round Rock, Round Rock ISD, Rogers State University, San Antonio College, Seabrook, Stephen R. Austin University, Temple, Texarkana College, The Colony, Trophy Club, Tyler, Victoria, and Waco. Check your local listings for days and times.

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This is Passport to Texas

Nature happens, but state parks take work. And our state park guide Bryan Frazier says last year volunteers donated the equivalent of $9 million dollars in labor to keep state parks humming.

63—We rely really heavily on our volunteer workforce. Whether you’re talking about our friend’s groups, our partner groups, nonprofits. We have more than fifty of those across the state of Texas for our state parks. We also have lots of individuals. In fact, if you put a pencil to it, you’re talking about more than 250 full-time employee equivalents we don’t have to fund because of the volunteers that show up. And that’s everything from trail maintenance, to trail building, to clearing brush to working in the front office, to even our park hosts that come and stay with us for several weeks and in exchange for twenty to forty hours a week of work we give them a free campsite—and a lot of times it’s a full hookup campsite. And we really couldn’t run our park system without our volunteers.

There is a link on our website at texasstateparks.org, and there are volunteers—and you can click on that. It has all our information. Or you can call on the phone, our volunteer coordinator for State Parks—Lori Reilly—512.389.4746. And that will get the ball rolling.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

If wildflowers haven’t popped up yet where you live, they will soon—it’s what they do this time of year. And as our State park Guide, Bryan Frazier tells us, even non-Texans flock to the flowers when they bloom.

61—Not just all over the US, but all over the world, who come in to see out beautiful bluebonnets, and Indian Paintbrushes, and Indian Blankets, and Evening Primrose, and all of those flowers that make Texas this pallet of color in the spring. And whether you’re talking about Washington County and state parks like Washington-on-the-Brazos, or McKinney Falls, or LBJ State Park in the Hill Country—and even down in South Texas like lake Corpus Christi State Park, or even up in North Texas, you can see lost of different regionalized color for wildflowers, and this time of year is the time to do it. If we’ve had any seasonal rains at all you can even get them out in the Big Bend area—which are some of the most unique flowers you’re going to see any time. It’s a great time to get out and take photographs, and people love to take their children out there. Be safe, because some other animals and critters, sometimes little snakes and things, like the cover and the shade of the wildflowers. So, take your steps carefully and deliberately, but get out and enjoy the beautiful color that’s about to come our way with wildflower season all across Texas.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find more information at texasstateparks.org.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Now that spring has arrived, you’ll spend more time outdoors. When you do, my advice is to literally watch your step.

:07—Probably most people who spend any amount of time hiking in Texas have been within arm’s reach of a diamondback and never knew it.

Andy Gluesenkamp is a herpetologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Don’t let what he just said about the big, scary venomous Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, which happens to be deadliest snake in North America, keep you locked up indoors.

:07—Diamondbacks would by and large much prefer to avoid contact than get in some sort of fisticuffs with a large animal like a human.

These snakes play defense. They usually hang out in the vicinity of fallen logs, brush piles, and rocks. If they think you don’t see them, they’ll lie perfectly still and let you do a Dionne Warwick and walk on by.

:14—If they feel threatened by you, the first thing that they’ll do is buzz that rattle. [SFX—western Diamondback Rattling]. On rare occasions when somebody reaches their hands into a crevice, or is picking up firewood and grabs a snake or steps on a snake—then they’re going to react violently. And that’s when people tend to get bitten.

So, avoid doing what he said. You’ll be glad you did, or rather, didn’t. Find more information about snakes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website.

Support for Passport to Texas comes from the Wildlife Restoration program…working to restore native habitat in Texas.

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

Safety In Snake Country Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Spring is here, wildflowers are blooming, and you are ready to spend some serious time outside—and we encourage you to do so as often possible. Before you head out the door, our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier offers the following advice:

61—A little bit of precaution might be in order, because you’re not the only residents of Texas who are anxious to get out and around. And even though we don’t have a large population of bears in Texas that would hibernate, we do have things like snakes that will be moving around for the first time in along, long, time as well—so keep that in mind. Basically, that translates into some common sense safety. When you pitch your tent—look around—see if there’s any debris. If there is, move it and move it carefully so you’re not exposing yourself [to problems] when you lift up big rocks or big logs or things like that. Same thing on the trail. Exercise some caution. Clean up your campsite. Don’t leave food scraps around. Don’t leave piles of laundry [lying around] or your tent open, and allow these things to get in there. Because they’re going to look for places for cover for when it gets maybe a little cooler at night. So use some basic campground safety, hiking safety so that those other critters that are out in the woods for the first time now, can know you’re

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

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

State Parks: Safe Camping in Spring Play Now | Play in Popup | Download