Passport to Texas

Bolivar Peninsula after Ike 2008, Image from http://www.srh.noaa.gov

Conservation: Ike's Hidden Damage, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas lost 8-thousand acres of submerged oyster habitat when Hurricane Ike blew into the gulf in 2008. Some reefs will restore naturally; other will receive some help.

24- We are trying to accelerate that that recovery effort by putting some the materials down to allow new oysters to settle on. We also worked closely with the commercial industry and got them involved in pulling their dredges up with bags off of them across some of these reefs that were marginally covered up, and to pull the shell back to the surface to provide that substrate for young oysters to attach to and start growing.

Lance Robinson from coastal fisheries wrote the story. Ike pushed saltwater and debris 15-20 miles inland, which decimated saltmarsh habitat – habitat that’s a marine nursery for sport and commercial species. Restoration work is ongoing.

12—And it took several weeks just for heavy equipment to get into the marshes to remove the mountains of debris before we could get in and assess what the other impacts were. And at that point it was just gut-wrenching.

As bad as the damage after Ike, Robinsons says it could have been worse.

13—…both from a human impact and a natural resource impact had the storm tracked a little bit farther to the north. It would have brought the eye farther into the bay, and we would have seen a much more devastating impact.

Lance Robinson’s story about the “Hidden Damage of Ike” appears in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration project supports our series.

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

Image from National Weather Service

Conservation: Ike's Hidden Damage, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Few will forget the images from 2008 of the devastation to Galveston Island by Hurricane Ike. An article in the June 20-13 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine details the damage from Ike we did not see.

06- The article focuses on the losses of some of the invaluable habitat associated with Galveston Bay.

Including submerged oyster habitat. Lance Robinson from coastal fisheries wrote the piece. The hurricane deposited sediment on top of 8-thousand acres of oyster reefs in Galveston Bay. That’s nearly half of the consolidated oyster habitat within the system.

24—That is a huge loss of a valuable resource. Not only from the commercial fishing aspect to it, but for the ecosystem services that they provide that a lot of people don’t really recognize or really see. Such as: water filtration, providing habitat for other fish and crabs and other organisms that are associated with structures. Sort of like an oasis in a desert.

A single adult oyster filters water at a rate of about 50 gallons a day, improving ecosystem water quality.

10—The wastewater treatment plants within Houston filter the same amount of water as a hundred and thirty acres of oyster reef; we lost 8-thousand acres of those reefs.

Restoring the reefs; that’s tomorrow.

Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

Recreation: Go Coastal, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Wondering what you’ll discover on a visit to the Texas coast?

02—There’s always something new and surprising.

Writer… Melissa Gaskill…should know. She grew up on the coast and although she lives in Austin now, she’s a frequent visitor to her old stomping grounds. She says if you steer clear of the Texas’ sandy shores because you’re looking for something more tranquil…you need to check out her article in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

19—[In] Port Aransas you’ve got the busy beach, [but] you can get on a ferry and ride over to St. Joe Island, and walk off and be all by yourself. You can do that at Sea Rim; you can do that on Matagorda Island, and you can even do it in Matagorda County on the Beach, or South Padre island, where you can go down past where all the people are and just keep on going.

Melissa says wildlife viewing, dining, kayaking, swimming, and fishing just scratch the surface of the activities awaiting coastal visitors…activities such as instruction on sandcastle-making taught by experts.

16— It’s a class you pay for. You typically get an hour with one of these people; they’re on the beach – that’s where the sand is. And they’ve got all the tools. You’re usually under a little shady tarp. The place I went, they gave you a drink. And they start showing you from the basics up; over that hour, you build something pretty impressive.

Check out Melissa Gaskill’s article, titled Go Coastal in the June issue of Texas parks and Wildlife magazine.

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

Image courtesy of www.destination360.com

Recreation: Go Coastal, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Writer Melissa Gaskill is never at a loss for things to do on the Texas coast.

09—I spent my middle school and high school years on the beach; I have spent my adult life all along the coast. Believe it or not, that article only scratches the surface.

The article Melissa’s referring to is one she wrote for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine titled: Go Coastal. It’s a compendium of diverse activities.

10—I just made a list right off the top of my head and sent it to the editor and said, ‘how does this look?’ and she goes ‘great!’ And we refined it a little bit, but for the most part these are things that I’ve been doing my entire life and loving.

Melissa says the first place to start a coastal visit is on the beach…but you needn’t stay there.

26—There are places to hike… you can get in a kayak; a kayak is a wonderful way to explore. You can charter a boat, you can go offshore. You can go out on a fishing pier. There are all of the touristy things: you can go to the pier and ride a Ferris wheel, you can go to a restaurant, sit out on the deck and feed fish– that sort of thing. Or you can go off the beaten path: ride a horse, kayak, or hike off into some pretty remote areas.

Melissa Gaskill returns tomorrow and shares more about her Go Coastal article for the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Funding for the show’s provided in part by RAM Trucks: Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

TPW Magazine: Going Coastal

TPW Magazine June 2013 Preview Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With summer looming, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine editor, Louie Bond, says the June issue of the magazine is going coastal.

58 – We are going coastal in June. Melissa Gaskill is going to take us on a grand tour of the coast. Melissa is one of those writer’s who’s been everywhere and done everything – so we thought she was the perfect person to tell us what the best things to do on the coast are. And that’s everything from kayaking to birding to fishing to swimming to riding your horses on the beach – there’s just a million things to do. There are great aquariums; great food to eat… there’s lots of recreation whether you’re quiet or an adventurous daredevil. So, we’re taking everybody down to the coast this month. Of course, there is one danger of living on the coast, and that’s hurricanes. So, our own Lance Robinson takes a look at the damage after hurricane Ike. It’s hidden damage; it’s salt marshes and oyster beds. And it takes a long time for those to recover. But there have been some great efforts made to help those get back to their natural health. And he’ll help us see how they’re recovering. So get on your flip flops and come to the beach with us this month.

Thanks, Louie.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series and funds coastal conservation and fisheries projects in Texas.

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