Passport to Texas

Alligator Gar, Image TPWD

TPW TV: Gargantuan Gar Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Coming up the week of April 14th the TPW PBS TV series features a segment bout alligator gar, in a piece producer Alan Fisher calls: Gargantuan Gar.

61–The story follows a study being done on Choke Canyon Reservoir with fisheries biologists from parks and Wildlife, as well as some rod and reel anglers on the Trinity River trying to catch a large alligator gar.

Why are we paying attention to the alligator gar now?

Well, historically, since people didn’t fish for them that much, we didn’t know much about them; there wasn’t science being done. And as rod and reel anglers and bow fishermen have become more interested in the fish, there’s a need to have more science, and to make sure we can keep the population sustainable.

Is this piece intended maybe to entice the angler that’s looking for a good fight?

People like to catch big fish, and this is a fish that people may have not thought about targeting before.

But I think people will see in the video they’re fun to go after.

Thank Alan.

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.

Image, Chase A. Fountain, © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

TPW TV: Wildland Fire Team Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas Parks and Wildlife is growing its Wildland Fire Team, made up of employees throughout the state. The TPW TV Series features the group this month. Producer, Abe Moore, has details.

54— We followed Kevin Ferguson who works at Kickapoo Cavern State park, and Robin Dabney, who works out at Dinosaur Valley State Park. They also do lots of prescribed burns, where they burn 5 to 10-thousand acres of parkland every year.

They’re able to handle some seriously stressful situations. Even when I was filming them doing the prescribed burn, I’m just walking along with my camera as the fire’s happening; all of a sudden I noticed my microphone started melting because it was so hot. And I’m running away from the fire, going ‘Okay; I don’t know what I’m doing. I better pay more attention here.’ And they’re just smooth as silk because they know how to handle the situation. It struck me that they really are prepared and well-trained.

The show airs the week of April 7 though 13.

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.

Tree planting in Bastrop State Park

TPW TV: American Youthworks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

About 96% of Bastrop State Park burned in the 2011 Labor Day Wildfires. Since then, Texas Parks and Wildlife has been restoring the park with the help of various groups. Texas Parks and Wildlife TV producer Alan Fisher followed one group of young people from American Youth Works as they pitched in.

54 – The have a program called the Texas Conservation Corps. These young people are basically at a point in their life where they can take on a long-term stint working outdoors on public lands, doing various kinds of work, and getting a small stipend. But, they’re mostly there because they want to pitch in and contribute. I’m here because I used to come here as a kid, and I really enjoyed it; I want to give back to it. So, I followed them doing a variety of work; they were marking and clearing trees. They were also constructing bridges using materials from the park – using drought-killed and fire-killed trees. They can make lovely bridges, and they fit right in the with the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] look. Somebody referred to it as the CCC with tattoos and piercings. They are tattooed, they do have long hair and they have piercings — but they are such kind, wonderful people. When they go out people recognize them and know the work that they’re doing, and they get thanked almost everywhere they go. I think it makes the long days a little easier for them.

This segment airs on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV Series during the last week of March on PBS stations; check your local listings.

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

Restoring pine trees

TPW TV: Restoring the Pines Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

TPW TV series producer, Don Cash, has followed the restoration of two east Texas state parks following Hurricane Rita eight years ago. He says there was a silver lining in that storm.

58— I’ve been able to go back a few times over the years and watch as the parks change, slowly. Martin Dies State park in Jasper, and Village Creek State Park down near Beaumont were pretty badly torn up. Where you [once] had a real thick canopy and a real thick forest, you [now] had lots of sky. What I found, though, going back and talking to people in the parks is that the hurricanes have allowed them to do some habitat management on a little quicker scale than they would have otherwise had the hurricane not come through. In east Texas, the forests were originally longleaf pine; when timber companies came through, they cut the longleaf and planted loblolly, which is native to the US, but not native to Texas. It’s a faster growing pine, but the loblolly and the longleaf have different habitats, different animal species, different ground cover. So, the hurricanes have allowed the loblollies to get knocked down, and will allow the people in the parks to replant and reforest in the native longleaf pine.

Thanks, Don.

The segment titled Restoring the Pines airs the week of March 17th on PBS stations. Check your Local listings.

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

Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee Tommy Martin, image from Vimeo

TPW TV: Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

This month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS television series, meet an inductee into the 2012 Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, who – says series producer, Don Cash – would go fishing even if it weren’t his job.

60— On the Parks and Wildlife television show, we’re going to feature inductees into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame for 2012.And one of them is a guy named Tommy Martin whose been fishing professionally for over 40 years. Tommy won a tournament way back when; one of those Bass Masters, way back in the days of black and white film. And he talked about how much money he made then, and the difference in how much they make now. What I thought was kind of interesting about Tommy is despite the fact he’s on the water 200-250 days a year, either fishing tournaments of guiding, in his spare time, he still likes to go fishing. So, right now there are 24 inductees in the Texas Freshwater Hall of Fame, which is located in Athens, at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries center. Some of the guys are professional fishermen. Some of them are boat builders. Some of them are guys that like to fish and maybe decided to help kids learn. But everybody in the hall of fame obviously has a love for fishing. And Texas is a great place to have that love.

Thanks, Don.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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