Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

The saying, slow and steady wins the race, applies to the recovery of endangered Whooping Cranes. From sixteen birds in the mid twentieth century, the migrating flock today has more than 200 members.

Last year we had 266 whooping cranes that arrived on the Texas coast. That included some adults and some young.

Wildlife biologist Lee Ann Linam says this wild flock, which winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, returns to Canada each spring to nest and raise young—and this year they were prolific.

When the birds returned to Canada, they formed at least 66 nests. And from that we hope that perhaps we will have thirty young or so make it down. Maybe we’ll hit another record this year—getting close to the 300 mark.

This wild population has been so productive that eggs from it have enabled researchers to try additional recovery efforts.

There are Whooping cranes in captivity to provide some insurance against loss, and to perhaps aid in some restoration programs. And we have a couple of experimental populations. And so, all total about five hundred whooping cranes exist.

Find links to more information about Whooping Cranes when you visit passporttotexas.org. That’s our show for today, with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Fruitful & Multiplying Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

The saying, slow and steady wins the race, applies to the recovery of endangered Whooping Cranes. From sixteen birds in the mid twentieth century, the migrating flock today has more than 200 members.

Last year we had 266 whooping cranes that arrived on the Texas coast. That included some adults and some young.

Wildlife biologist Lee Ann Linam says this wild flock, which winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, returns to Canada each spring to nest and raise young—and this year they were prolific.

When the birds returned to Canada, they formed at least 66 nests. And from that we hope that perhaps we will have thirty young or so make it down. Maybe we’ll hit another record this year—getting close to the 300 mark.

This wild population has been so productive that eggs from it have enabled researchers to try additional recovery efforts.

There are Whooping cranes in captivity to provide some insurance against loss, and to perhaps aid in some restoration programs. And we have a couple of experimental populations. And so, all total about five hundred whooping cranes exist.

Find links to more information about Whooping Cranes when you visit passporttotexas.org. That’s our show for today, with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the Private Lands and Habitat Enhancement Program For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Fruitful & Multiplying Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Once widespread across North America, the Whooping crane, the tallest bird in the US, nearly became extinct in the mid twentieth century due in part to habitat loss and unregulated hunting.

By the time people started paying attention in the 1930s and 40s, the whooping cranes were restricted to occurring in the United States only in a small population in Louisiana, and along the Texas coast in the winter.

Wildlife Biologist, Lee Ann Linam, says Whooping cranes landed on the endangered species list in 1967… with no time to spare.

And those numbers were unbelievably low at some point. That Texas population got down to 15 or 16 birds one winter.

Collaborative efforts between pubic and private organizations and landowners in the US and Canada, helped the species to rebound. Biologists expect more than 280 birds to winter at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this year.

It’s so neat to be able to tell a come back story for endangered species. You know, so many times we are constantly fighting the threats that are hard to off-set, and species continue to languish somewhat, or at least struggle for recovery. [bird calls] And it’s nice to show that, in this case, the endangered species act and the other efforts that went on to protect migratory waterfowl were able to bring a species back from the brink.

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

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/REFUGES/texas/aransas/

Whooping Cranes: Back from the Brink Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Witness efforts to understand and protect the endangered Houston Toad this month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series. Producer, Abe Moore.

They used to be all the way from Houston to Bastrop, but now they’re just in little pockets. So, we went out with some biologists to try and find some Houston toads in some ponds.

[Frog calls] So, it’s the unicorn in the woods. I mean, this is the thing that no one can find, and yet, at the same time, this is an animal that makes three thousand eggs at a time.

What we found while we were doing the story was that the Houston Zoo is working with biologists by raising baby toads—little Houston toadlets.

Our role in the Houston Toad recovery plan is one of kind of last resort. We’re starting to form a captive assurance colony, basically, and that is a, uh, like a failsafe against the extinction of the Houston Toad in the wild.

While we were out there, I was amazed at how big these toads were. They were fat and happy.

Some are kind of larger than what you’d expect.[shakes container of crickets] We’ve probably got about three or four thousand crickets in this container right here. We go through in the moment about six thousand a week.

So that’s on Texas Parks and Wildlife television the first or second week of December.

Thanks, Abe. Better check your local listings.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

TPW TV: Endangered Houston Toad Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Texas’ beloved horny toad is the subject of an ongoing citizen science project called Texas Horned Lizard Watch, where volunteers collect data about this vanishing Texas icon.

It’s been going on for ten years now. So we’ve gotten some wonderful information from people – all across the state – about how horned lizards are doing.

Lee Ann Linam coordinates the program. Among other uses, the data helps biologists like Linam establish predictors of horned lizard decline.

Our horned lizard watch data, that our volunteers put together, show that in fact, that the presence of fire ants is kind of the strongest predictor as to whether or not you’ll find horned lizards at a site. And, of course, it’s generally not a good relationship.

Red harvester ants are horned lizard’s food of choice — but good luck finding them when fire ants are around.

Fire ants often drive out native ant species; they feed on small vertebrates, especially animals that lay their eggs in the ground.

There’s a new opportunity for people wanting to participate in Texas Horned Lizard Watch.

If they’re interested in the survey project in cemeteries they can get in touch with us.

Spooky…we’ll have details on surveying horned lizards in cemeteries tomorrow. That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… working to increase conservation efforts in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Horned Lizard Conservation Play Now | Play in Popup | Download