Archive for the 'Endangered' Category

Whooping Crane Migration

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

This is Passport to Texas

This time of year when you look high overhead, you might just see whooping cranes.

10—Every year, about this time of year, we start getting emails and telephone calls from people all excited that they’ve seen whooping cranes flying over; and usually it’s between 50 and 100 birds.

But, Mark Klym, with the agency’s Wildlife Diversity program, says if you do witness a huge flock of big birds in the clouds…

07—I’m sorry, that’s not whooping cranes. Whooping Cranes never fly in a flock larger than about 10 birds, and very rarely more than six birds.

Well, maybe what you saw were sand hill cranes. Even so, North America’s biggest bird could still mingle in the mix.

05—Usually they’re off to the side. You’ll get the sand hills in a group and the whooping cranes off in a group on their own.

Whooping cranes, on the endangered species list, come through Texas’ Central Flyway this month on their way to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to overwinter.

15—We are optimistic that we are going to see a good population at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Certainly a recovery from what we saw in the past winter.

And what happened in the past winter?

Well, with the drought, we had very few blue crabs in the bays and as result suffered; we had a few losses.

If you do see whooping cranes in migration, contact Mark Klym. You’ll find his information at passporttotexas.org.

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

Whooping cranes are protected by federal and state endangered species laws, and Texans can help safeguard this national treasure by helping to prevent harm or harassment to whooping cranes. Anyone sighting a whooping crane is asked to report it to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, extension 4644 or, alternatively at (512) 847-9480. Sightings can also be reported via e-mail at leeann.linam@tpwd.state.tx.us.

Check out this YouTube video of whooping cranes at Aransas national Wildlife Refuge.

Black Bears Returning to East Texas

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

This is Passport to Texas

It’s a hog! It’s a dog! No! It’s a black bear?

[Bear calling]

Black bears are slowly coming back to East Texas from Louisiana, but Texas Parks and Wildlife Regional Director Nathan Garner says they might not be as easy to spot as you think.

We have so many things in East Texas that look exactly like black bears. For example black feral hogs at a distance can be easily misidentified as a black bear. We have black angus cattle, we have black dogs…

Well, you get the point. People may be so excited about the bears that they think they see them everywhere. In reality, there are only a handful of bears in East Texas forests at any given time. But Texas wildlife biologists investigate every sighting.

We go through a very rigorous process of following up those investigations with interviews and sight inspections.

Biologists can then collect physical evidence such as bear tracks, a piece of fur, or a picture taken by a motion-sensitive camera.

So even if you aren’t 100 percent certain you saw a bear, call Texas Parks and Wildlife, because, your call gives biologists a better idea of where the bears might exist. And, after all, you might just be right.

You can find more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we had research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan…the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Oiled Pelican Release

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

This is Passport to Texas

[SFX brown pelicans calling]

Standing on the shore of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife veterinarian, Dan Mulcahy, called it a good day for pelicans affected by the oil spill in the gulf.

06—We’re here today to participate in the largest release of oiled pelicans following the oil spill to date.

In late June, 38 animals arrived at Rockport Airport via Coast Guard Jet from a Louisiana rehabilitation center. Their final destination: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

12—They were picked up here at the Rockport Airport by the staff of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and TPW, and were released as fast as we could undo the crates and let them go.

Once free, the birds gathered on the water away from shore and preened, which pleased Nancy Brown from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

03—They can focus on preening as opposed to just surviving.

Texas offers abundant habitat for the pelicans. Yet, these iconic birds still aren’t out of danger. Any long-term health effects from their ordeal are yet unknown.

08—We look forward to coming out here next year and hopefully seeing these birds and hopefully they’re fatter and happier and doing well here on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Before their release, biologists placed a steel band with a unique ID on each bird’s leg to track our newest Texans into what will hopefully be a long and healthy future.

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

Sea Turtles in Trouble, 2

Friday, June 11th, 2010

This is Passport to Texas

The Kemps’ Ridley may be the best known—and most threatened—sea turtle that occurs along the Texas coast, but it’s not the only one.

19—The ones that we hear most commonly about are the Kemp’s Ridley, and the green sea turtle—the green sea turtle is threatened in Texas and the populations are increasing. Also in Texas, there’s the Loggerhead, that’s a threatened species. What we hear about less are both endangered turtles: The Hawksbill and the Leatherback.

Dr. Donna Shaver is with the US National Park Service at Padre Island National Seashore. She says if you ever see stranded or nesting sea turtles, report your observation to officials.

17—Many of our entrances to beach access roads, signs are posted that have a telephone number to call. And then once they call, they will receive a recorded message that will tell them the proper contact number for the particular geographic area where they are located.

The number to call is 1-866-TURTLE5…And if you come across a nesting female…

17—Stay back from the nesting turtle until she’s dug her hole with her rear flippers and is remaining mostly motionless and laying eggs. At that time, without touching the turtle, look for any tags, and without piercing anything into the sand, put a designating market next to where the turtle laid her eggs.

Find more information on sea turtles when you log onto the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

Our show receives support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Sea Turtles in Trouble, 1

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

This is Passport to Texas

The news along the TX coast during late winter and early spring was the high number of sea turtle strandings.

:12—A stranded sea turtle is one that is found washed ashore, or floating. It can be alive or dead, but if it’s alive, it’s generally in a weakened condition.

Dr. Donna Shaver is with the US National Park Service and specializes in sea turtle research and conservation at Padre Island National Seashore. Between 250 and 750 sea turtles end up stranded each year, but Dr. Shaver says 2010 got off to an alarming start.

:18—We have already started out the year at a record pace. We had the largest cold-stunning event that’s been recorded since 1980. There were about 460 green sea turtles that were located stranded, and two loggerheads, during this particular event—January into February.

When I spoke with Dr. Shaver in late April, she said 76 sea turtles had stranded from the upper to the lower coast between April 4 and 24th

:15—One of the things that’s caught the attention for the spike on the upper Texas coast is that 20 of the 21 turtles were Kemp’s Ridley; whereas, those found elsewhere in the state were more of a mixture of other species.

The cause of the strandings is under investigation, and Dr. Shaver says it could be anything from predators, to fishing nets, to boat propellers, to debris.

Our show receives support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti