Passport to Texas

Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park

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This is Passport to Texas

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s staff spent a week in the Rio Grande Valley to discover its stories.

It’s the craziest thing we’ve ever done. But, sometimes crazy is brilliant. And I’m hoping that’s the case here.

Editor, Louie Bond, says the issue is a tribute to the folks who started the magazine 75 years ago in the midst of a world war.

And we thought about, what part of the state of Texas could we celebrate that embodies the spirit of Texas, and the multi-culturalism, and fantastic nature opportunities? And we unanimously agreed the Rio Grande Valley was the place to go.

Their inspiration came from an old issue of Norwegian Airlines magazine.

Who had taken the entire team to the most northern location that they fly to in Norway—which was actually a tiny little town within the Arctic Circle. But, for such a tiny town, a whole magazine was devoted to it, and it was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen.

In the end, Louie Bond says the December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is a love letter.

We call is a love letter to the Rio Grande Valley. And that’s what I would like everyone to take away from it. You know, to look at the Rio Grande Valley through the eyes of a new visitor, who looks around and says: “’Wow. I cannot believe what I found here.’

The December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is on newsstands now. Our show receives funding from Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

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

Children with dip nets in woods at outdoor family workshop in Georgetown near Austin. Image from Texas Children in Nature

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This is Passport to Texas

While all play benefits children, experts agree that nature play is best. Yet, we’ve seen kids disconnect from it.

And that disconnect has resulted in a myriad of different health issues, wellness issues – and then even [affects] becoming the next stewards to take care of our natural spaces and wild things.

Jennifer Bristol coordinates the Children in Nature program. The concept of nature play isn’t new, but the collaboration to ensure children have access to it via a “playground” experience is.

Landscape architects, the childhood development people, and the playground designers all came together and said: ‘Okay, let’s create this space where children can interact with nature, but on a much smaller scale.’

Bristol said studies showed parents like playgrounds because they exist within defined boundaries, and parents can keep an eye on their kids.

Looking at that concept, the playground designer said, ‘Okay, let’s validate what the parents are feeling and that they need, but let’s make the elements that they’re playing with out of natural materials. Or, replicate things that they would find in nature, and use those to help them grow, develop their gross motor skills, problem solve, and then all the other elements when children actually are being active and playing in the outdoors.’

Jennifer Bristol wrote an article about the growth of Nature Play in Texas for the July issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

The NatureRocksTexas.org website lists all the parks, nature centers and activities where you can play, explore and connect with nature near you.

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

Photo: City of Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation Department

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Photo-journalist Camille Wheeler discovered five urban jungles teaming with wildlife when she kayaked along their paddling trails.

I had this romantic notion that I was going to do all five of these trails by myself. I actually did do two of them by myself. [But] I actually wound up having the best time on the three trails that I did with groups.

She kayaked and in Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Houston, San Antonio and Pasadena…and wrote about it for the March issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

I felt like an explorer even in the middle of a group. I went out with the assurance that these paddling trails had been mapped and surveyed by a Texas Parks and Wildlife team. But, there was this sense of adventure traveling these waterways that were new to me.

Camille saw birds, fish, insects, and even alligators—all in the middle of densely populated urban areas. She says urban paddling trails offer close-in outdoor opportunities.

People like me can get our feet wet here in these urban areas, on these trails that are very safe and easy. And now that I have had a little bit of experience, and some very good guidance—my heart is beating fast at the thought of going back to these same trails that I’ve already traveled, and then going out a little bit farther and a little bit more into the country. And rekindling this love affair with water that is new for a middle-aged woman.

You’re never too old to experience something new. Read Camille Wheeler’s article, Gently Down the Stream, in the March issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

The Sport Fish restoration program supports our series.

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

Paddling in Texas

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This is Passport to Texas

Photo-journalist, Camille Wheeler, grew up in a farming and ranching family in West Texas, and remains a country girl at heart, despite living in the Capital City since the mid-1990s.

I didn’t grow up around very much water. So, while I was a country girl, I’ve always had a fascination with rivers and streams.

Given her fascination for flowing water, she wondered why she’d never explored Austin’s Lady Bird Lake.

So, about a year ago [in January], I went out—really for the first time by myself—on a kayak, on Lady Bird Lake. And the lake was just filled with all these wintering birds. And the double crested cormorant is one of my favorite birds in the world. There were so many of them, and I could paddle up close to them and take pictures. And I was like: Why have I not been doing this?

She discovered Lady Bird Lake is in Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Paddling Trails Program, which gave her an idea for an article. She shared the idea with TPW magazine’s editor, and the agency’s nature tourism manager.

We came up with this idea of me traveling around the state as a beginner [paddler] who has medium knowledge of birds, and putting the two things together for readers.

Read about it in the March issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. On tomorrow’s show: how Camille Wheeler found the middle of nowhere in the middle of everywhere on an urban paddling trail.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

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

TPW Magazine celebrates 75 years if bringing the Texas outdoors to you.

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This is Passport to Texas

When it went to press 75 years ago, Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine had a different name.

It started out as Texas Game and Fish, and then when the agency changed, the name of the magazine changed as well to reflect the addition of more state park content.

For the past 10 years, Louie Bond has been the editor of this outdoor magazine of Texas.

We’re so lucky to be at the helm of this magazine. Here we just walk in, and we’re just the current custodians. But it feels great to be part of such a longstanding, excellent tradition.

Originally, Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine was more of a hook and bullet publication.

We were more traditionally hunting and fishing at the beginning, and now have added in through the years: hiking and biking and visiting state parks…bird watching and photography, and all those wonderful pursuits that our readers have.

Louie says the magazine experienced “pop culture” shifts over the years as well, such as not publishing recipes for certain critters.

Um, perhaps large rats, and things like that. Back in the day, people cooked whatever game was in their yard. You can think of those folks as locavores as we have locavores today.

The magazine celebrates its 75th anniversary all year long, and we tell you how they plan to do that tomorrow.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

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