Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Rae Nadler-Olenick traveled to Brackettville in 1994 to attend the National Speleological Convention, where she met an attractive, interesting man who later became her husband.

This is her Outdoor Story.

I happened to be talking to him on Friday, and he said, ‘Hey, are you going to the Devil’s Sinkhole tomorrow?’ Now, the Devil’s Sinkhole had just been opened after years of being closed. Well, I hadn’t made up my mind yet, but he offered me a ride. Yeah. I’ll go to the Devil’s Sinkhole with you. Yeah. That made up my mind. And the drive was substantial from Brackettville, and that gave us some opportunity to talk. When we got to the sinkhole, we geared up and went down. Anyway, we went down to the bottom. And, we found ourselves on bat guano. Spongy, spongy bat guano, so this wasn’t real romantic in a way, but (laughs), we walked around that area, just kept talking, and we found out we had a lot in common. We kind of clicked. And we climbed out side-by-side, and we’ve been together ever since.

Just goes to show you how nature brings people together.

Well, it certainly did on that occasion.

That’s our show for today…Remember: Life’s Better Outside…

Yes. Yes, that’s what this is all about.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Susan Gonzales’ family knew nothing about the outdoors…

We’ve always wanted to go camping, but we didn’t know where to start.

So, she brought her husband and children to Steeplechase Park in Kyle last month for a Texas Outdoor Family Workshop.

Now we feel more comfortable to be outdoors. We know what to do—the things that we’re going to need, what to bring, and cook, and stuff like that (laughs).

The Kyle Parks and Recreation staff, and students from Texas State University in San Marcos, mentored the families. Susan’s daughter Marisol tells us what she learned.

Mmmm… How to use a compass, and how to set up a tent, and fish and all that.

Susan Gonzales says her family will use their newfound outdoor skills at Texas State Parks.

I got a really great guide—the Texas State Park Guide—so we’re going to look through it, and sit down and see what we like and what we want to go see. So, do you think that you’re going to talk other friends and family into joining you? Oh, definitely yes. It’s a great experience that I’m having today, so I’m going to definitely tell them about it.

That’s our show for today, with support from Toyota, reminding you to do whatever it takes to get your kids outside. For tips and ideas, go to lifesbetteroutside.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

College students—take your spring break to the extreme; go on a camel trek at Monahans Sandhills State Park.

The camel treks at Monahans Sandhills State Park are pretty extreme adventures. This isn’t a short, quick tourist jaunt through the dunes… we’re talking 3,000 acres of sand dunes.

Doug Baum, who is the proprietor of the Texas Camel Corps, www.texascamelcorps.com, guides trek participants through this Trans Pecos region park on camelback. He says exploring the dunes is better aboard a ship of the desert.

The trip themselves focus on the flora, the fauna, the history and the prehistory of the Trans Pecos Region. The camels are carrying all of our gear so it really makes exploring through the dunes very easy. They’re carrying all the water, the groceries, the tents and camping supplies. It’s a really unique way to go through the dunes and experience that very unique part of Texas.

Due to high winds in spring, Doug forewarns spring-breakers that you will get personal with sand.

Springtime is beautiful in the Trans Pecos but it can get a little windy. You can expect sand to get everywhere. Folks should get very creative when they think of where everywhere means. Sand will get everywhere.

I think we get it. Find links to Camel Corps,www.texascamelcorps.com, at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Cool autumn temperatures lure many of us from the four walls of our homes into the wide-open spaces of state parks for picnics, hikes and camp outs. When outdoors, remember that snakes are all around us. Whether or not you see them may depend on where you are.

If you’re up in the Panhandle, or north Texas, they’re definitely getting inactive. But, south of San Antonio, and on down into the valley, snakes can be active all year round – although they’ll be less so.

Andy Price is a herpetologist with Parks and Wildlife. Of the seventy five to eighty kinds of snakes we have in Texas, twelve are venomous.

I think the statistics show that there is about one fatality a year in Texas, on average. That doesn’t mean a snake bite isn’t a serious medical situation. But, if you get the proper medical treatment, you’ll survive.

Your best defense is to learn about the snakes in your area… and to keep a respectful distance.

It’s good to be careful about anything that you don’t understand that has a potentially harmful consequence to it, But on the other hand, if you live in Texas, snakes are a given. And it’s incumbent upon you to know something about the environment around you, whether it’s fire ants, Africanized honeybees, or whatever the case may be. And, snakes are not different.

Find suggested reading on snakes at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Resources for learning more about Texas snakes:

Texas Snakes: Identification, Distribution, and Natural History (Hardcover), by John E., Werler (Author), James R. Dixon (Author), Regina Levoy (Illustrator) — University of Texas Press.

Lone Star Field Guide to Texas Snakes, Third Edition (Lone Star Guides) (Paperback) by Alan Tennant (Author)

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

On November 18th, the sky will start to fall over Texas.

The Leonid Meteor Shower is a shower that occurs every November.

Anita Cochran, the assistant director of the McDonald Observatory, explains this phenomenon.

It is, as a result of, the debris left over from the passage of the Comet Temple Tuttle which comes past the sun and past the earth every thirty-three years. In 2007, the earth’s orbit will intercept the orbit of the dust trail that was left when the comet passed the sun in 1932. These dust particles burning up in the earth’s atmosphere will create this year’s shower.

In 1833, the Leonid Meteor shower rained down thousands of meteors an hour. This caused some people to believe that these meteors signified the end of the world. This year, the shower won’t be as drastic.

There are times when we go through, and it’s approximately every thirty three years, when we see a huge storm because we go through the peak of it. We might see hundreds of meteors per hour. In this particular year, the peak of it will occur when it’s daytime in the United States and when people should go out and see it, which is the end of the night – they’ll only be seeing about ten meteors an hour.

Find a state park where you can see the Leonid Shower at passporttotexas.org (see below)

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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November 17, 2007 Lake Texana SP – Meteor Program – Learn about the Leonid Meteors and maybe get a glimpse of them, weather permitting, at the amphitheater. 7:30-9 p.m. (361) 782-5718.

November 18, 2007 Seminole Canyon SP&HS – Leonid Meteor Shower and Astronomy Program – Watch the Leonid meteor shower under the dark West Texas skies and see a free educational program about meteors. Program subject to cancellation due to cloudy or inclement weather. 6-9 p.m. (432) 292-4464.

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