POSSUM KINGDOM: We'll visit the only state park named 
after a marsupial. That's just ahead on Passport to Texas. 
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

At Possum Kingdom State Park you will find a few of the 
park's namesake animals and a couple of their friends 
too.

"Lots of possums ... lots of skunks and lots of deer (laughs)." :03

Mike Mitchell is Possum Kingdom's Interpretive Ranger. 
And yes, the history of the park's name and nearby lake is 
thanks in part to the marsupial's residence there ... 

"Well a long, long, long time ago, people in that area, they used 
to be trappers in the 1800's and they caught a lot of possums 
there, so the guy that they sold them to called them "The Guys 
from Possum Kingdom" and so when they built the lake in the 
30's, they named it Possum Kingdom." :16

Visitors today leave the possums alone and enjoy a 24-
thousand acre lake and over 300 miles of shoreline, 
located just two hours from the metroplex.

"The majority of our people are from Fort Worth, Dallas ... they bring 
their boats and it's fishing, boating, skiing ... striper bass, large 
mouth bass." :10

Don't have a boat? Well, the park's marina offers both 
motorized and non-motorized boat rentals, however 
reservations are strongly recommended. 

For more information on Possum Kingdom State Park, just 
log onto the TPWD web site.

That's our show for today ... For Texas Parks and Wildlife, 
I'm Cecilia Nasti.