WATER FOR WETLANDS, 2: Cooperation is key to creating 
valuable wetland habitat - details on Passport to Texas.
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PTT ... from TPWD and the Wildlife Restoration Program 

To create a new wetland, just add water. It's not actually 
that easy. But thanks to an interagency agreement 
between Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Lower Neches 
Valley Authority (LNVA), we have enough water to fill 
newly created wetland cells in the Alazan Bayou WMA in 
southern Nacogdoches County.
 
They're cooperation with Parks and Wildlife is going to allow us to put 
wetland cells - and manage wetlands for waterfowl and other animals - 
in a place where we have not ever had that opportunity before. It's 
going to give us a lot of management tools for hunting and habitat 
management on the management area. It's going to be a really unique 
opportunity for Parks and Wildlife. :19

Gary Calkins, a wildlife biologist based in Jasper, says 
LNVA gave Parks and Wildlife the water rights for 10-
thousand acre feet of water over the next fifty years to 
manage these cells. In addition, Ducks Unlimited provided 
a pump to siphon water from Moral Creek into them - but 
not just yet.

Right now there's so much woody vegetation in there, if we flood it, all 
we're going to have is a flooded mess. And so, we're going to try to 
get rid of some of that standing vegetation and open it back up where 
ducks and other waterfowl can start using it. We've got some steps to 
take, and we're in the baby steps stage, but we'll hopefully be running 
by next winter. :17

Learn more about wetlands on the Texas Parks and 
Wildlife web site.

That's our show. We had help today from Tom Harvey. 
The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and 
provides funding for wetland conservation through the 
Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.