Passport to Texas

Wildlife Trail Maps

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Texas is a big place with lots to do and to see for the wildlife lover; knowing where to start can be a little overwhelming. No worries. Texas Parks and Wildlife has a solution.

04-We have nine distinct maps; each covers a region of Texas.

They are the Great Texas Wildlife Trails Maps, and encompass more than 960 sites statewide. Liz Tomberlin works in nature tourism at Parks and Wildlife.

20-And [the maps] cover everything from migratory bird watching spots–to burrowing owls–to the prairie chicken leks in the panhandle plains. The monarch migration–we’ve had some great spots to see monarchs. All the way through to bat-watching, and all sorts of other mammals and birds and amphibians that you can see throughout Texas.

The agency updated the Heart of Texas West and East maps recently to ensure users have access to the most current information–information that goes beyond
where to find native critters.

17-Our maps include information for general tourists. There’s information for convention bureaus and visitors’ centers on there; each of our sites includes GPS coordinates; driving directions from major highways; a short description of the site and what you can expect to see there, and a phone number so you can contact someone.

Find more information about The Great Wildlife Trails Maps, including free, interactive versions of the maps on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

Children excited about what they see in nature.

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Nature tourism, which for most of us includes wildlife viewing, gives the Texas economy a nice little bump.

13-Right now, we have 4.4 million people who participate in wildlife watching. And that translates to about 13.8 billion dollars going towards the Texas Economy.

Liz Tomberlin works in nature tourism at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

08- [Nature tourism] is a non-consumptive form of exploring the great outdoors. You are not really taking anything; you are participating in it, which is great.

The Texas outdoors is a big place; there’s a lot to do and to see and that can be overwhelming for some, keeping them close to home. What if there was a simple
and familiar item–or nine of them–available to everyone that could help guide users to outdoor discovery. Think that might help make the great Texas outdoors more manageable? There’s a way to find out.

17-We have nine different maps for great Texas Wildlife trails covering all of Texas, in different regions. And they allow people to find sites that have been vetted by Texas Parks and Wildlife that will help them view wildlife within Texas, and get a great experience of the Texas outdoors.

Liz Tomberlin returns with details about the maps tomorrow. Meanwhile, find interactive versions of the maps on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

Unwrap the Wild, image courtesy www.mattskoog.com

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This is Passport to Texas

Nature is a gift we give ourselves the moment we step outside. Share the beauty and Unwrap the Wild; give the gift of the Texas outdoors to others w/a state park pass.

12-This is the second year that we’ve launched Unwrap the Wild. And it’s an opportunity to give back to Texas by supporting your state parks, and to provide friends, family, loved ones–or yourself–with an annual parks pass.

Anne (Annie) Brown is executive director with the Texas Parks and Wildlife foundation, the official non-profit partner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. During Unwrap the Wild a park pass only costs sixty-five dollars.

12-Which is five dollars off what they usually cost. In addition, they can be purchased online and mailed directly here from our offices in Dallas to individuals for a holiday gift.

Ninety state parks–many within a 90 minute drive or less for most of us–provide pass holders outdoor adventures that are close, convenient, and available a
full 365 days.

13-We launch our Unwrap the Wild on November third, and it will run through December 19th, to make sure that we can get all the park passes to homes before the holiday is here.

Pass holders have a year from the day they redeem their certificate to use their State Parks Pass for waived entry fees for themselves and all the guests in their vehicle. Find details at tpwf.org.

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

Stephanie Salinas’ first hunt.

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This is Passport to Texas

Ten years ago I went on my first deer hunt as an observer; it’s something I’ll never forget. Last year, my colleague, Stephanie Salinas, did more than observe. She shot her first deer and wrote about it for the November 2015 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

49- I had a lot of mixed emotions. I took Hunter Ed, and learned a lot of things. I had never shot a rifle before going out there, so I actually went to the range and practiced. So, now let’s go to the day. Yeah, there was one buck that emerged; I thought if I’m going to do this, that’s going to be the deer. It was kind of like a connection. It’s really odd to explain. I knew that he was going to be the one that I took. So, when you made that decision, and you committed–what happened when you pulled the trigger? Once I got positioned, and I knew that was the one I was going to get, as soon as I pulled the trigger, I didn’t hear anything. Everything stopped. It was a moment in time that froze. And it was just me and my breath and realizing
what had happened.

To learn the rest of the story, read Stephanie Salinas’ account of her hunt in the November issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

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.

American Alligator

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The American Alligator may be one of the most fearsome creatures roaming Texas. We find them in slow-moving rivers, ponds, lakes and swamps–and even in our neighborhoods, which prompts calls to Texas Parks and Wildlife saying:

02- I’ve got an alligator here; what do I need to do.

Steve Lightfoot, Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, says the first thing we need to do is to be realistic.

06-It’s alligator country, and we’re going to have more confrontations if we encroach on their space.

Chance encounters increase as we encroach on alligator habitat with residential and commercial developments. Steve Lightfoot says if you see a gator, leave it alone; it will move on. However, if one does become a nuisance…

23- If one’s acting aggressively, if its making threatening moves towards you–back away slowly. We’ve got a lot of tips on our website that tell people common things to do when you’re in confrontation with an alligator. Call our game wardens. We’ve got game wardens in every county–they’re used to dealing with these kinds of things. They’ll come out and assess the situation. If an alligator needs to be relocated–they’ll take care of it.

Find tips for peaceful coexistence with the American alligator on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…Cecilia Nasti