Passport to Texas

Old time Christmas at Texas Historic Sites

Holidays: Christmas at Parks & Historic Sites Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Spend time with family and friends at a Texas state park or historic site this holiday season.

06—Christmas in parks is huge. We’ve got a ton of events and they cross all sorts of activity levels.

Thomas Wilhelm, with state parks, says there are 60 different Christmas themed events this year.

19—We’ve got decorating your campsite and driving through the park and seeing the decorated campgrounds. We’ve got historical events happening in our historic homes and farms, where they’re decorated for the time period. We’ve got hiking with Santa Claus… reading of traditional Christmas stories. All sorts of activities.

Get a head start on the holidays with Cookie Decorating and German Traditions Nov. 29 at LBJ State Park. December 6, enjoy an exhilarating hike to the summit of Enchanted Rock, where hikers will hear an inspired reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Yet, one of the most beautiful events is at Goliad State Park.

19—Throughout the month of December, you’ll see the park bathed in light for Christmas. But, December 6 they have their Christmas concert in the chapel. [It’s a] mixture of sacred and secular music. It’s very beautiful. The Beeville Community Choir comes in and does a great presentation that really moves you into that spirit of the holidays.

Find holiday events and download a seasonal events brochure at texasstateparks.org/holidays.

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

Hiking in Franklin Mountains

Holidays: Hike Off Thanksgiving Calories in Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The average American gains up to 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then spends the New Year trying to lose them. If only there was a way to negate those extra calories…

08—State parks offer a lot of opportunities for people to get out and burn off some of those calories from the extra piece of pumpkin pie.

Why didn’t I think of that? I was probably too distracted thinking about pie. Thomas Wilhelm is with state parks.

05—We’ve got some great Thanksgiving themed events across the state happening in the parks.

Including a few hikes to rev up your metabolism so you can enjoy a guilt-free holiday meal…and leftovers.

25—Enchanted Rock has a turkey trot that happens on Thanksgiving Day. A run with a park ranger on the loop trail – early Thanksgiving morning — it starts at 9 o’clock. There’s an excellent opportunity in El Paso at Franklin Mountains SP. There’s what they’re calling their trilogy hike; so there are three hikes that happen on Thanksgiving day. Each starting at different times and different levels –from very simple family friendly hikes to more advanced hikes.

Those are just two of many opportunities. Find others at texasstateparks.org/holidays.

08—I think some people may be tired of the annual parades or how they spent their Thanksgiving Day, so I think this is a great opportunity to do something different.

Now who wants pie? 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.

Coral Snake

Wildlife: Excluding Snakes Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Late summer and early fall newly hatched snakes are on the landscape. As fall progresses they slither off to find a place to hibernate until warmer days arrive. Sometimes, however, those days come early, says state herpetologist, Andy Gluesenkamp.

18—We have a lot of variation in our weather this time of year. So, we may have a really hot, sunny day in the middle of a long cool spell. Snakes that picked a poor place to hibernate can get warmed up and woken up on those warm days. And then, people will find a snake wandering around in November that should be long to bed.

Most snakes are non-venomous and beneficial overall, and we should learn to coexist with them. Yet, if you want to keep them from relocating in or under your home, consider the following:

19—I tell people if they’re concerned about snakes in and around and under their house that they need to get out now while the weather is comfortable and screen those access areas. So, screen around the porch; screen those crawl spaces underneath the house. Use whatever sort of mechanical approach you need to exclude wildlife.

Learn about the snakes of Texas when you visit the Texas parks and wildlife website.

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.

Timber rattlesnake

Wildlife: Good Snakes, Bad Choices Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Have you noticed fall seems to bring with it small snakes?

04— Snake encounters may increase, although those animals are usually juveniles.

Late summer and early fall snakes hatch and feed before finding a place to hibernate, says TPW herpetologist Andy Gluesenkamp. Young snakes can make bad choices when it comes to where they spend the winter.

14—They may confuse a concrete floored garage, or someone’s limestone front porch with a bluff or a crevice that they can hang out in. And that’s where we wind up with these unwanted snake encounters in neighborhoods.

I told Andy that a rat snake lives under my house.

08—Cecilia, I’ll point out – it’s one thing to have a rat snake under your house, it’s another thing to have a skunk. So, I’ll take the snake over the skunk any day.

I have skunks, too. Andy Gluesenkamp says snakes near the front door or in the garage will find a new place to live on their own. But what if they get into the house?

11—The best advice I can give is a broom and a bucket. There’s no need to hurt the snake. They’re generally not difficult to collect if you just scoop them into a bucket and put them outside. They don’t want to be in your house.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

Texas snapping turtle.

TPW TV: Turtle Crossing Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When driving, have you ever spied something ahead of you in the road and thought was a shadow, but once you got closer you realized it was a turtle? I have seen the outcome of turtle car collisions. The turtle never wins.

03— So, what do you do if you find a turtle in the road?

That’s exactly my question to you, herpetologist, Andy Gluesenkamp. What do you do?

10—My advice is, if conditions allow and it’s safe to do so, move the turtle in the direction it was going. But, don’t do anything that would put you and the turtle at risk.

If it’s dark or rainy outside, or if you’re on a busy road where drivers may not see you until it’s too late, as much as it might pain you, leave the turtle. Don’t risk it. But why are turtles crossing the road?

11— You may find female turtles crossing the road, either going to or coming from laying eggs. Or, later in the season, you may find hatchlings crossing the road, returning to water.

Andy Gluesenkamp demonstrates the safest way to move a turtle from the road during a segment on the TPW PBS TV series the week of November 16.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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