Passport to Texas

Vintage photo: Pronghorn Restoration

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We have everyday tasks to accomplish just to get by, but we also aspire to achieve things beyond the ordinary. Texas Parks and Wildlife has those dreams, too. And the TPW Foundation helps turn those dreams into reality.

03— Our mission is to provide private support to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to manage and conserve natural and cultural resources of Texas.

Anne Brown, Executive Director of the Foundation, says she and her staff identify potential donors who will make gifts to help fund the agency’s priority projects.

18— The first thing we do is we sit down with the department and their staff, and based on the direction they’re getting from the commission – what are important projects that rise to the top as a priority for Texas as a whole. And then, a part of that piece is also having partners. And then the foundation plugs itself in to raise those private dollars to make those projects possible.

Species restoration and land acquisition are among aspirational projects in need of funding. Strong relationships with partner organizations attract donors to the table for that purpose.

21— We have universities – typically on the research arm. We’ve got other partners involved, which s would be private landowners, or organizations similar to the foundation – private 501(c) 3s. And what we’re all about is leveraging those public dollars and private dollars. So, when you’re a donor, that’s a win-win.

You don’t have to be a big spender to be a philanthropist for Texas. That’s tomorrow.

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

Working with Landowners on Conservation

Conservation: TPW Foundation Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texans don’t seem to be familiar with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

03— We’re a well-kept secret – unfortunately.

Anne Brown is Executive Director of the Foundation.

14—Our mission is to provide private support to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to manage and conserve natural and cultural resources of Texas. But, we always like to say we leverage private philanthropy with public funding for impactful change in Texas.

And that means reaching out to potential donors to support the agency’s “aspirational” projects.

12— We do not raise money for operating – mowing the lawn and things like that. We choose high priority projects of the department, and we focus on raising private dollars to help support those projects.

We’ll learn how projects are decided and how strong partnerships make them a reality.

10— The first thing we do is we sit down with the department and their staff, and based on the direction they’re getting from the commission – what are important projects that rise to the top as a priority for Texas as a whole.

Meantime, find more information about the foundation in the April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

We record our series in Austin at The Block House. Joel Block engineers our program.

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

President Lyndon B. Johnson and ladybird Johnson in a field of Texas Wildflowers

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Spring in Texas is a colorful time of year thanks to wildflowers growing statewide. Jackie Poole says these native plants create a sense of place.

09— That is something Ladybird Johnson said that was so great about these wildflowers: they really are unique to different areas.

I spoke with Jackie, a TPW Botanist, at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. To get a sense of how wildflowers define a locale, she says look beyond the roadside.

20—If you get away from the roadside, you’ll notice that the wildflowers are different in South Texas to Central Texas to the Trans Pecos to East Texas to the High Plains. And so, they’re all unique; it’s like having a home town. You can always go back and you can recognize these areas of the state by the plants that are growing there.

Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes are winding down, making way for other flower forms.

21— [Such as] Little yellow daisy-like flowers. Later in May, there’s a plant that called the basket flower; it’s a tall plant, three to four to even six feet tall with large pinkish-white flowers. Right before that, you’ll have Mexican Hats and Fire wheels starting in April and going through May and maybe even going into June.

Find more wildflower information at the TWP 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.

Saltwater Fishing

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Saltwater anglers have a lot to look forward to in 2014.

08— 2014 looks great! We’ve got trout populations that are doing well. Flounder are showing signs of rebounding since the November gigging ban has been put in place.

And that’s just the beginning, says Art Morris, fisheries outreach specialist with coastal fisheries.

20—Red drum are holding their own. Black drum are everywhere. Our trout numbers have risen recently in the last couple of years from a point where we had concerns – especially in the mid-coast. We’re still watching those trends closely, and have recently proposed reducing the bag limit to five up the coast, as we currently have in the Lower Laguna Madre. Nevertheless, we should see some big trout coming in this year. Overall the number of fish are good on the coast.

Recent rains mean better environmental conditions. And when it’s good for the fish, it’s good for the fisherman.

20—Those seeking redfish are probably going to want to hit the mid-coast. We’ve got other species that are basically tropical in nature, like gray snapper –they’re abundant. Hopefully, we’ll have some tarpon this year; snook have been making the rounds up the coast in recent years due to the warmer winters. We’ve got a good variety and good numbers of fish. I think we’ll have a good year in 2014.

Art Morris says coastal fishing is like the proverbial box of chocolates.

03— You never know what you’re going to get. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: it’s all going to be good.

Read more of Art Morris’ thoughts on the 2014 saltwater fishing forecast in TPW Magazine’s February Digital Fishing issue. For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Red-tail nestling

Wildlife: Working with Wildlife Rehabilitators Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Spring is in the air and so are some baby birds as they prematurely exit their nests. If you find one grounded in your yard, resist rescue. The parents may be nearby.

04— Mom and dad know how to raise baby birds a lot better than we do.

If the bird is a featherless nestling, return it to the nest. If it is a feathered, yet flightless fledgling, it may be under mom and dad’s supervision. But if parents are absent, call a rehabilitator.

20—You would work with that person on trying to get the bird to them. Keep in mind the rehabilitator’s busy 24/7 tending to the wildlife they have – so don’t expect them to come all the way to you. So you should probably make the point of, ‘Okay. I’m committed to this; I’m going to see it through. So, I’m going to drive the bird even though it’s an hour away to the rehabilitator.

Rehabilitators are not evenly distributed, and the nearest one might be a two hour drive away, and Cliff says rescuers need to be prepared for that.

20— And we have on the Parks and Wildlife website, a list of the licensed rehabilitators in the state. That is something that has to be permitted. You have to have state and federal permits to be a rehabilitator. You don’t just take it down the road to grandma and hope that she can do it, because the reason they’re permitted is they have to go through training, and they have to have the right facilities to be successful.

Find that list of wildlife rehabilitators listed by county on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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