Passport to Texas

Texas Outdoor Family Workshop

Recreation: Texas Outdoor Family Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You want to camp overnight in a state park but don’t want to spend money on gear until you hone your skills?

04— Texas Outdoor Family provides all of the camping equipment that a family needs for a weekend.

Robert Owen oversees the Texas Outdoor Family Program. During supervised weekend workshops, Texas Outdoor Family provides nearly everything families need for a successful overnight camping experience.

14—Generally a family needs to bring their own food and personal items like a sleeping bag. We provide the rest from a tent to the air mattresses, pots and pans… And even a bunch of ranger guidance to go along with it Rangers actually spend the night in the campground with the families.

TOF staff helps families set up camp, and plans activities for them like kayaking, geocaching, fishing, and hiking to get them into the outdoor groove. If one weekend isn’t enough …

21— We invite families back to join us as many as three times. The first time is very much their beginner experience. So, you come out the first time you realize it’s fun; you realize your family has really enjoyed it. The second and third times you refine your skills. And then we hope you’re ready to be released out there into the parks, and do it on your own.

The cost of the weekend is $65 for up to six people. There are Texas Outdoor Family workshops this fall; find details on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

Texas Outdoor Family Weekend: Learning to Kayak

Recreation: Updating Outdated Camping Skills Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Which outdoor skills can make your next overnight camping experience successful?

04—The basics: how to put up a tent, how to get the stove going, or how to light a campfire.

When those skills are rusty, Robert Owen says people are reluctant to take their families camping. But that’s not the only reason some folks shy away from this outdoor activity.

17—Well, they’re not sure if their family is going to be interested in spending money on a tent and camping equipment just to find out maybe it’s not for them. Or time? A lot of folks think they don’t have the time to plan a weekend camping trip. Additionally, some folks just don’t have the confidence in getting outside.

That’s why Owen recommends Texas Outdoor Family Workshops. He oversees the program.

10—Texas Outdoor Families is a skills based program for families that want to get outdoors and want to get back into the hobby of camping, but for some reason it’s been left behind in their past.

A weekend workshop for up to six people costs $65, and Texas Outdoor Family supplies most everything campers need – including staff. More on that tomorrow.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Running at Cedar Hill State Park

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Circle January 1, 2014 on your calendar for the start of a new tradition: Cedar Hill State Park’s Day One Trail Run.

18—We’ve got a huge crowd in Dallas of people that are very fit, they’re very active. And they’re huge fans of state parks. So, we figured that we would just put those things together and give them a chance to come out here if they want to do a little bit more than just hiking on January first. Start off their New Year with a good race.

Jeff Achée [uh-SHAY], from Cedar Hill SP says the event takes First Day Hikes—that occur January 1 in state parks across the US—to a new level, with 20K and 5K races.

Early registration is currently underway at Day One Trail Run dot com. You can also sign up for their newsletter, which will give out of practice or new runners a big advantage on race day.

23—Well, what we’re going to get going here pretty soon is a training plan. So, if you subscribe to that newsletter, you’ll have news about the race. We’ll be mapping out the course here pretty soon, so you can get a GPS map of the course. We’re also going to be working with a trainer. Maybe if you are new to running, you don’t have a training plan set for yourself, we’re going to have a 20K and 5K training plan so that you can follow those and work your way into these races.

Find registration and fee information, and newsletter sign up at DayOneTrailRun.com.

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

Cedar Hill State Park

Recreation: Day One Trail Run Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You know about first day hikes; it’s where people spend the first day of the New Year hiking the trails in state parks nationwide. If you’d rather pick up the pace, then Cedar Hill State Park’s Day One Trail Run is for you.

09—The Day One Trail Run is our way of taking the first day hikes that America’s state parks has done every year for a while now to the next level.

Jeff Achée [uh-SHAY], from Cedar Hill SP, is helping to coordinate the event, which includes 20K and 5K races.

31—We have got a 3, and 8, and 12 mile hike and bike loop here. And it’s run by DORBA, which is the Dallas Off Road Biking Association. So, what we’re going to do is have the 5K run the 3-mile loop, and the 20K is going to run the 12-mile loop. And there’ll be some going in and out of the access roads and things like that so we can get some aid stations in there. But basically, our park is set up perfectly for these two distances. They’re going to go through the woods; they’re going to go on the lakeside prairies of the park. It’s just going to be an awesome race.

Early registration for the Day One Trail Run at Cedar Hill SP has already begun. Find details and registration fee information at Day One Trail Run dot com.

We’ll have more about this race tomorrow.

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.

Backyard Birding

Birding: Winter Birds in the Backyard Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You don’t have to travel to the Rio Grande Valley to log some respectable bird watching this winter, says TPW non game ornithologist, Cliff Shackelford.

10— We have the wildlife viewing trails all across Texas. These are hot spots that you can find easily that might be close to you or near where you’re going. And they’re available for people to go an look at birds [and other wildlife].

Find the wildlife viewing maps on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Cliff Shackelford, a non-game ornithologist for Parks and Wildlife, says Texans can plan a birding “staycation” with a little planning.

30— You can attract a lot of winter birds to your backyard. You can do something as simple as putting out a bird feeder and a birdbath. Or better, creating a wildscape, which is gardening for backyard wildlife. And we do that in our yard and we get so many white-throated sparrows that stay the winter with us because we have provided them with the cover that they need. We have a lot of berry giving shrubs, so we get a lot of cedar waxwings, and American Robins wintering with us. So, you can attract a lot of things in your backyard and have a really good time.

Find birding information and the wildlife viewing trail maps on the Parks and Wildlife website.

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