Passport to Texas

Birding: Harris Hawk

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The month of May is especially great for those who enjoy birding. TPW magazine Editor, Louie Bond, says the magazine’s May issue highlights birds not normally found in Texas.

66 –Vagrants, they call them. They come from all over the world and the pass through and stop through here to have a drink or get a little rest. One of our features this month is an incredible story on what they call the star vagrants. And these are like the rarest of the rare birds; names you’ve probably never heard. But, if you get out there with your binoculars, you might even see them. Now, another thing I always like to do in the spring was to take my kids to what was then called Aquarena Springs, which was very famous for its kitschy appeal. But what you didn’t really realize was what a gem Spring Lake is. Hidden underneath the lake, in those Aquarena Springs, are some of the endangered species that are endemic only to that particular body of water. And former TPWD executive director, Andy Sansom, has taken over there. It’s now called the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. They’ve stripped away all the kitsch, and the hoo-ha, and have left a natural treasure where you can still go out on glass bottom boats and look beneath and see the real wonder, the real show of nature. This spring, whether you’re a birder, or you like to look under the water, there’s something special for you to do.

Thanks, Louie.

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

Remember the Alamo! Reenacting the Battle of San Jacinto

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The Battle of San Jacinto was a game changer in Texas History. On April 21, 1836, an untrained Texian militia routed General Santa Ana’s troops.

11 – The actual battle lasted less than half an hour; it carried on into the evening with clean up. But the main assault and the main fighting was done in less than half an hour.

Justin Rhodes is Region Four Director for State Parks, which includes the San Jacinto Battlegrounds in LaPorte. On Saturday, April 20th, the historic site celebrates this momentous battle with a reenactment and festival.

16 – If you’re planning on coming out on Saturday the 20th, I would recommend you arrive early when the crowds are low. That will give you plenty of time to visit the festival and get set up for the reenactment. The reenactment will occur only once during the day, and it happens around one o’clock.

Rhodes hopes visitors leave with renewed appreciation for the sacrifices made on the battlefield in 1836.

21—Ultimately we want visitors to take away an appreciation of the significance of the site, the event, the history that brought us to where we are today. So much of what we do today and tomorrow is based on lessons from the past – from the sacrifices that these men and women brought forward. They teach us valuable life lessons moving into the future.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Details at www.texasstateparks.org.

Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

San Jacinto Battlegrounds

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Six weeks after the fall of the Alamo General Sam Houston’s Texas army took only 18 minutes to overpower Santa Ana’s militia, at what is now the San Jacinto Battleground [State Historic Site], and change the face of Texas history. Remember the Alamo was the rallying cry.

20 – San Jacinto is such a special place. It’s where we won our Texas independence. It’s where many scholars will argue that the history for not just Texas, but more so the United States — and even the world — was set with the Texian army winning that battle on April 21, 1836.

Justin Rhodes is the Region Four Director for State Parks, which includes the San Jacinto.

19 – It’s interesting to sit down and talk to other historians and hear the “what ifs.” What if Texas did not win? Where would we be? Where would the United States be? Where would the world be without that victory that day? You know, where the battle occurred is right on – now – the Houston Ship Channel, which is one of the busier ports in the world.

The Texian Army was a rag tag crew of untrained men, battling against Santa Anna’s professional soldiers. Fighting on their home turf to preserve the lives they’d worked to achieve spurred them to victory.

11—Any time someone tries to take something that’s near and dear to your heart, you’re going to have that spirit that flows through to make you fight that much harder. And that was the backbone of the Texian army.

Celebrating the victory at San Jacinto is tomorrow.

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

Mission Tejas, image © Texas Parks and Wildlife

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Spring is when we make every effort to recreate in the outdoors. And our State Park Guide Bryan Frazier tells us while getting physical in state parks is common – so it getting musical.

51 – We also have festivals and events like the Annual Folk festival at Mission Tejas State Park; it’s in east Texas – and what a setting! You’ve got the rice Family Cabin that’s been restored from the 1820s and 30s. And they’re going to have dulcimer music and they’re going to have Wild West Shootouts, and they’ll have all kinds of activities. They’re very family oriented in this historic setting that marks the first Spanish Mission from the 1600s in Texas. That replica site was built by the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] in the 1930s is also at Mission Tejas. And it just makes the absolute best setting for a folk festival with those big, tall pine trees that east Texas is famous for. And that’s going to be April 20 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. And, I really encourage people if they’re in that neck of the woods – or even if they’re not – check out Mission Tejas and their annual folk festival.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find additional information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Alligator Gar, Image TPWD

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Coming up the week of April 14th the TPW PBS TV series features a segment bout alligator gar, in a piece producer Alan Fisher calls: Gargantuan Gar.

61–The story follows a study being done on Choke Canyon Reservoir with fisheries biologists from parks and Wildlife, as well as some rod and reel anglers on the Trinity River trying to catch a large alligator gar.

Why are we paying attention to the alligator gar now?

Well, historically, since people didn’t fish for them that much, we didn’t know much about them; there wasn’t science being done. And as rod and reel anglers and bow fishermen have become more interested in the fish, there’s a need to have more science, and to make sure we can keep the population sustainable.

Is this piece intended maybe to entice the angler that’s looking for a good fight?

People like to catch big fish, and this is a fish that people may have not thought about targeting before.

But I think people will see in the video they’re fun to go after.

Thank Alan.

Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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