Passport to Texas

State Parks: Volunteers Save Parks Money Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

April is Volunteer month. And as it happens, Texas State Parks rely heavily on the work of many dedicated volunteers throughout the year.

07—Over the last several years it’s been pretty consistent; we clock about six hundred and fifty thousand hours of volunteer time.

And that’s just manual labor, says Lori Reiley, state park volunteer coordinator. Those 650-thousand volunteer hours translate into millions of dollars of savings for state parks annually.

07—Our volunteers make up about a third of our workforce. So, we really couldn’t function as well without them.

Volunteers do everything from mowing lawns and scrubbing toilets to taking entrance fees and leading interpretive programs…and so much more. Reiley says state parks encourage and welcome new volunteers.

16—We could always use their help. And while we get the occasional civic organization or nonprofit that wants to volunteer for service projects, we really could always use more individuals just on a regular basis to come out and volunteer in the parks.

Find out how you can volunteer at Texas State Parks when you visit texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today…we record our series at the Block House in Austin…Joel Block engineers our program.

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

State Parks: Volunteering Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Maximize your time outdoors when you volunteer at a Texas State Park.

03—We basically have three different categories of volunteers.

These categories include locals who sign up for special projects, friends groups that fund raise for specific sites and—says Lori Reiley—the third category is park hosts.

13—And that is a program designed for—traditionally—retirees who travel around the state and in exchange for a campsite, they labor in the park every week.

Reiley coordinates the state park volunteer program, and says people accepted as hosts, are required to make a time commitment.

12—The time frame is a minimum thirty-day commitment. And, the maximum is typically three months, but it can be extended depending on the park needs. The superintendent has the authority to extend that.

Most Texas State Parks offer host programs with plenty of work to help fill the 30 or so hour labor obligation.

17—We have everything from general grounds maintenance, or it could be cleaning the restrooms. What we really like is when we find people with special skills: carpentry, or graphic artists, or educators doing interpretive tours or education programs. So, it’s a variety.

Find more information on the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

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

TPW TV: Warden of the County Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jim Daniels’ is a game warden in Region 6. His territory: nearly 2-thousand square miles across King and Knox counties, north of Abilene, an area of only 4-thousand residents.

06—You know, I didn’t know a soul up here when I moved up here. I mean, there was a whole bunch of unknown. I knew I was ready to get to work.

This month the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV series airs a segment that features Daniels called Warden of the County. Ron Kabele produced the story.

14—The very first thing I shot with Jim…he went in to just do an inspection of the hunting camp. Game wardens, they have to do a lot of dangerous stuff. You know, you’re one person and you walk into a place and there are twenty some odd people and all of them have shotguns.

On this day, the hunters were a law-abiding group.

09—How’s it going guys? [How ya doin’?] How are you, sir? [Just fine; how’re you?] Where you guys from? [Michigan.] Michigan? [Yeah.] You got your license with you? [Yeah.].

Producer Ron Kabele says viewers will get to know Game Warden Daniels, and his character.

12—It’s a portrait of a guy who does something that he really believes in—in a place that’s very desolate. You really have to love your job to be able to be effective doing it in this kind of environment.

The segment of the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series airs the week of April 15 on PBS stations in Texas…or on YouTube now.

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

State Parks: Palo Duro Pavilion Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Palo Duro Canyon State Park is one of the most stunning parks in the Texas State Park system. This month we celebrate the opening of a new facility at the site, made possible by a generous donation from a fellow Texan. Bryan Frazier has details.

59—Palo Duro Canyon is one of those iconic places that people from all over seem to know about and know what it is. And it is one of our flagship parks from a total outdoor recreation standpoint. It’s the second larges canyon in the US. Thousands of people go there very year to see it—and it’s just a fantastic place. And a gentleman by the name of Mac Dick came forward with a large sum of money and said he wanted to make a donation for a group facility. Not just any group facility, but one that was build like the old CCC style—with the native stone and the native materials. And we’re going to have that. And we’re having a ribbon cutting April 12th and the public’s invited to come see. It’s set in that beautiful scenery—that rust colored dirt and rock that is so famous in the Panhandle—and it’s built with those native stone materials so it blends right in. it’s absolutely fantastic…and we couldn’t be prouder of the partnership with this gentleman who has come forward and said he not only wants to be identified with the park, but he wants to help do something that will generate revenue for years to come.

Thanks, Bryan.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Earth Day Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment…and thus began the annual celebration of the planet called Earth Day.

2012 marks the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day, and millions of people worldwide are gearing up for it. But a once a year celebration is useless if that’s where it ends. So I want to challenge everyone listening, to do something every day to care for Mother Earth.

What kinds of things can you do? Perhaps plant native plants that use less water and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Or take a ceramic coffee mug to the office instead of using disposable cups. Perhaps you could make sure to properly dispose of monofilament fishing line so it doesn’t harm aquatic life.

In addition, when camping, leave your campsite in better shape than you found it. Or, your stewardship goal might be to spend time with your family outdoors instead of inside with the television—because you’re no good to nature with a remote in your hand.

Mix it up, and add new earth friendly activities to your list every week…or at least every month. As for me, I plan to be better about composting my kitchen scraps, and being more mindful about water use around my home. I also plan to plant a bird and butterfly garden this year.

What will you do?

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