Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

09—This monument was built to be a memorial to remind us of the sacrifices of all those who fought for Texas independence.

Larry Spasic, President of the San Jacinto Museum in La Porte. He’s talking about the San Jacinto monument, which commemorates the battle of San Jacinto. Learn more on the TPW TV show this month. Producer, Bruce Biermann.

44—Tucked away alongside the Houston Ship Channel, among all the oil refineries of today, was one of the most major battles in the world’s history. And it was not that the battle itself was major, but the outcome was one of the largest transfers of sovereignty of land in the world. The land from east Texas, all the way to the Pacific ocean was owned by Mexico. And, this battle at San Jacionto, because of the outcome, because the Texas army won, was the beginning of the end of Mexican ownership of that land. So, even though the battle only took eighteen minutes, the outcome is one of the largest changes in sovereignty in world history.

Thanks, Bruce. This show airs the week of May 15. Check your local listings.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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• Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
• Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18, Sunday, 10 a.m.; Thursday 5:30 a.m.
• Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15, Sunday, 5 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
• Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16, Sunday, 12 p.m.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 2:30 p.m., October-April Only. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
• El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
• Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8, Saturday, 3 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
• Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple, Waco.
• Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5, Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9, Sunday, 1 p.m.
• Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Cable

Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Alice, Allen, Atlanta, Baytown, Big Spring, Boerne, Brownsville, Cedar Park, Coppell, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Deer Park, Del Mar College, Denton, El Paso, Euless, Flower Mound, Fort Stockton, Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD, Frisco, Garland, Haltom City, Houston Community College, Irving, Keller, Killeen, Lubbock, Lufkin, McKinney, Midland, North Richland Hills, Plano, Round Rock, Round Rock ISD, Rogers State University, San Antonio College, Seabrook, Stephen R. Austin University, Temple, Texarkana College, The Colony, Trophy Club, Tyler, Victoria, and Waco. Check your local listings for days and times.

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This is Passport to Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife is lucky to have a large group of active, enthusiastic volunteers.

15—Our volunteers tell us that they volunteer because they support Texas Parks and Wildlife’s mission, which is to manage and conserve our natural and cultural resources. There are lots of things to do all over the state, because we are a state agency…and being outdoors is fun!

Former Education and Outreach director for Texas Parks and Wildlife, Ernie Gammage says if you ever thought about volunteering for the agency, now is the time.

10—Volunteers have always been an integral part of the programming of Texas parks and Wildlife. And, with what’s going on right now with the state, they’re becoming even more important.

To find volunteer opportunities, go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, and at the top, you’ll see a link that says “get involved.” Click that, and you’re on your way.

And if you need a little encouragement to get you started, take it from Ernie Gammage:

06—You know, the outdoors is just about the greatest place in the world to be, and it’s the cure for what ails you.

Again, you can find volunteer opportunities on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Just click on the get involved link.

That’s our show for today… we produce our series at Block House studios in Austin, Texas, and Joel Block engineers our program….for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

April was National Volunteer Month; it was an occasion to recognize those who donate their time for the betterment of, well, everything—including Texas Parks and Wildlife.

12—Some of the programs at Texas Parks and Wildlife wouldn’t exist without volunteers. In fact, in 2010, the benefit of volunteers to Texas Parks and Wildlife was estimated at a value of almost $17 million dollars.

At the time we spoke, Ernie Gammage was Education and Outreach director for Texas Parks and Wildlife. He has since retired.

33—Because the opportunities are so varied, people can find something that is rewarding regardless of what it is, whether it’s a one day event helping to teach a kid how to fish, or the angler education program where you sign on as a volunteer for as long as you’re willing to do it, and may teach hundreds of people how to fish. Or, maybe it’s a program that last something months like a Nature Tracker program—counting horny toads or something. Or, perhaps it’s a commitment to be a hunter education volunteer, or a Master Naturalist that is a lifelong commitment—can be. So there’s something for everybody.

To find volunteer opportunities, go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, and at the top, you’ll see a link that says “get involved.” Click that, and you’re on your way.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Nature happens, but state parks take work. And our state park guide Bryan Frazier says last year volunteers donated the equivalent of $9 million dollars in labor to keep state parks humming.

63—We rely really heavily on our volunteer workforce. Whether you’re talking about our friend’s groups, our partner groups, nonprofits. We have more than fifty of those across the state of Texas for our state parks. We also have lots of individuals. In fact, if you put a pencil to it, you’re talking about more than 250 full-time employee equivalents we don’t have to fund because of the volunteers that show up. And that’s everything from trail maintenance, to trail building, to clearing brush to working in the front office, to even our park hosts that come and stay with us for several weeks and in exchange for twenty to forty hours a week of work we give them a free campsite—and a lot of times it’s a full hookup campsite. And we really couldn’t run our park system without our volunteers.

There is a link on our website at texasstateparks.org, and there are volunteers—and you can click on that. It has all our information. Or you can call on the phone, our volunteer coordinator for State Parks—Lori Reilly—512.389.4746. And that will get the ball rolling.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

There’s something special about experiencing Texas from a kayak or canoe. And lucky for us, we have coastal and inland paddling trails to accommodate all levels of watery wanderlust.

07—The Texas paddling trails program began informally about a decade ago when Parks and Wildlife set up some coastal paddling trails.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. That first trail was just the beginning.

08—From that project, we now have seven coastal paddling trails in our paddling trail program. And, in March of 2006, we launched our first inland paddling trail in Luling.

Active community partners, and a thorough evaluation, are required of all would be trails – inland or coastal.

25—There are a few steps that need to happen for a paddling trail to become one of ours. And that includes a river survey to look at the water quality. Look at the wildlife, ecology, fishing opportunities that can happen along that river or bay. And then, again, meeting with the community, having a community partner that’s actively involved and interested in having paddlers come to their site. And then, developing kiosk materials, because we will have educational kiosks at every access point.

Seven new Texas Paddling Trails open to the public in the DFW area on May 10. Find information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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