April 4th, 2011
This is Passport to Texas
Anglers know they can find big bass in Texas.
06—We have more big bass caught in Texas than anywhere I know of. I’m talking about anywhere in the United States or anywhere in the world.
David Campbell coordinates a bass spawning program at Parks and Wildlife, called the ShareLunker program.
17—I know there’s been some bigger fish caught in California, Florida—but it’s the numbers of big fish. And the anglers can go to almost any reservoir in the state of Texas and have the potential of catching a thirteen pound plus large-mouth bass. I don’t think that anyone else can come close to that.
Anglers who reel in largemouth bass weighing 13-pounds or more through the end of April are encouraged to donate their catch to the ShareLunker program.
The donated bass enter into a spawning program, with the hope of creating faster growing, bigger bass.
10—We’ve had somewhere in the neighborhood of three quarter of a million fry from the ShareLunkers through the years. We’ve had some years we didn’t have any spawn. Then some years we might have five, six or seven spawn.
The challenges of breeding bass in captivity…that’s tomorrow.
That’s our show for today…with support fro the Sport Fish Restoration Program…providing funding for the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens…
For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Fishing, Freshwater | Comments Off on ShareLunker Program Overview
April 1st, 2011
This is Passport to Texas
The good old days of the old west are closer than you think, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier explains.
Out at Big Bend Ranch State Park, people can still do an authentic, four-day cattle drive with the longhorns and some of the most majestic scenery that we have in Texas anywhere. And it’s coming up in April, and it’s fantastic, and we have some availability. You know, you need to know what you’re getting into; your going to really be doing the trail ride, you’re really going to be moving the longhorns, and there’s going to be food out on the trail—the chuck wagon—it’s the whole experience of a cattle drive. People who go say they love it. It’s like being in the movie City Slickers for real.
So do you have to have any background in cow poking or horse riding?
It’s better if you’re comfortable in and around horses and realize that you’re going to be in the saddle for quite a while during each day, it’s not easy or for the faint of heart. But, for people who want an adventure and want a chance to get out—this is your chance.
How do they sign up?
Advanced reservations on this are a must. So they can call the park directly at 432-358-4444.
Thanks, Bryan.
Find more information at texasstateparks.org.
That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Spring Longhorn Cattle Drive
When Apr 20, 2011 08:00 AM to
Apr 23, 2011 06:00 PM
Contact Phone (432) 358-4444
This four-day event is an ideal opportunity to leave the suit and tie behind and be a West Texas longhorn wrangler. The experience is guided and directed by Big Bend Ranch wranglers that can accommodate all levels of experience. Come visit us at the ranch headquarters in Sauceda for great food, lodging, and lasting memories. Early arrival 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday, cattle drive 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Thursday-Saturday; call for fees; reservations required.
Posted in Events, State Parks | Comments Off on Big Bend Cattle Drive
March 31st, 2011
This is Passport to Texas
How far would you travel to ensure the future of your favorite exotic aquarium fish?
06—We had some folks telling us that they would go as far as 50 miles to find an appropriate body of water.
You may think releasing your pet fish into Texas waters, when you can no longer care for it, is humane. Yet these exotic aquarium species disrupt natural ecosystems and out-compete native fish for resources.
Priscilla Weeks is a senior research scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center. Her team is using a TPWD grant to research why people release their fish into Texas waters.
14—I think there might be a stereotype where folks think that it is easy, emotionally, just to release a fish. But actually what we’re finding is folks are very attached to their pets.
Weeks says research shows whether a person gets rid of their fish depends on personal preference.
17—What we’re finding so far, but this is very preliminary, is that different individuals prefer different attributes of a fish. So it’s not necessarily that it grows too big in my tank because I may like a big fish.
…but if you don’t like big fish, you could have a problem. So what do you do?
Weeks says some people think releasing a fish is the only option, but, among the alternatives would be to euthanize the animal, and the less drastic—taking it back to the pet store.
That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Conservation, Wildlife | Comments Off on Rethink Releasing Aquarium Fish in Texas Waters
March 30th, 2011
This is Passport to Texas
04 He’s gonna get out of here. He’s going to get flushed. What a smart little guy!
We love the Finding Nemo scenario; the aquarium trapped fish released back into the wild. The problem is most fish in Texas aquariums aren’t from Texas.
Luci Cook-Hildreth is a Parks and Wildlife projects coordinator in Inland Fisheries.
18–Even really really smart people sometimes don’t understand that a fish is not just a fish and water is not just water. They go, “I have a creek in my backyard, and I have a fish that’s too big for my tank. Well, why don’t I just set him free?” And they don’t understand that there’s a lot of biological and ecological ramifications to that decision.
Many of these non-natives end up thriving in Texas waters and out-competing native fish populations.
Cook-Hildreth says controlling what fish people own is practically impossible because of the Internet. Despite state laws, there seems to be a constant supply and demand for illegal species. And these fish can sometimes be expensive.
16–Folks that are interested in selling illegal fish have the potential to make thousands of dollars on these fish. And we can slap a fine on them, for 200 or 300 dollars, and it’s really just the cost of doing business for these folks.
So remember, by releasing your fish into the wild, you might just be endangering a lot more.
That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish restoration program…funding sport fisheries research in Texas.
For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Conservation, Wildlife | Comments Off on Don’t Free Willy in Texas Waters
March 29th, 2011
Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife
June Hershey, who in 1941 penned the lyrics of the well-loved song, Deep in the Heart of Texas, must have been inspired by a nighttime visit to the Trans Pecos region for her first verse.
08—The stars at night are big and bright (Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!) Deep in the heart of Texas.
Once you experience the deep, velvety blackness of the west Texas night sky, studded with a profusion of luminous stars, you’ll come away thinking….
01—The stars are unbelievable.
David Bischofhausen manages Davis Mountains State Park. He says that in west Texas, dark skies are the law.
04—There is a dark sky policy in town. You have to have restrictions on lights and stuff.
Poorly directed outdoor lighting interferes with our ability to see stars clearly. And dark skies are crucial to the park’s neighbor – the McDonald Observatory.
20—From the park headquarters you can see McDonald Observatory. It’s about thirteen miles away. They built the observatory here because some f the darkest skies in North America are right here. And I’ve seen a picture McDonald observatory did on a slide show of the United States at night. You can definitely tell where Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are…and then you look over here, and there’s this big black spot where Big Bend and Davis Mountains are. And it’s just unbelievable.
Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
That’s our show for today…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in State Parks | Comments Off on Davis Mountains and Dark Skies
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