Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

If you’re at Big Bend Ranch State Park and someone tells you to “hit the trail,” you’ll probably have to ask for directions.

Our SP guide, Bryan Frazier explains.

Big Bend Ranch is known for lots of things: the beauty, the wide open spaces and the Chihuahuan desert. And it’s just kind of this Big Bend frame of mind—the people who’ve been there know exactly what you’re talking about. What people may not know is the intricate network of trails that we have. There’s more than 200 miles of old jeep trails and multi-use trails, equestrian trails, and a lot of these have been improved with great signage and great markers. Some of the loops are even available on Google Earth. There’s a Big Bend Ranch State Park hiking guide just for that, that you can find online. So, BBR is really catering to people who not only like the back country, and everything that Big Bend area is, but who want an organized set of trails so that they can know where they’re going, can plan their trip, and it’s really something that’s enhanced the usage of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Thanks Bryan.

That’s our show… Remember: Life’s Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

What are big and plentiful and ready to give anglers a good fight?

07—Large schools of mature red drum – male and female – aggregating near gulf passes to spawn.

Bill Balboa is ecosystem leader for Galveston Bay. Late summer through fall, bull redfish—called bulls because of their size, not gender—between 28 and 50 inches long, swarm near shore during a Texas style running of the bulls.

20—They call them bulls for a reason, and it’s because they’re very strong fish; they don’t give up easily. So generally most anglers are going to fish for bull reds in the surf using what I would consider typical surf tackle — which is a little bit heavier rod and reel, because what they can expect is a lot of long runs from this fish. They pull very hard. Much like a bull would pull if you had it on a rope.

You can reel in these bull redfish all along the coast, but if you really want to get a workout, head north of Matagorda Bay.

08—A lot of bull red fishing occurs in Sergeant up off of Freeport; Crystal Beach and Bolivar, in that area, and off of Sabine Pass.

That’s our show…made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

The Texas Legacy Project, Stories of Courage and Conservation, hits bookstores and online booksellers this month, with a forward by Texas parks and Wildlife Executive Director, Carter Smith.

10—He brings the kind of diversity of experience, the passion, the concern, the care for Texas natural resources that we hope will bring other people in to see the book and try and learn from it.

David Todd is one of the book’s authors and a member of the Conservation History Association of Texas. The book features stories from a cross-section of our state’s most ardent conservationists.

10—We have interviews with a range of people: farmers,. Ranchers, fishermen, biologist, ornithologists, chemists, politicians, river guides, land owners…

The book began as an online archive at Texas legacy.org primarily featuring videos of people who shaped and influenced the protection of Texas natural resources.

20—We have about 60 people included in the book out of the 225 who are actually in the archive. What we’ve tried to do is find people who are maybe representative of a way of life or a kind of concern about the environment and hope that they act as sort of examples of what many, many other people throughout Texas have been working on.

Todd said that he hopes the book and website will inspire future generations of Texans to protect the precious natural resources of our state.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

To experience nature and wildlife few things are better than time spent on a hiking trail…unless you’re taking the trail on horseback.

Our SP guide, Bryan Frazier explains.

Part of the plan for a lot of our state parks is to include equestrian trails where possible, and we have several state parks that have them, and are adding on to them. Whether you’re talking about Caprock Canyons or Fort Richardson, where you can bring your own mount, or Hill Country State Natural Area—they’ve got more than 40 miles or trails. We have several parks where we have outfitters—you can rent horses there…like lake Livingston, and Huntsville and Big Bend Ranch State Park and Palo Duro Canyon. And so there’s lots of different ways to see that. But it’s an ever increasing popular thing to see state parks on horseback on one of the many trails that we have—miles and miles that we have and miles and miles that we’re adding on as well.

Thanks Bryan.

Imagine riding your horse to a nearby lake or river, with your fishing gear in the saddlebag. While your steed grazes nearby, you fish from shore. And if you’re at a state park—fishing is free. Saddle up.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

If you’re already in the habit of admiring migrating monarchs, then consider taking part in a citizen science project called Texas Monarch Watch.

11—People can get involved with that by reporting their sightings. And they can go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife department website. Go under Texas Nature Trackers—and there’s a whole page with lots of information about it.

Michael Warriner, an invertebrate biologist at Parks and Wildlife, says there’s also a national Monarch Watch program that’s more hands on.

22—They want people to basically tag monarchs. You can order a tagging kit. And as you see monarchs, you can capture them with a butterfly net, and take one of these little tags and place it on the wing—there’s instructions and everything. What they’re trying to do is track where the monarchs were tagged and then when they come back, to kind of get an idea of how long the migration was and how long these things live.

Monarchwatch.org has more information and tagging kits. Warriner advises when catching monarchs or any butterfly to grasp only the outer edge of the front wing.

06—Because the wings are covered in scales, and if they lose those scales it would maybe become harder to fly and so on.

They need those scales to make that long migration. Visit passporttotexas.org for links to more monarch information, as well as tips on what to plant in your garden to attract these winged travelers.

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

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