August 23rd, 2010
This is Passport to Texas
Flagler Ranch is 36 hundred acres of Texas Hill Country. Since George Matthews purchased it in 1992, he’s used an ecosystem management approach. Before his stewardship, the land had suffered 100 years of abuse.
03—As far as being overgrazed by cattle and sheep and goats.
Louis Scherer III manages Flagler Ranch, which he said, had too many white tail deer.
15—And through MLD3 permits, we have got the whitetails population down to one in twelve per acre. Since we’ve done that and the other management practices, our weight per animal, and antler growth has almost doubled.
Flagler Ranch is the 2010 Lone Star Land Steward eco-region award winner for the Edwards Plateau. Jerry Turrentine is a consulting biologist for the ranch.
17—We’re trying to integrate various techniques into an overall ranch management plan. We’re looking at food plots. We’re going to bring back some rare plants through some plantings. We’re going to do some reintroductions of forbes and grasses…we’re trying to be a learning area for other ranches in the plateau.
Water is vital in any ecosystem, and Joyce Moore with TPWD says Flagler Ranch has done an exemplary job of collecting it.
10—And so what the Flagler ranch has been doing, which is very innovative, is they’ve been placing these spreader dams along these drainages to capture every bit of rain that Mother nature does provide.
Learn about the Lone Star Land Steward Awards on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
That’s our show; the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Land/Water Plan | Comments Off on LSLS: Flagler Ranch
August 20th, 2010
This is Passport to Texas
Thanks to increased legislative appropriations for parks over the last two biennia, many state park sites will finally get the attention they deserve. Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier, is here to tell us more.
We’ve got Improvements and renovations at Goose Island SP, that’s a very popular park. Along the coast there, on the beach, those old picnic structures are really in need of repair and those are being repaired and fixed up.
Cleburne SP is getting new facilities and new structures and renovations and improvements. Lake Whitney SP is getting a full hook-up camping loop. Palmetto SP is getting some new trails, and it will be some of our nicer trails and boardwalks that we have in the SP system.
Dangerfield SP is actually going to close for a little awhile, because it’s going to get almost a total face lift to its facilities, its campgrounds and things. And so I think people are really going to see some of their favorite parks and facilities and some of the jewels that we have be that much better—and their camping and hiking and fishing experiences will be that much more enjoyable.
Share your experiences at these parks with others when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook fan page, at Facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife.
That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in State Parks | Comments Off on SP Improvements: Polishing Park Jewels
August 19th, 2010
This is Passport to Texas
The fall hunting forecast and feral hogs are two stories that loom large in the September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Editor Louie Bond says another story not to be missed deals with some scary characters.
We have a great story this month from Mike Cox, who talks about cryptids; it’s a term for legendary and mythical creatures. Of course, usually we talk about real science here, and I must stress, this is probably more imaginary than anything else. But we do get a lot of calls about some of these creatures.
One of the earliest was the wild woman of the Navidad, whose sightings were first reported in the 1830s. It eventually wound up in print in 1924 in a volume edited by J. Frank Dobie, of a gigantic woman with a large club who wondered through the woods. Sort of a Bigfoot, but a female version.
The one we get the most calls about here is the office is the chupacabra. And, of course, we interview our own mammalogist, John Young, to find out—what are these animals that people keep finding. And his theory is basically is that they’re foxes or coyotes with mange. But we do get photos and lots of phone calls about these creatures.
I learned about a new creature in this story called the Lechuza, which is found in South Texas—or supposedly found, I should say—part bird, part bruja, or witch. So, there’s a lot of really cool creatures, which hopefully you won’t encounter on your hunting trip.
The September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine is on newsstands now.
That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in TPW Mag | Comments Off on TPW Magazine September Preview
August 18th, 2010
This is Passport to Texas
Even people without a computer know about YouTube, the online video sharing website where you can view videos of practically anything.
03—Our YouTube channel has almost 200 videos on it.
Whitney Bishop is a video and web producer who helps oversee Texas Parks and Wildlife’s social media efforts, including its YouTube channel.
08—We have videos on almost all of our state parks, so it you’re thinking of going to a state park in Texas, it’s a great place to go and check it out and see what the park looks like and what it has to offer.
The parks videos give visitors a sense of being there. And with 200 videos and growing, there’s bound to be something for every outdoor enthusiast.
08—We also have stories about hunting and fishing. We have breaking news stories. Like, we’ve been posting recently stories about the oil spill and what Texas parks and Wildlife is doing about it.
In addition to YouTube, you can keep up with Texas Parks and Wildlife via its Facebook fan page, and Twitter feeds.
13—If you’re on Twitter, then you do these 140 character tweets. And Texas Parks and Wildlife also has some Twitter feeds people can follow. And Twitter is kind of like just late breaking news as it’s happening. So, it’s a good way to keep up with what’s going on right at the moment.
Find links to all Texas Parks and Wildlife social media on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Education | Comments Off on YouTube & Texas Parks and Wildlife
August 17th, 2010
This is Passport to Texas
Social networking sites such as Facebook allow people to connect with not only one another, but also with agencies like Texas Parks and Wildlife via fan pages.
09—We have almost 30-thousand Facebook fans; and Facebook is really easy to use. And the neat thing about it is that we’re able to have real conversations with people who are interested in Texas outdoor news.
Whitney Bishop is a video and web producer who helps oversee the agency’s social media efforts. She calls Texas Parks and Wildlife fans engaged and helpful.
16—We’ll post a topic on Facebook, and then people will start talking to each other; it’s like we’re sitting in a big living room together and there’s conversations going back and forth between people. Sometimes they’ll recommend places to go—recently we had a post about good swimming holes in Texas, and a lot of people gave their ideas of great places to go.
A real bonus, says Bishop, is the fans’ ability and willingness to post their images to the site.
14—Our fans have posted almost 2 thousand fan photos. And they’re posting things like wildlife, outdoor scenes from all around Texas. We’ve gotten really neat pictures, like baby bluebirds, and bobcats and owls—you name it. I mean, it’s kind of like the National Geographic of Texas.
Become a fan of Texas Parks and Wildlife when you log on to Facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife. Tomorrow, other ways the agency uses technology to connect with you.
02—Our YouTube channel has almost 200 videos on it.
That’s tomorrow. And that’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Posted in Education | Comments Off on Facebook & Texas Parks and Wildlife
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