Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Robert Comstock can see the Houston Skyline from his office at Sheldon Lake State Park.

And yet, I can walk out the back door and go around the corner, and there is a chance that I will see bobcats, 250 different species of birds, coyotes, rabbits, and deer—there’s no telling what. And it’s all in Houston’s backyard.

Superintendant Comstock says the 3-thousand acre park, located in northeast Harris County, is unique among other parks in the system.

It’s actually one of the few state parks whose main reason is education with recreation as a secondary aspect.

Thousands of area school children visit the Sheldon Lake SP each year, and environmental education, including alternative energy, is on the curriculum.

[We] have a wind turbine out here generating a one and a half kilowatts of electricity, two solar arrays and geothermal air conditioning, and all our water in our restrooms are heated with solar heaters. And then there’s compost and recycling demonstration areas. They can get a well-rounded experience during their stay here.

From high tech to high touch–Sheldon Lake SP is restoring 400 acres of native tall grass prairie—and you can help. Learn how on tomorrow’s show.

That’s our show…made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…working to restore native habitat in Texas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The popularity of state parks with lakes and pools goes up in the heat of August. Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Producer, Ron Kabele, explains.

This has been a pretty brutal summer, so people are going to want to stay cool however they can. So, Cedar Hill and Lake Colorado City State Parks are going to be popular, because they’re both parks with large bodies of water. A big draw for Cedar Hill is that it’s so close to Dallas and Fort Worth. It’s Dallas’ own version of Central Park in NYC.

Just being right down the street—20minutes away—is convenient. Just being in the outdoors is a plus for the family. Everybody needs an escape, just to regroup and charge your batteries.

As far as Lake Colorado City goes, it’s right on the edge of the West Texas desert. So, it’s one of the few places in the region where you can go out and enjoy the water. And some people have called it something like an oasis in west Texas.

People out here, in a drier climate, tend to enjoy the water because they don’t have much of it. That’s why we think of ourselves an oasis. A place to come and enjoy the lake.

These are parks that not only have access to the water, but you can do all the other things. And it makes camping a lot more tolerable when you’ve got water around.

Thanks, Ron.

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

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife…

Wind turbines are a popular form of alternative energy, but it’s not without disadvantages. Gretchen Mahan tells us more…

Wind turbines kill tens of thousands of bats each year like the Brazilian free-tailed bat in Texas. It’s often killed by running into the turbines or because of a sudden drop of pressure near the turbine blades.

Ed Arnett is a conservation scientist for Bat Conservation International and project coordinator for the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative. He says he expects bat fatalities to increase in the future.

I do believe the threats to threatened and endangered species will increase as we enter into the range of those creatures.

Arnett also says bats hunt for insects during low-wind periods. So turning off the turbines during these times will save many bats.

By reducing the amount of operating hours during those low wind periods we reduce the fatalities of bats at least half and up to as high as 87 percent of the fatalities can be reduced.

Other solutions being developed include a white noise that could be emitted from the turbine to keep the bats away from the turbines altogether.

Bat Conservation International certainly supports the development of renewable energy resources. But we want to do that wisely. And we don’t want to develop at the expense of today’s resources for tomorrow’s hopes.

Ultimately, Arnett says, animals need to be taken into consideration as we develop renewable energy.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Texas hunters are not only conservationists, they are also philanthropists who help feed hungry Texans.

This past season, we had 192,040 pounds of meat donated, which is the most that we have had donated in one season.

That translated to more than 768-thousand quarter-pound servings of ground venison. Anitra Hendricks coordinates the Hunters for the Hungry program, administered by the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies.

The way that the meat processors package it is in two pound servings. Some of the pantries will use the venison in soups, or they will use it in spaghetti, or they may just hand out the individual packages.

Hunters taking part, bring donated deer to participating processors, and pay a small processing fee.

He can request a receipt if he’s not automatically given one; and that receipt will be for what he paid for the processing. That cost may or may not be tax deductible. And that is up to the hunter to contact a tax consultant.

We have links to more information about Hunters for the Hungry at passporttotexas.org.

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

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

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Passport to Texas form Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Most people support conservation in theory. Yet, hunters and anglers support it in practice when they buy licenses.

Money from hunting and fishing license sales finds its way back into wildlife conservation and wildlife management, whether it’s a hunting activity or a fishing activity.

Tom Newton, a license revenue manager, says money from the sale of licenses is significant.

License sales, which includes hunting and fishing, of course, all of our recreational licenses, and our commercial licenses…we usually net somewhere around ninety million dollars depending on how the year went.

Resident hunters and anglers aren’t alone in supporting conservation in Texas, their non-resident counterparts also make an important impact.

It’s a very large impact. For the hunters, the licenses generate 2.7 million in annual revenue. And fishing licenses, approximately 3.5 million in license revenue.

Even if you aren’t a hunter or angler, by purchasing a hunting or fishing license, you can help to support conservation work in Texas.

Hunting licenses go on sale August 15; with dove season fast approaching, Newton recommends buying early to avoid lines.

That’s our show… made possibly by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

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