Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Invasive aquatic plant species can be devastating. This month the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series highlights invasives at Caddo Lake. Series Producer, Alan Fisher.

Caddo has an amazing diversity of native plants, but also an amazing diversity of invading plants, unfortunately. Hydrilla is a big problem.

This is hydrilla here, probably the most abundant invasive on the lake, right next to water hyacinth.

And then the newest is giant salvinia.

There’s a piece right yonder. That’s it. Yeah, it’s not very big yet. This one little thing here can expand into acres and acres and acres.

How do you eradicate an invasive?

Well, one of the biggest tool in their toolbox, I guess, to battle invasives is just getting the word out. Letting people know that we’re the one getting these plants around. People with boats pulling them in and out of lakes need to make sure their trailers and boats are clean when they do so. It’s actually a misdemeanor to transport invasive plants whether you know it or not.

And, so, what do you hope the take away is?

I hope that people can just be more mindful after learning about this topic. You know, there are things that we can all do. Average citizens are a really valuable tool in combating all these plants.

Thanks, Alan. Learn about invasive exotics at passporttotexas.org.

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 Wildlife Restoration Program

Hurricane Ike rendered Texas coastal communities, neighborhoods, and the surrounding landscape unrecognizable.

Hurricane Ike did a lot of damage. Not only structural damage to the people who lost their homes, to the ranchers—and also did a lot of devastation to habitat.

Habitat losses, particularly those to wetlands, were substantial. Yet, Parks and Wildlife waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says, not all is lost.

You look down the road a few years, and I think you’re going to see some benefits from this hurricane. One of the things that you see that we have been fighting and struggling for several years with invasive species—noxious weeds that we just could never get a holt of. Well, guess what? You put salt in those systems, and they’re dead.

Winter forage for migrating waterfowl also went the way of the noxious weeds.

There’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them. But, this storm did a lot of good from the perspective that you’ve seen through time, things [open wetlands] close in. With all the high salinities now, it’ll kill all that vegetation. The seed base is still there, so the important plants that ducks need are still going to be available because the seed base is still in that substrate; that’ll rebound.

Morrison says all we need now is rain to flush out the systems so nature’s recovery can begin.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

Because of our quality habitat, Texas is the winter destination of migrating waterfowl traveling through the central flyway.

And those birds are scattered from the High Plains all the way to the Laguna Madre.

Everything changes this winter; waterfowl will have to scatter farther a field because of habitat devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike along the Texas coast.

The devastation was tremendous, particularly in the mid to upper coast. Add to the fact there’s not much food out there. It’s going to be difficult for them.

Waterfowl program leader, Dave Morrison says we will have ducks in Texas this winter, although their distribution will change. Waterfowl season goes on as usual, but hunters must be flexible.

From a duck hunting perspective, there is a lot that people need to consider simply because the devastation was tremendous. So, people that are used to going out duck hunting, used to following this canal, this trail, to where their hunting lease is—that thing may have barbed wire fences across it, there may be barges out there…there’s going to be debris from all the people that lost their homes. There’s going to be a lot of things that people are going to have to contend with if they want to go hunting.

Tomorrow: something positive from the storm.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Game Wardens were on the front lines, ready to help, when Hurricane Ike roared into Texas.

We’ve got some people that don’t even have but one set of clothes. That’s all they left with. The storm surge was terrible here. It covered half the country. We’ve got debris everywhere. It’s an ecological disaster.

Bobby Jobes is a Game Warden stationed in Chambers County.

One call that we got was a resident that had left Crystal Beach, and he was in contact with two elderly ladies—one was a diabetic. After an hour of my Captain, Rod Ousley, talking to them, they finally agreed to come out. The oldest lady was 89 years old. [SFX—Blackhawk helicopter] We got them to a highway, and managed to flag down an Army Blackhawk helicopter, and got them evacuated.

Game wardens—like Officer John Fiest—work where they live, and had homes that lay in shambles from the storm even as they helped others to safety. Being a peace officer is more than a mere job to these dedicated men and women.

Go down to the fishing villages like Oak Island, Smith point. Just unbelievable devastation. Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Gilchrist—just absolutely unbelievable. It’s so emotional that you just…uh…It’s heart wrenching.

Find a link to Hurricane Ike updates at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…our thanks to Karen Loke for her help with this story… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Wildlife artist, Albert Faggard, stands near the open truck of his car, holding a framed painting of a bird.

That’s a Belted Kingfisher. They’re, they’re common around here and up in Anahuac.

Faggard, who lives in Gilchrest—a town his grandfather helped to settle—lost everything in Hurricane Ike.

And there’s six generations of family history completely erased.

He and others took shelter on High Island to brave the storms and wait for help.

[air boat] The great state of Texas’ game wardens were the first people to his this island to relieve us an bring us water and MREs and start checking on us. And that says a lot for, uh, the Texas Parks and Wildlife and the game wardens.

Gilchrest is Faggard’s family home, and he plans to continue the legacy.

I’m sure we will build back down in Gilchrest; we’ve been doing it for almost a hundred years. And this ain’t the first rodeo down here. [motor running]

We’ll have another story on the aftermath of Hurricane Ike tomorrow.

We’ve got debris everywhere. It’s an ecological disaster.

We have additional information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…our thanks to Karen Loke for her help with this story… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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