Passport to Texas

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

Caddo Lake borders Texas and Louisiana, and it’s one of the largest and most mature cypress swamps in the south.

Historically, Caddo Lake was the only naturally formed lake in Texas—by a great raft on the Red River—which backed water up–that was here even before the state of Texas was here.

Vanessa Adams is the area biologist at the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area.

They had a convention in Ramsar, Iran, and decided to designate certain wetlands across the world as wetlands of international importance. In 1993, Caddo Lake was designated; and it is the first and only one in the state of Texas with that designation.

Wetlands, like those at Caddo Lake, perform important functions.

The ones here at Caddo Lake, they will act as catch basins, and they slow floods. When the water backs up into these bottom lands and in these swamps, it slows their flow. And during that slow flow, the nutrients will fall out. Therefore, you have a bit of a filtering system for the water that goes further downstream, or further into that lake. And it acts as a way to clean the water.

The wildlife of Caddo Lake—that’s tomorrow.

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.
______________________________________________________

CLICK HERE for an Interpretive Guide to Caddo Lake State Park. [PDF Document]

CLICK HERE for Fishing and Lake information.

Wetlands Month--Caddo Lake, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

[Harp glissando]

Darcy Bontempo has a dream.

I’d like to see every single car have a plate that either has a deer, a bass, a bluebonnet, or a horned lizard on it. I think that would be just wonderful.

Bontempo is Marketing Director for Texas parks and Wildlife and a huge fan of the agency’s conservation license plates— introduced in 1999. You have probably seen the plates, but what you may not realize is the money from their sales funds conservation efforts statewide.

We’ve raised more than three million dollars in less than ten years, and I think that we’re going to continue to see that increase as people become more and more interested in helping.

Each image corresponds with the program or project they fund: bluebonnets/state parks, deer/big-game hunting, bass/fisheries research and stocking. Then there is the horned lizard plate.

The horned lizard plate was our first plate. And that plate funds a wide number of projects that benefit native wildlife here in Texas—such things as the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, the horned lizard, of course, the freshwater turtles…as well as native grasses and other species of plants.

The plates cost $30 with $22 of that going directly to fund conservation projects, and this year they can even be purchased online at conservation—dash—plate—dot—org.

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

Conservation License Plates Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Abilene State Park, acquired in 1933 by deed from the City of Abilene, has been in the park system 74 years.

And it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and opening ceremonies were held on May tenth of 1934.

Okie Okerstrom, superintended of this nearly 530-acre site, says that new funding provided by the Texas Legislature will increase staffing at the park.

For the last four years we have been very short staffed. And so, through the successful legislative session, and the great work that our representatives have done for us, we are going to be able to bring some positions back, and be able to get fully staffed again.

Visitors over the past four years would be surprised to learn of the staffing shortage.

Yes, they would be, because we try to make that as transparent as possible. We still make sure that the restrooms are clean, and that the sites are ready for them, and hopefully it’s not obvious to them.

New funding also means new interpretive programs and events. One thing that stays the same, though, is the pool.

The action happens at the swimming pool—that’s the focus of the park during the summer. We have a lot of family reunions that come to Abilene SP because we do have a swimming pool. Some of our reunions have been coming for fifty years. It’s like family coming home to visit!

Details about Abilene State Park at passporttotexas.org

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________
CLICK HERE to view a video of Abilene State park

Getting Better All The Time: Abilene State Park Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife TV producer Ron Kabele gives offers sneak peek at May programming, starting with a story about an unusual cross country trip.

And there was this guy, and he was going from Canada to Mexico riding a hand cycle.

I don’t know how many times two guys in wheelchairs ever road a bike across the United States—it might be a first.

And he was doing it to raise money. The money was going to go so that they could purchase hand cycles for other disabled kids.

The hand cycling is fun!

Another piece we have is about tent maintenance. You know, a lot of people they get out there, in the middle of nowhere, and then they have a problem with their tent.

A common problem for all tent campers are holes developing from rocks being tracked in on shoes, or rocks poking holes up through the bottom of the tent.

I went to Lake Whitney SP last year. It’s a beautiful lake.

It’s so hard to just get away and be a family. And when you can come to a place like this and for the first time you kind of realize what it’s supposed to be all about.

(Bird chirping) Another story this month is the basics of birding.

(Woodpecker) Oh, a pileated woodpecker. (Bird call)

You know, it’s kind of like a mystery game to me.

Experience the mystery when you tune in to Texas Parks and Wildlife TV on PBS.

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

TP&W TV May Highlights Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife TV producer Ron Kabele gives offers sneak peek at May programming, starting with a story about an unusual cross country trip.

And there was this guy, and he was going from Canada to Mexico riding a hand cycle.

I don’t know how many times two guys in wheelchairs ever road a bike across the United States—it might be a first.

And he was doing it to raise money. The money was going to go so that they could purchase hand cycles for other disabled kids.

The hand cycling is fun!

Another piece we have is about tent maintenance. You know, a lot of people they get out there, in the middle of nowhere, and then they have a problem with their tent.

A common problem for all tent campers are holes developing from rocks being tracked in on shoes, or rocks poking holes up through the bottom of the tent.

I went to Lake Whitney SP last year. It’s a beautiful lake.

It’s so hard to just get away and be a family. And when you can come to a place like this and for the first time you kind of realize what it’s supposed to be all about.

(Bird chirping) Another story this month is the basics of birding.

(Woodpecker) Oh, a pileated woodpecker. (Bird call)

You know, it’s kind of like a mystery game to me.

Experience the mystery when you tune in to Texas Parks and Wildlife TV on PBS.

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

TP&W TV May Highlights Play Now | Play in Popup | Download