Passport to Texas

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

One of the segments this month on the Parks and Wildlife Television series is about big bass in Texas…and series producer, Don Cash, is here to tell us about it.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and boy howdy, the bass are bigger, too. One of the best places to go fishing is Lake Fork, which is east of Dallas. And it is well known as the big bass lake in the country.

Reel…reel…every time. Set the hook! Hard! Hard! I’ve got him! Oh my God he’s huge! (laughter) Hang on! (cheers)

A lot of people don’t know that there’s some really nice places in Texas state parks to go bass fishing. Purtis Creek State Park, which is near Athens, they look at themselves as sort of a smaller Lake Fork.

Well, I’ll tell ya—one thing I love about Purtis Creek—you can always be pretty much guaranteed you’re going to catch a fish.

Well, one of the things I’ve found is that bass populations—all the fish populations—are really dependent on management. Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists do a lot of fisheries management.

Our goal is always to at least maintain bass angling as it is or keep improving it.

And that helps keep the bass populations high where they are, and keeps the fishing good for everybody in Texas. People that are out fishing for bass (cheers) are having a good time, and that’s really the main thing.

Watch the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS stations.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Stations & Air Times for Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series

TPW TV January Feature: Big Bass Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The perfection that’s in the balance nature is miracle evidence of the creative genius of God. He set it up. Whether he used the process of evolution, or whatever process he used, I don’t know and I don’t care.

Geraldine Watson devoted her life to preserving the natural world, and was instrumental in saving a unique east Texas woodlands from development pressures.

Well, frankly, I never dreamed that we’d save any of the Big Thicket.

But they did save the Big Thicket, and Watson, now in her eighties, lead the charge. Meet this fascinating woman this month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series. Producer, Ron Kabele.

She spent lots of time in the 1960s and 1970s promoting Big Thicket—it’s diversity and the importance of its ecological preservation.

The loss of each plant, or each animal, takes me personally closer to extinction. Because we’re all part of the chain of life.

And the great thing is, people everywhere know who she is. She’s like a botany Guru.

I never planned to be an botonist. I never planned to be an ecologist. I simply seem to drift into things. (laughs)

We’re glad you drifted our way. Find out when and where this show airs at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Information about the Big Thicket, area State Parks and birds:

Call the Visitor Center at The Big Thicket National Preserve: (409) 839-2689.
Call Village Creek State Park at (409) 755-7322.
Texas Ornithological Bird Society and the Sabine Woods Sanctuary.

TPW TV: Epitaph Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife takes energy conservation as seriously as it does conservation of habitat and wildlife.

Well, it’s something that we felt very strongly about in terms of how closely related to our mission energy conservation is.

Steve Shroeter oversees support services at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

About four years ago, we developed the green team, and it’s just some grassroots volunteers and myself who try to come up with some projects and ideas to reduce energy consumption and resource consumption across the state.

One project simply involved getting employees to “turn off” their offices.

We decided to take a look at the impact of this thought; so we surveyed the building one time after duty hours and it was staggering how much non-necessary equipment was left on in the building. Because it generates heat, then has to be cooled, besides the energy that it draws.

Employees took the Green Team’s energy conservation message to heart. The result: the Austin headquarters used seventy thousand fewer kilowatt-hours this past summer than it did the previous summer, thus, keeping more than 140 thousand pounds of carbon from the atmosphere.

Now that’s walking the talk.

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

Walking the Conservation Talk Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

San Juan Capistrano has its swallows, Hinckley, Ohio, has its buzzards, and Texas has its trout—rainbow trout. The annual arrival of the colorful fun-to-catch fish to lakes began last month [December], and continues through March.

We stock trout because we can provide one more unique fishing opportunity for anglers. And, we do it throughout a large part of the state, especially around cities and urban areas, where anglers have access.

Carl Kittel coordinates the trout-stocking program for Parks and Wildlife. Unlike the swallows of Capistrano and the buzzards of Hinckley that travel on their own steam, the rainbow trout of Texas are chauffeured to their destinations.

We get deliveries from late November all the way until late February. So it’s like a just in time inventory—and they move in and they move out.

Close to 275-thousand rainbow trout will find temporary refuge in Texas waters.

The purpose for stocking them and our expectation for those fish is that they will be fished out by anglers. So, we do not expect to create a fishery by stocking them, we just expect to create fishing opportunities.

We have a link to the rainbow trout stocking schedule on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which also helps fund winter trout stocking in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Trout Stocking Schedule

Rainbow Trout Return to Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Every longtime hunter with whom I’ve spoken says virtually the same thing.

Hunting has become a very, very personal thing. I don’t do a whole lot of harvesting, but I enjoy being outdoors.

Bob Cook is a lifelong hunter and outgoing Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

When I hunt, I hunt alone. Now, I may go hunting with a whole bunch of guys, but that’s mainly for around the camp type stuff. When I actually go out into the field, typically, I enjoy hunting alone. I enjoy the quiet and the peace of it all.

Hunters and non-hunters agree that being in nature is its own reward. For people who do hunt, years of careful habitat management in Texas have paid off.

One of the things that I’ll say to you about hunting is Texas, I think, having had the experiences that I have had in other areas is that we’re spoiled. The wildlife populations and such in Texas are so good… we have so much game… so much wildlife… that we kind of tend to take that for granted. Hardly anybody else, anywhere in the world, I think, has the abundance of wildlife that we have.

Find a link to wildlife and hunting information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…The Wildlife Restoration supports our series and funds Texas’ Private Lands and Public Hunting Programs.

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

The Personal Side of Hunting Play Now | Play in Popup | Download