Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Water and wings may be a theme of Texas Parks and Wildlife TV’s September programming. And producer Ron Kabele says a segment called Billion Dollar Bats looks at the value of bats to agriculture.

What the bats are doing is they’re acting as a natural pesticide. And that’s very appealing to a lot of farmers. It’s cheaper and it’s a whole lot better for the environment.

There’s an excerpt from Texas: The State of Water, highlighting water issues in the Valley.

This concentrates on the challenge of there not being enough water in the Rio Grande Valley.

Without water nothing will grow. And the farmers can’t make any money. So, there’s nothing else for them to do. Some of this farmland they’re selling the dirt off of it. They’re just making it into a big pit. Just a big hole in the ground; and they’re just walking away from it.

Ron says he shot a story on the Butterfly Palace that airs in September.

It’s at the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. And it’s this big domed area. It’s basically its own ecosystem.

And finally, a segment called The Caribbean Connection examines the relationship between Texas and the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Connection was about three researchers who were trying to find a correlation between what happens in the coral reefs down in Mexico and here, and how that affects our waters.

Check your local listings, or visit us online at passporttotexas.org to find a station that airs the show near you. That’s our show…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife on PBS and Cable
Stations and Air Times
Times and dates are subject to change, especially during PBS membership drives.

• Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2: October–March, Saturday 6 p.m.
• Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18: Monday, 12:30 p.m.; Friday 5:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. KLRU2, Cable 20: Tuesday, 11 p.m.
• Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15: Sunday, 5 p.m.; Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16: Sunday, 12 p.m.; Friday, 2 p.m.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13: October–March, Saturday, 6 p.m. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
  El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13: Saturday, 3 p.m.
• Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60: Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
• Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Friday 1:30 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
• Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46: Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple.
• Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5: Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9: Sunday, 1 p.m.
• Waco, KWBU-TV, Channel 34: Saturday, 3 p.m.
• Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3: Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
• The New York Network, NYN, Thursday 8:30 p.m.; Saturday 2:30 p.m. Serving the Albany area.

Cable

Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Allen, Atlanta, Boerne, Collin County Community College, Coppell, Del Mar College, Denton, Flower Mound, Frisco, Garland, Irving, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Plano, Rogers State University, Texarkana College, The Colony, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls. Check your local listings for days and times.

TPWD TV -- September Highlights Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area is 80 miles southeast of Dallas.

Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area [WMA] is approximately 14-thousand acres that lies almost totally within the Trinity River Flood plain. It’s a large block of bottomland hardwood habitat.

Jeffery Gunnels is a wildlife biologist for Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area.

Parks and Wildlife Department acquired Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area in 1987. It was deeded to the state from the Tarrant Regional Water District as a mitigation property when the Richland Chambers reservoir was constructed. That was to satisfy their requirements under the US Army Corps of engineers section 404 permit.

It wasn’t long before a wide array of bird species started arriving.

The WMA is a very good place to find species of birds. On our North Unit we have lots of different wading birds such as great egrets, great blue herons, snowy egrets, lots of ibises, roseate spoonbills and a wide variety of other shorebirds that migrate through the spring. It’s also very, very good wintering waterfowl habitat. We regularly over winter lots of waterfowl and have lots of waterfowl hunting in the fall months.

That’s our show….supported by the Wildlife Restoration Program providing funding for the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…Cecilia Nasti

Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

When mist cloaks Caddo Lake it’s easy to understand how the lore and legend about this east Texas destination came to pass.

Native American legend says a giant flood created Caddo Lake. Others say an earthquake was responsible.

Meanwhile, scientists believe the lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into the Cypress Bayou watershed, forming the lake.

One thing that is true: Caddo Lake’s beauty. And visitors to Caddo Lake State Park/WMA not only experience nature at her most beguiling, they also have a plethora of recreational opportunities — from hiking to hunting – to choose from.

With an annual public hunting permit, hunters may harvest deer, eastern wild turkey, and quail during appropriate seasons. Licensed anglers find largemouth bass, catfish and brim plentiful in the lake.

Find more on Caddo Lake SP/WMA at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show, made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program providing funding for the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

For Texas parks and wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Caddo Lake State Park / Wildlife Management Area Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

When mist cloaks Caddo Lake it’s easy to understand how the lore and legend about this east Texas destination came to pass.

Native American legend says a giant flood created Caddo Lake. Others say an earthquake was responsible.

Meanwhile, scientists believe the lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into the Cypress Bayou watershed, forming the lake.

One thing that is true: Caddo Lake’s beauty. And visitors to Caddo Lake State Park/WMA not only experience nature at her most beguiling, they also have a plethora of recreational opportunities — from hiking to hunting – to choose from.

With an annual public hunting permit, hunters may harvest deer, eastern wild turkey, and quail during appropriate seasons. Licensed anglers find largemouth bass, catfish and brim plentiful in the lake.

Find more on Caddo Lake SP/WMA at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show, made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program providing funding for the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

For Texas parks and wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Caddo Lake State Park / Wildlife Management Area Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Wetlands are an integral part of the natural water system of Texas, and only sustainable when viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. This thinking is the inspiration behind a new general wetland walk podcast for Texas, and a site specific podcast about the Spring Lake wetlands at Aquarena Center in San Marcos.

Well, it’s a really unique ecosystem because it’s home to five and maybe six endangered species. They’ve just recently discovered the Comal Riffle Beetle in Spring Lake. And so it’s critical habitat; and it’s protected by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And, recreational activities are prohibited in Spring lake. And that does make it a really special place.

Lisa Korth is education coordinator for the Freshwater Resources program in San Marcos. The podcast is a collaborative effort between Parks and Wildlife, Texas State University-San Marcos and Texas Watch.

TPWD [Texas parks and Wildlife] has a framework for interpretation that starts with experience. And it leads to awareness, understanding, caring about and caring for, and ultimately leading to stewardship. So, by creating that first step – that outdoor experience – we are hopefully creating stewards for our natural resources for future generations.

The wetland walk podcast is available for download at passporttotexas.org. Find it under web exclusives.

That’s our show for today… we receive 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

Wetlands Walk -- Endangered Species Play Now | Play in Popup | Download