Passport to Texas

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

Like the US, Japan has seen a decrease in what their young people understand about nature.

Nature education is really foundational to an understanding of any of the sciences.

A better understanding of science can help us to protect nature. Cappy Manly coordinates Project Wild for Texas Park and Wildlife. Last year she was invited by the Japanese government to share her knowledge of Project Wild with them.

They understand that the health of a society is directly attributed to the health of your natural resources.

Becoming a better planetary steward, no matter where in the world you live, is one goal of Project Wild. And that concept translates into any language.

What’s very interesting is that we’re all looking for solutions. And the exciting part is that we are all willing to share what we’re finding out, and to share the accomplishments, and also to look at the things that aren’t really working for us, but to work together more in looking at solutions for all of us. And it truly is a global society. That’s what impressed upon me is that – we’re not alone.

Learn more about Project Wild when you visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

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

We share a common problem with Japan.

They, too, are seeing a decrease in the understanding of nature – and consequently – in the understanding of science.

Cappy Manly coordinates Project Wild for Texas Park and Wildlife…it’s a K-through-12 program that trains teachers how to incorporate the natural world into their curricula. Japan has had Project Wild for several years and sought Manly’s expertise to enhancement their understanding.

I was quite honored to be invited by the Japanese government, their parks foundation, to come in and do a speech for some of their academics and some of their practitioners, but then do two days of workshops with a lot of their educators and staff people that deliver Project Wild programs in Japan.

Children in Japan, as in the US, are becoming estranged from nature.

For example…the Ministry of Education did a presentation at the same symposium that I was asked to speak at. They had seen a decrease in the last ten years of the number of children who had climbed a tree higher than their head. Who had witnessed a sunrise or a sunset. Who had never gone fishing….

These are basic experiences that a generation ago were “a given” for the Japanese and for us. We’ll have more with Cappy Manly tomorrow.

That’s our show… made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

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

Edited by Dr. Leonard Brennan, Endowed Chair for Quail Research at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, the book Texas Quails: Ecology and Management is for anyone who wants to understand and manage this prized game bird.

And he approached myself, and about twenty-three others, to contribute to this book, which is pretty much everything that’s ever been studied, and ever been worked on — on quail in Texas.

Robert Perez is Texas Parks and Wildlife’s state quail biologist. Quail once ranged across thirty-six states, but are now only common in few states, including Texas.

The quail is a species that’s been surrounded by myth. Everyone’s got a reason why they’ve declined, or an old an wives’ tale about why they’re gone – because turkey are eating them, or because of fire ants, or because of some other reason. We as biologists understand that most any species, when it disappears, or gets drastically reduced on the landscape, it’s because of habitat.

Perez says, habitat loss is the main thrust of this volume.

Every chapter, fundamentally, is referring to habitat. And that’s something that we can’t repeat enough to folks. It’s human nature just to find an easy way, or a silver bullet, or a one-shot way to fix a problem. Put them out of a box – pen reared quail. There is no easy solution; we’ve got to work on repairing the habitat. And that’s, I think, a message throughout the text.

Find the book on Amazon.com.

That’s our show… made possible by the Wildlife Restoration Program… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

This month the Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos honors 19th Century women with the interactive event “True Texas Women.”

We feel that Texas women were the backbone of the New Republic of Texas. Their stories are not told. You know, the men get the credit- they were the soldiers, the politicians and all. We think that there’s truth that the women kept the home fires burning.

Janice Campbell is a Domestic Interpreter. Visitors will get a hands-on opportunity to learn popular 1800s women’s crafts, and social customs.

Last year, we had an activity that we called “charm strings,” and all this is, is stringing buttons on pieces of thread. Women were doing this in the mid-19th century. It was almost as young boys collecting baseball trading cards today; women were collecting and trading buttons.

True Texas Women allows younger generations to appreciate women who made contributions to our state.

What we’ve seen happen over the years, not only adult women coming and enjoying this event, but we’ve seen groups of young girls. And we want those girls to understand we have a rich woman’s history here in Texas and it’s going to be up to them to carry this on.

True Texas Women is Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25th.

That’s our show …with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Sometimes beauty is best viewed from a distant vantage point. The April issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine highlights five of the best sky high views of the state. Associate publisher, Charles Lohrmann…

Photographer Laurence Parent and writer Wendee Holtcamp are describing five of the best views in the entire state of Texas. And most of the top five views they chose are in West Texas.

The westernmost if the Wyler Tramway at the Franklin Mountains SP. The view is from the top of Ranger Peak. And it’s about 56-hundred feet. You can see New Mexico to the West. The entire city of El Paso…and across the Rio Grande to Ciudad Juarez.

And not too far away is Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest point in the entire state. Then, also within range of that is McDonald Observatory, which is on Mount Locke. And, then the unique aspect of the famous view from McDonald Observatory is into the night sky, of course.

And then a sentimental favorite view is Enchanted Rock, which is only 18-hundred and 25-feet, but it’s a view that many Texans enjoy.

And one manmade view on the list is the San Jacinto Monument, which is the most eastern view. So, once you take a look at the April issue, you can make your own checklist of the best views, and then write us with your view of the Lone Star State.

Thanks Charles.

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

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