Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Austin resident, Bill Harwell’s, paternal grandmother and his great aunt Edna loved to fish… and often invited Bill and his cousin to share the adventure. This is his story:

One night I got the exciting news that my great aunt had come into possession of – what we called – a pontoon boat. But the even better part of it was we were going to go night fishing, which we had never done before. Her living in Atlanta, the best place to put in was a big lake, just southwest of Texarkana called Wright Patman Lake.

And so my cousin and I – we were probably about eight…nine…ten years old at the time…this is around 1960 -61 something like that — get all of our gear aboard (the two of us and these two ladies).

They tell us they’d been told that the best thing to attract fish, above and beyond the worms and the minnows, is to hang a couple of lanterns off the side of the pontoon boat…. maybe that is the best way to do it… but my main recollection was just this incredible plague-like swarm of June bugs, mosquitoes…getting bugs of all sorts and shapes in our soft drinks….up our noses…. We did do some good fishing, but the overwhelming remaining impression of night fishing for me is lots and lots of bugs.

Share your outdoor story with us when you visit the Passport to Texas website.

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

Outdoor Stories with Bill Harwell Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Did you know Texas is home to forty-four different species of frogs, as well as myriad other amphibians?

Scott Kiester, Texas Amphibian Watch volunteer, says you don’t have to travel far to find a homegrown frog or toad. In fact, he says they may be closer than you think.

The Gulf Coast Toad you’ll find anywhere where he’s got a moist place he can hide in the daytime and come out at night and hunt bugs. The Rio Grande Chirping Frog is endemic to the southern valley. They’re about as big as the joint on your little finger and they hang out in plants. They like particularly Bromeliads.

Not only can we identify these creatures by their habitats, we can also identify them by their distinctive calls.

Different frogs and toads call at different times of the year. There are some that are year-round: the Bullfrog, the Southern Leopard Frog, and the Northern Cricket Frog. They may not breed year-round, but you can hear them. There are other species, like the Spring Peeper, and the Upland and Spotted Chorus Frogs; you will only hear when the weather is cool. Their idea of a perfect day is fifties and rainy. Frogs mostly call to attract mates. In fact, only really male frogs call.

Learn more about frogs and toads on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Native Frogs and Toads Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Camping is the perfect way to turn an average weekend into a vacation. State parks have everything from primitive camp grounds to those with restrooms, water and electricity. There are parks in every region of Texas, so your destination is only a short drive away.

Be prepared before leaving on your camping adventure. Pack a tent, lantern, and water, and be sure to wear clothing that’s appropriate for the time of year and location. Remember your sunscreen all year round.

For those who want to bring a little piece of home with them, several parks accommodate RVs. Call the site to determine what RV connections are available.

For the pampered camper, check out state parks with cabins and lodges. Historic inns and secluded ranches make for an extra relaxing getaway.

When camping, remember you are a visitor in nature’s home. To discourage resident wildlife from your campsite, store and dispose of food properly and never leave a campfire or cook stove unattended. Always pack out everything you packed into the park.

Follow these guidelines and you’re sure to be a happy camper.

Details about camping in state parks can be found on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger. Joel Block engineers our program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Camping 101 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

June Hershey, who in 1941 penned the lyrics of the well-loved song, Deep in the Heart of Texas, must have been inspired by a nighttime visit to the Trans Pecos region for her first verse.

The stars at night are big and bright (Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!) Deep in the heart of Texas….

Once you experience the deep, velvety blackness of the West Texas night sky, studded with a profusion of luminous stars, you’ll come away thinking….

The stars are unbelievable.

David Bischofhausen manages Davis Mountains State Park. He says that in West Texas, dark skies are the law.

There is a dark sky policy in town. You have to have restrictions on lights and such.

Poorly directed outdoor lighting interferes with our ability to see stars clearly. And dark skies are crucial to the park’s neighbor – the McDonald Observatory.

From the park headquarters you can see McDonald Observatory. It’s about thirteen miles away. They built the observatory here because some of the darkest skies in North America are right here. And I’ve seen a picture McDonald observatory did on a slide show of the United States at night. You can definitely tell where Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are…and then you look over here, and there’s this big black spot where Big Bend and Davis Mountains are. And it’s just unbelievable.

Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park.

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

Davis Mountains, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Spring is that ephemeral expanse of time between our unpredictable winters and our all-too- predictable summers.

The unrelenting heat and humidity of summer turns many Texans into prisoners of indoor air conditioning. Yet, imagine if you can, a place in our great state where in July people wear sweaters and light jackets to protect themselves against the chill of the night air. Is this just some beautiful dream? No, my friends, it’s the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

One thing nice about the Davis Mountains is you can’t beat the weather.

David Bischofhausen manages the Davis Mountains State Park Complex.

I see people on the fourth of July in the park having to wear sweatshirts because it gets so cool at night. It’s generally dry and usually – you know – ten to fifteen degrees cooler up in the mountains than it is down in the flats. The lodge is right about 5-thousand feet in elevation. Park headquarters is about 49-hundred — so we go up from there.

We’re in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. So, we’re definitely in a sky island with lots of vegetation and lots of wildlife. Just a beautiful place. And, some people don’t think there are mountains in Texas…you come out here and it’s just unbelievable. I mean it’s just gorgeous.

So when you can’t stand the heat…head to the mountains.

Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park.

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

Davis Mountains, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download