TPW Magazine June Preview
Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife
Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine has a great adventure lined up for readers this month as they go deep underground into karst caves. Managing Editor, Louie Bond.
The way they were created geologically is that the bedrock dissolves, and what you have forming is a sink hole on top, and underneath you have these caves and these wonderful springs. And what’s really special about these formations, I think, are the wonderful creatures that come to live there. And there’s a whole “genre” of species that are called troglobites.
And troglobites are these creatures that have evolved within the cave. They never leave. So, they have these special attributes. Some of them don’t have eyes; they have paler pigments because they’re never out in the light; their appendages change. And, so a lot of these fascinating creatures are never seen.
And, I think some of the most fantastical creatures are the cavers who are obsessed with these caves. And they go down and they map them and they explore them, and they photograph them. And, I think most importantly, from our perspective, is they keep an eye on these special little creatures, because they’re sort of the canaries in the coal mine as to how we’re doing with our springs, and these really delicate ecosystems.
And once we start losing these species, we realize something’s wrong and we need to do something about it. So, this is really important work, as well as being just an incredible adventure for our readers.
Thanks, Louie.
That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
–
Passport to Texas is a 
Passport to Texas is made available by: