Nature Notes

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Nature Notes episodes

September 22, 2016 Aoudad – For Wildlife Managers, A Hardy Newcomer’s Success Raises Tough Questions
Some visit the Big Bend for a day or a week – and have their fill. But an intrepid few find they're suited to this harsh terrain, and make it their home.
Native to northern Africa, aoudad – or Barbary sheep – were introduced to Texas the 1950s. In the desert-mountains of the Trans-Pecos, they've found a land in which they can flourish. Watching aoudad storm up a rocky slope in the Guadalupe, Davis or Chisos mountains, it's hard not to admire these hardy newcomers.
But as their populations swell, aoudad appear to be edging out native species – mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep. And that raises tough questions for landowners and wildlife managers.
Introduced on ranches and s...
0 min
September 08, 2016 Rubbing Rocks: Calling Cards of a Vanished Age
Hueco Tanks State Park outside of El Paso is famous for its Native rock art and its world-class rock climbing. Each year, thousands tour the ancient paintings, and climbers from across the globe come to scale the park's boulders.
But the rugged outcropping contains a feature most visitors overlook. It's one that's found across our region.
High on boulders, polished surfaces catch the light.
They're “rubbing rocks.” They were buffed smooth by now-vanished Ice-Age animals.
LeRoy Unglaub, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is a passionate student of rock art. In 50 years of exploration, he's photographed more than 70,000 images.
His studies have taken him to isolated mountains across...
5 min
September 01, 2016 Conservationists Push for New National Monument, in the Heart of El Paso
It's been called “the crown jewel of West Texas” and “the heart of the Franklin Mountains.” Castner Range is 7,000 acres of cliffs, canyons and open desert – in the center of El Paso.
The range is famous for its Mexican poppies. When conditions are right, the radiant blooms create a spring display like nothing else in Texas.
El Pasoans have been pushing for preservation of this undeveloped land for decades. Now, conservationists hope President Obama will answer their long effort – and proclaim Castner Range a national monument.
The Franklin Mountains rise above El Paso in cliffs of red and orange. In 1979, the state acquired much of the range. At 24,000 acres, Franklin M...
5 min
August 25, 2016 Franklin Mountains State Park: El Paso’s Desert-Mountain Sanctuary
Their jagged profile announces El Paso del Norte – the Pass of the North. The Franklin Mountains are the signature of Texas' only “mountain city.”
At 24,000 acres, El Paso's Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban park in the country. It's a unique resource – an outpost of wild Chihuahuan Desert, in the midst of a major city.
In east El Paso, the Wyler Aerial Tramway carries hundreds of visitors a day to the summit of Ranger Peak. The tramway was built for KTSM TV and radio. It opened to park visitors in 2001. The ascent showcases the Franklins' unique geology.
Diana Moy is a ranger at the Wyler Tramway.
“As we're going up the tramway, if you'll look down you...
5 min
August 18, 2016 Desert-Mountain Harvest: Native Plants and the Mescalero Apache
Rising a mile above desert plains, the Guadalupe Mountains are an icon in the West Texas landscape. They draw geologists, biologists, artists – and Texans eager to climb the state's highest peak.
The forests and springs of the Guadalupes were an oasis for Native peoples. Fifteen tribes have historic ties to the range.
But for one people, the mountains were a year-round home. Until they were expelled by the U.S. military in the 19th century, the Mescalero Apache flourished here. And native plants were the basis of Mescalero life.
“Mescalero” – applied by the Spanish, the name itself refers to a plant – the mescal, or agave. For the Mescalero, the agave was indeed a foundati...
5 min
August 11, 2016 Adapting to an Unforgiving Land: Archeology Sheds Light on Big Bend’s Native American History
Volcanic badlands and limestone canyons, wooded mountains and stony plains. Big Bend National Park is known for its beauty – and its geological and biological richness.
But this land has a rich human history as well.
Archaeologists recently completed a survey of the park – the largest of its kind ever in the region. It's shed new light on the relationship between the land and people of the Big Bend.
Archeologists work with shovels and trowels, right? Not necessarily. The Center for Big Bend Studies, at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, partnered with Big Bend National Park in 1995. The Center kept its focus aboveground.
David Keller led the survey. He and his crews spend 4...
5 min
August 04, 2016 In Brewster County, Buried Hearths Tell an Ancient Story of Plants and People
Cacti and succulents, grasses, shrubs and trees – arid as it is, the Trans-Pecos is filled with plant life. In fact, the plant diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert far exceeds that of lusher parts of Texas.
But for a hungry desert dweller, there's one pressing question about that thorny abundance – how to turn it into food.
As early as 11,000 years ago, Native peoples had cracked the code. In an arroyo in Brewster County, archeologists recently excavated the continent's oldest known earth oven. Earth ovens would became a cornerstone of indigenous life in the Southwest.
From Midland to Lubbock, West Texas sites have shed light on the first North Americans. Archaeologists call these...
5 min
July 28, 2016 Strange and Wondrous: The Triassic Creatures of West Texas
The Triassic redbeds are one of the scenic highlights of West Texas. They dazzle in the red cliffs of Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyons state parks.
These colorful rocks are found all along the margin of the Llano Estacado, and where rivers like the Brazos and the Pecos cut the great plateau.
The redbeds are also one of the world's most important sources of fossils from the Triassic Period. In that distant time, strange and wondrous creatures roamed the Earth.
"It is a burning, seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and color." That's what painter Georgia O'Keefe said about Palo Duro Canyon south of Amarillo.
The heart of that “cauldron,” the red rocks O'Keefe admir...
5 min
July 21, 2016 Ringtails: Outlaws of the West Texas Night
They're among the most secretive of West Texas creatures. You could spend a lifetime exploring the Southwest – and never catch a glimpse of one.
Ringtails are often referred to as “cats.” In fact, they're a member of the raccoon family. Nocturnal, solitary, they're finely adapted to the rugged terrain in which they live.
Ringtails are creatures of arid North America. Their range stretches from the Llano Estacado and the Trans-Pecos to southern California and Mexico. The animal's scientific name – Bassariscus astutus – means “clever little fox.” The name gives a clue to the ringtail's appearance.
Its pointed muzzle and long whiskers are fox-like indeed – and, like a f...
5 min
July 14, 2016 Beware the Buzzworm: Rattlesnakes in West Texas
At the buzz of a rattlesnake, the heart races, and the adrenalin flows. Our response is primal, physical.
But rattlesnakes also exert a power over the imagination. For many, the fear of rattlesnakes is mixed with fascination.
Rattlesnakes are impressive predators, and they play an important role in the West Texas ecosystem.
Rattlesnakes first appeared about 4 million year ago. They're the most recently evolved snake – and the most highly specialized.
They're unique to the Americas, found from Canada to Argentina. But West Texas is truly rattlesnake country. The majority of rattlesnake species live in the American Southwest and Mexico.
Rattlers rely on complex adaptations to ...
5 min

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