By Cecilia Nasti/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Your radio guide to the great Texas outdoors
Texas Hunter Education certificate. Never go hunting without it. This is Passport to Texas What’s the most frequent violation Texas Game Warden encounter in the field? That’s hunter education and it’s a preventable one. Aaron Sims is a Texas game warden. That’s something that’s been...
Overnight tent camping at Lost Maples State Natural Area. This is Passport to Texas Does the thought of tent camping at a state park give you anxiety? An article in the October issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine may help quell...
Manmade habitat for freshwater fish. This is Passport to Texas The Lone Star State is revered for its exceptional sport fishing opportunities. To preserve and enhance these destinations, a recent project at Lake Sulfur Springs experiments with nontraditional materials and designs to create...
Is this the size fish Lake Bois d’ Arc can look forward to producing? This is Passport to Texas Lake Bois d’ Arc, a new reservoir project 70 miles northeast of Dallas, may be the future hot spot for trophy largemouth bass One...
Image courtesy www.fanninwater.org This is Passport to Texas Lake Bois d’ Arc is a 16,000-acre reservoir under construction in northeast Fannin County, scheduled for completion in 2022. From a fisheries biologist perspective, it’s particularly exciting to get in on the ground floor of...
Male Black-capped vireo. This is Passport to Texas Not long ago the tiny masked bird known as the Black-capped Vireo nearly became extinct. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as endangered in 1987. But rigorous habitat recovery efforts have...
Bobcats serve an ecosystem function. This is Passport to Texas According to the US Census Bureau, the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area leads the nation in population growth. But this growth has fragmented wildlife habitat, and as a result wildlife have become more...
James Montgomery practicing with his rifle before dove season. This is Passport to Texas You know I grew up playing soccer and football. I missed out on Boy Scouts. Never got involved in the outdoors. Didn’t find hunting until my mid-20s or...
Sea Trout Meuniere; photo by Ken Haenel This is Passport to Texas Anglers who catch and keep their fish can fill their freezers with nearly free food. That’s what chef and angler Cindy Haenel does. We don’t let them go unless they’re undersized…we...
Sunrise on a jetty, ready to catch dinner. This is Passport to Texas Regulation changes to spotted sea trout, like bag and size limits, is an important tool in our tool box for managing saltwater fish species. A robust a hatchery program...
This is why we fish. This is Passport to Texas Their abundance, eagerness to hit natural and artificial baits, and their flavor when cooked make the spotted sea trout popular with coastal anglers like Charles O’Neal. I am just a guy married to...
Writer Pam LeBlanc happily waiting for teal. This is Passport to Texas Fall hunting season kicks off on September first with dove. Teal is next with a sixteen-day season that runs from September 14th through the 29th. Last year writer Pam LeBlanc took...
Learning is even more meaningful when it happens at a state park. This is Passport to Texas Nature and nurture join forces when home-schooled children use state parks as their classrooms. I started doing home schooling because I like to keep my job...
A homeschool student enjoying his outdoor classroom. This is Passport to Texas Imagine a classroom without walls; one that, instead, is in the middle of nature. You don’t have to imagine. State parks welcome a growing number of home-schooled children annually. I try...
Ralston Dorn [background] on mentored hunt. This is Passport to Texas Interested in hunting but don’t have hunters as friends or family to guide you? Some state parks and wildlife management areas conduct mentored hunting workshops for first-time adult hunters. The program...
Illustrating a safe zone of fire. This is Passport to Texas Before you discharge a firearm, ask yourself: what is my safe zone of fire? Not knowing can have devastating consequences. But how do you determine your safe zone? It’s easy to find...
Heidi Rao, demonstrating firearm muzzle control. This is Passport to Texas Developing and reinforcing hunter safety skills must be a lifelong pursuit for every hunter. The first principle when hunting with a firearm: always point the muzzle in a safe direction. This is...
Warning sign about Giant Salvinia. This is Passport to Texas In the 1958 movie The Blob, an ever-expanding goo from outer space threatened humankind. Today, Texas lakes are being invaded by a “blob” of a sort called Giant Salvinia: a floating aquatic...
A handful of Giant Salvinia. This is Passport to Texas People of a certain age recall the arcade game Space Invaders. It was fun and pretend. Today Giant Salvinia is a not so fun, real-life alien invader found in Texas Lakes. Giant Salvinia...
Willie Steinhauser showing off one of his signs. This is Passport to Texas Ask Willie Steinhauser, “what’s your sign?” and he’ll say: all of them. That’s because he makes the iconic wooden signs with yellow lettering you see at Texas state parks. They...
A barrel cactus looks on as a mountain biker passes by. This is Passport to Texas With busy schedules and our increasing dependence on technology, we can become disconnected from the natural world. One way to reconnect… is on a mountain bike. Doing...
Mountain Biking at Dinosaur Valley State Park This is Passport to Texas Something you learn early on when you take up the sport of mountain biking is this: you’ve got to be brave…you cannot be scared…and you have to tell yourself that...
Franklin Mountains State park This is Passport to Texas Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest metropolitan park in the United States. Its majestic peaks overlook the cities of El Paso and Cuidad Juarez. For years the park’s headquarters has been located...
Pileated woodpecker with young. This is Passport to Texas Cliff Shackelford—the nongame ornithologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife—is one of our favorite guests on Passport to Texas. He’s always upbeat and ready to share interesting birding facts. Plus, the guy’s super passionate...
Photo by Glen Mills, TPWD This is Passport to Texas Aoudads, also known as Barbary Sheep, were originally imported to Texas from North Africa as game animal over 50 years ago. But for native species like Mule deer and Desert Bighorn Sheep,...
Image courtesy of Green Mountain Regulators. This is Passport to Texas Gun smoke, six-shooters, boots and black powder. All ingredients of cowboy action shooting. We shoot with the guns of the Old West. Styles of gun that were made before 1899. Brian Curtsinger, aka...
Always be sure to read the package. This is Passport to Texas It’s tempting to use frozen shrimp from the grocery store as bait for your next fishing trip…but don’t do it. They may be imported and possibly harmful to our native...
UT School of design on TPW TV. This is Passport to Texas A dozen UT Austin Architecture students and their professor spent a long, hot summer on Galveston Island SP. We’re getting a Master’s in Architecture but we’re getting a Ph.D. in craft...
Pack a picnic and head to a Texas State Park. This is Passport to Texas There’s nothing like a picnic in a Texas state park; and picnics—like picnickers—have personalities. There’s the Texas classic: a wicker basket on a red and white tablecloth spread...
Sampling Gulf Oysters This is Passport to Texas Texas has been one of the country’s top oyster producing states since the late 1800’s. Oysterman, Mauricio Blanco has worked the Port Lavaca region for over 30 years. It’s been a pretty good place over...
CCA Incubation Room. Image courtesy of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. The CCA Marine Development Center in Corpus Christi produces juvenile red drum and spotted sea trout for release into Texas bays. They do it by tricking wild brood stock. We put them...
Cliff Shackelford This is Passport to Texas You are listening to Red River Radio. Stay tuned “Bird Calls” is coming up in just a few moments right here on your public radio station. On the second Tuesday of the month, 10,000 loyal listeners...
Guadalupe Bass (Micropterus treculii) This is Passport to Texas. Anglers like Courtney and Brandon Robinson are chasing Guadalupe bass, the state fish of Texas. Fish on! This is why I love catching Guads. They’re little fish but they use the river to fight. Guadalupe...
Guadalupe Bass (Micropterus treculii) This is Passport to Texas Dang it! Was that a fish? Yes, He was right in that foam line! Anglers like Courtney and Brandon Robinson love to fish for Guadalupe bass, named for the Guadalupe River. Fish on! This is...
Project Wild This is Passport to Texas On any given Saturday, someone in Texas is probably getting trained in Project Wild. Kiki Corey oversees the program for Texas Parks and Wildlife. Project WILD is professional development for educators to help them teach about...
Billy Hassell’s Powderhorn Ranch This is Passport to Texas Billy Hassell lives in the urban world of Fort Worth; yet, he’s always been drawn to the natural world. Reconnecting with nature in a small way, in a very urban environment… it calms the...
Whitetail deer conservation license plate This is Passport to Texas Established in 2000, Texas Parks & Wildlife’s conservation license plate program has raised millions of dollars for wildlife conservation. Grossing more than $1.2 million dollars since it launched back in 2002, the White-tailed...
Conservation Plate, Desert Bighorn Sheep This is Passport to Texas Thousands of Texas motorists have contributed to wildlife conservation efforts with a simple purchase. Thirty dollars for a Texas Parks & Wildlife conservation license plate. We’re really excited to announce that we’re launching...
Cooking fluffy biscuits in a Dutch Oven. This is Passport to Texas Cleburne State Park, about 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth, has a spring-fed lake and shady trails. It also hosts a local group that’s passionate about their avocation. We fell in...
Crystal Camacho, a student docent at FLHS, leads a group from Houston through the site. Image: Fort Leaton Facebook Page. This is Passport to Texas Manuela Catano is the Park Superintendent at the Fort Leaton State Historic Site and manages a unique...
Aquarium in TV. Image: Furnish Burnish This is Passport to Texas Texas welcomes visitors from around the globe. Unless, of course, they’re non-native plants and animals. Those pose potentially devastating problems to ecosystems. Don’t Dump Your Tank, a new initiative by Texas Parks...
Diversity in the TPWD workforce helps support nature’s diversity. This is Passport to Texas For David Buggs, Director of Diversity at Texas Parks and Wildlife, diversity and inclusion aren’t just nice ideas. As in nature, it’s crucial to the agency’s mission… and...
Diversity in the workplace This is Passport to Texas David Buggs is the Director of Diversity here at Texas Parks and Wildlife. He’s working hard to enact projects and programs for the agency that reflect the ever-changing demographics of the citizens of...
Chief Diversity Officer, David Buggs This is Passport to Texas As the population demographics of Texas continue to evolve, so does Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas is a majority minority state. Not just ethnic diversity, but also gender diversity. … there are more...
Rattlesnake This is Passport to Texas Maybe you’ve heard stories around the campfire about rattlesnakes losing their ability to rattle. Some chalk it up to feral pig attacks, others to humans who seek out and kill rattlers. If they can’t find you,...
BOATING SAFTEY, LAKE CONROE, LIFE JACKETS, This is Passport to Texas Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer boating fun. And, if you plan on operating a boat, ensure the safety of yourself and your passengers with the proper safety gear. You...
Gulf oysters in repose. This is Passport to Texas Texas reefs once held what seemed like an endless supply of oysters. But times have changed. Over the years the daily sack limits have been cut back. It used to be a hundred and...
Aoudad photo by Leroy Williamson, TPWD This is Passport to Texas Aoudads are causing huge problems for native Bighorn Sheep reintroduction. But, what exactly is an Aoudad? Aoudad, which are also known as barbary sheep come from the Barbary coast of Africa and...
Working together to restore Desert Bighorn Sheep. This is Passport to Texas Restoring Bighorn sheep to the American landscape is an enormous undertaking. Texas Parks and Wildlife and I form part of what’s called the Wild Sheep Working Group. So, there’s 19 state...
Bighorn Sheep release This is Passport to Texas We almost lost the [Desert] Bighorn Sheep from the American landscape. What was the cause of such decline? Primarily the introduction of domestic sheep and goats into Bighorn habitat. Diseases that domestic sheep and goats...