Passport to Texas

 2012 Spring Outdoor Woman Workshop: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The popular Becoming and Outdoors Woman Program from Parks and Wildlife offers weekend workshops to help women 18 years and older to develop or hone their outdoor skills.

05—The fall workshop—when registration opened—it filled up within 10 days.

Heidi Rao coordinates the program. March 23 through 25 is the date of the next workshop in Brownwood. Heidi says a trained staff guides participants through a variety of activities.

17—A third of the activities that we offer are hunting and shooting and wildlife based learning. A third of the activities are fishing and boating and water based activities. And the final third of the activities are the non-consumptive such as bird-watching, astronomy, camping and backpacking.

Attendees choose activities in which to participate. Heidi adds it is a safe, supportive environment where women engage the natural world. And if the March Becoming an Outdoor Woman Workshop interests you, better contact Heidi soon.

09—From the people that could not make it into the fall workshop, we already have a waiting list growing by the day to get into the March event.

So what makes this such a popular program?

02—It’s fun. It’s absolutely fun.

Find information about BOW on the TWP website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series, and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuel….For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Butchering and Curing Program: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

They’re going whole hog at Barrington Living History Farm next month. On January 14 & 15 they’ll present a hog butchering and curing program to the public.

05—Butchering is just one part of many things that we do seasonally throughout the year.

Barb King is a park interpreter at the farm, located at Washington-on-the-Brazos SHS. The program takes place outdoors in January just as would have happened in 1850s rural Texas.

15—So, all the meat that will be produced, and the sausage and the fat that we will save for soap or cooking all needs to be at a constant temperature, which is cold—like your fridge—so that we can start the curing process without worrying about it spoiling.

The public will not witness staff dispatch the Ossabaw Island Hog: a heritage breed. But after that, Barb says the rest is for public view. And while this is primarily a demonstration…

18—People are able to do a tiny bit if they choose—like helping us scrape the hogs. But cutting up the carcass into specific portions of meat is only done by staff. A lot of people come right at 10, and we normally have a big group waiting. And then on Sunday, we focus on more of the preservation aspect.

Visitors may return Sunday to see how staff cures the meat for storage. The butchering and curing program at Barrington Living History Farm is January 14 & 15, beginning at 10 a.m. both days. Find complete details at texasstateparks.org.

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

 The Drought and Rainbow Trout Stocking: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The plan: stock more than a quarter million rainbow trout in over 120 locations statewide through March. The challenge: the ongoing drought, which has caused…

07—A combination of low water that doesn’t cool and doesn’t get enough oxygen in it and a combination of access to those sites.

Carl Kittle, who oversees the trout program for inland fisheries, says those two factors will probably mean stocking fewer fish in fewer locations. He adds there are locations statewide able to sustain this winter fishery.

16—We do feel confident there will be some trout stocking. The large reservoirs with tail races, particularly the Guadalupe River coming out of Canyon, are looking good. And, we have a pretty good level of confidence those will be good places to stock trout this year.

Kittle says if inland fisheries is unable to stock all the sites it usually supplies with rainbow trout, then it will put more fish in locations that are suitable. Kittle’s best advice: monitor the website for the most up to date information on the stocking situation.

16—That’s what I would say: watch the website very closely this year. We will identify stockings that look safe; stockings that can’t happen or won’t happen. And those notifications may happen close to the time of stocking and they may change frequently depending on weather conditions.

Find the stocking report on the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

We receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which funds trout stocking programs in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Winter Rainbow Trout Stocking: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Winter is no time to put up those fishing poles. That’s because each December Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Inland Fisheries Division stocks rainbow trout statewide.

07—Rainbow trout are a cold water fish, so the winter is the only time that we really have water here that will support them.

Carl Kittle oversees the trout program for inland fisheries. The trout, farm raised in Missouri, arrive at Texas four hatcheries via tank truck.

20—And then we redistribute them from our hatcheries to each of the stocking locations. We have over 120 locations where we have stocked trout in Texas. And how many trout are we expecting to stock this year? Our plan would be to stock about 280-thousand trout. However, this year is unique because of the ongoing drought.

Ah, yes…that pesky drought. The agency may reduce the number of fish and locations it stocks based on how long the drought continues and on conditions going forward.

15—Two things that can happen are that the water level can be so low that there’s no way for fishermen to get at the water. Or, more common what we’re running into right now—is that we don’t have enough clear water in place in a pond to be cool and high in oxygen and support the trout.

But all is not lost. There will be rainbow trout stocked for your fishing pleasure. Learn more on tomorrow’s show.

We receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which funds trout stocking programs in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 LBJ State Park Christmas Tree Lighting: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When Lyndon Johnson was president, he and the first lady started a tradition: the annual Christmas tree lighting at their Hill Country home in Stonewall.

19—This is one of the special times where community and family and friends can gather together for a traditional tree lighting in the Texas Hill Country. And it was sparked by the president and Mrs. Johnson 42 years ago so that the community could get together and enjoy the holiday spirit.

Since that first tree lighting, the homestead has become the LBJ State Park and Historic Site, and Iris Neffendorf its superintendent.

22—We really go all out here at the state park with decorations. And we open up with a wonderful tree lighting program in our courtyard, with a lighted native cedar tree. And there’s music, and folks that come and do many different things—even a live nativity scene.

This annual event is free and open to the public.

[Music: Here Comes Santa Clause…run through end of show]

20— The 42nd annual LBJ tree lighting is on Sunday, December the 18th at 6 pm. We also do a couple of pre program activities should the public want to come out earlier, and then see how it really turns into a festive event in the evening.

Find full details at www.texasstateparks.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti