There’s something special about experiencing Texas from a kayak or canoe. And lucky for us, we have coastal and inland paddling trails to accommodate all levels of watery wanderlust.

07—The Texas paddling trails program began informally about a decade ago when Parks and Wildlife set up some coastal paddling trails.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. That first trail was just the beginning.

08—From that project, we now have seven coastal paddling trails in our paddling trail program. And, in March of 2006, we launched our first inland paddling trail in Luling.

Active community partners, and a thorough evaluation, are required of all would be trails – inland or coastal.

25—There are a few steps that need to happen for a paddling trail to become one of ours. And that includes a river survey to look at the water quality. Look at the wildlife, ecology, fishing opportunities that can happen along that river or bay. And then, again, meeting with the community, having a community partner that’s actively involved and interested in having paddlers come to their site. And then, developing kiosk materials, because we will have educational kiosks at every access point.

Seven new Texas Paddling Trails open to the public in the DFW area on May 10. Find information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Once the weather warms, you’ll want to get on the water and the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s PBS series can help. Producer, Abe Moore.

55—One of the stories I’m working on for the television show is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Paddling Trails Program. One of the places I went that’s really popular is the Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail down along the coast at Aransas Pass.

The paddling trails are all publicly accessible. There are put ins and take outs. The best part is, you get folks out on the water, and you’re not worried about trespassing, or having any property issues.

Thanks, Abe.

The story airs the week of March 27. Go to lifesbetteroutside.org/paddling for more information.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for boat ramps in Texas.

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

Kayaking and canoeing allow us to see nature from a new perspective. Some of these scenic waterways are official state paddling trails.

:11—The reason a Parks and Wildlife paddling trail is so special is because, we’re very interested in conservation issues, water issues, the importance of water for the state of Texas, and educating the public on all of these issues.

Shelley Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. If your community has a stretch of river or coastline you think is trail-worthy, submit a nomination.

:23—On our website, we have application forms that any community partner can fill out if they think they have a trail that has potential to be in our paddling trails program. The main requirement is that it’s a four to twelve mile river segment. We really want this to be a morning or afternoon river run that people can do with their family and friends, and not multi-day. If they have any questions, they can call the number on the website, or email, and we’ll review their application.

Applicants will receive a response in about a month – and if accepted — that’s when the work really starts.

:14—The process for us to be able to get a river survey done, work with the community to develop text for the website and the kiosks, get kiosks installed, create panels for the kiosks….the entire process to become a paddling trail could take between six to twelve months.

Find a link to the application on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

What could be more relaxing than kayaking along an inland or coastal paddling trail, taking in the beauty of nature?

:03—Water trails are one of the last public resources in the state.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

:16—In a state that’s about ninety-six percent privately owned, waterways are public passage. So the public has access to these waterways, and we just want to let people know they can go, and easily access the sites with community help, and paddle and see nature from a different perspective – down low on the water.

A community must nominate a stretch of river, or coastline, and then a thorough evaluation must take place before acceptance into the paddling trail program.

:18—Currently most of our trails are from Central Texas down to the coast. And so we are lacking paddling trails that have been nominated for east Texas, the DFW area, the Panhandle, West Texas…if we get too many for us to be able to do in a year, geographic diversity is going to play a role in which ones get accepted annually.

Details about how to nominate your stretch of river or coastline for the paddling trail program can be found at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

There’s something special about experiencing Texas from a kayak or canoe; Texas has coastal and inland paddling trails to accommodate all levels of watery wanderlust.

:07—The Texas paddling trails program began informally about a decade ago when Texas Parks and Wildlife set up some coastal paddling trails.

Shelly Plante is nature tourism coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. That first trail was just the beginning.

:08—From that project, we now have seven coastal paddling trails in our paddling trail program. And, in March of 2006, we launched our first inland paddling trail in Luling.

Other inland paddling trails are set to open throughout the year. Active community partners, and a thorough evaluation, are required of all would be trails – inland or coastal.

25—There are a few steps that need to happen for a paddling trail to become one of ours. And that includes a river survey to look at the water quality. Look at the wildlife, ecology, fishing opportunities that can happen along that river or bay. And then, again, meeting with the community, having a community partner that’s actively involved and interested in having paddlers come to their site. And then, developing kiosk materials, because we will have educational kiosks at every access point.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

With summer on the way, lots of us are thinking about ways to get out on the water. Bryan Frazier, our State Park guide, says parks offer plenty of opportunities for water-borne fun and learning.

One of the great things about being in Texas is the warm weather that we have, and then the water recreations that goes along with it. It’s just something that people look forward to every year—as being able to get out onto the water.

So, it’s something that families can do, or groups can do…and it’s something that we’re proud to do… and a great experience for folks to get out on the water this summer.

Thanks, Bryan!

Find more state park information at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show … with support form the SFWR program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

You don’t need much time or money to feel like you’re miles away from the responsibilities of life in the urban jungle. Just find a paddling trail.

Paddling trails are simply segments of the coast, or river, or in this case now a lake.

Ron Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is part of the paddling trail team. The newest paddling trail is at Lake Arlington. When you’re on this 10.9 mile shore-hugging path, the only decision you’ll have to make is where to go for refreshments when you take out.

We tell them where to put in, where to take out, where the regulations are, where the fun spots are, and some of the historic things about the area.

Moreover, you will see things you never thought you’d see in an urban setting.

You start to get into a more natural setting. And you go by the dam—most people don’t get to get that close to a dam—and then you turn, and you go past an undeveloped area along the shoreline, and you start seeing wildlife. Then you go behind an island into a little more of a riverine sort of setting. And you start seeing herons and all kinds of different wildlife that pop in and out of the trees. Really a unique paddling trail. We’re excited about this one.

So close, yet so far out. The Lake Arlington paddling trail dedication is August 14. Find more information about Texas Paddling Trails at passporttotexas.org.

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

On August 14, Texas gets its newest paddling trail located at Lake Arlington.

We’re very excited. This will be our first lake trail. And, not only that, it will be our first urban trail.

Ron Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is part of the paddling trail team. The new 10.9 mile trail hugs the shoreline of Lake Arlington, and is a partnership between the Arlington and Fort Worth Parks and Recreations departments.

The cities actually split right there on the lake. So, it’s a neat partnership for us and for them.

Smith was part of the team that surveyed the proposed site for the Lake Arlington Paddling Trail.

You know, one of the things we do here is we’re providing and improving public access to waterways around the state. So, when we go out, we look certainly at the access point. Does it need improvement? Do we need an additional one? We like for our trails to be between four and twelve miles.

What to expect when you put in at this new trail….that’s tomorrow.

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

The Texas River School, located in Austin takes kids in fourth through sixth grade, from under-served populations, on daylong river outings. Joe Kendall is program coordinator.

We teach them how to canoe, and we go down river to the mouth of Barton Creek, and float up the creek, and then take the kids to the Splash Exhibit so they learn how an aquifer works and why it’s so important to take care of it.

The Splash Exhibit is part of Austin’s Barton Springs Pool, named for the spring that feeds it. The school also teaches kids to snorkel to enrich the experience.

So, they hopefully can dive to the bottom of the pool and feel the source of the aquifer and understand that creates the pool, the creek, the river… So, they can get an appreciation of where the water comes from.

The program, which received a $30,000 outreach grant from TP&W is open to kids of all abilities.

We do the best we can. We took fourteen deaf students out canoeing yesterday. And then we have two trips with the blind school scheduled this summer.

Kendall says it’s not just important to get kids outside, he says it’s vital to help kids develop a life-long love affair with rivers.

There’s only one word that’s in more song titles than the word River, and that’s the word love.

Start your love affair with Texas rivers at passporttotexas.org.

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

About fifteen years ago, Joe Kendall and some of his friends decided to help protect Texas rivers by getting people involved in their care.

We started doing cleanups, and started the foundation with the idea of having an adoption program.

Kendall is the founder and executive director of the Austin Chautauqua Foundation.

We did festivals and Chautauquas—which is to combine entertainment and education and races. We ended up doing a program with some fifth graders, and we discovered that was probably the most rewarding thing for us; and we thought, also, for the rivers.

Rewarding for the rivers because the more people know and love rivers, the more people there will be to protect them in the future. The Texas River School, borne of Kendall and company’s original idea, gets a diverse group of kids on the water.

Fortunately, we have Texas Parks and Wildlife to thank for that. They have provided us with a grant every other year to take kids to the river that wouldn’t normally get a chance to go. They identify them as their non-traditional constituents…people that don’t use the parks. And they see that’s the minorities, economically disadvantaged, females and at-risk kids. So, we target all those areas and have taken over four thousand through our discover the source program.

The source, in this case, is the spring that feeds Barton Creek in Austin. We’ll tell you more about River School activities tomorrow.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Texas River School, http://www.texasrowingcenter.com/trs.htm