Regional Highlights - Panhandle Issues

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Panhandle Wildfire Update (Region P)

Wildlife biologists continue to assess the damage from devastating wildfires that scorched hundreds of thousands of acres across the Panhandle. The raging fires affected wildlife habitat by burning rangeland, federal Conservation Reserve Program grasslands, and timber along creek bottoms. In a sense, the fires showcased the historic norm before human fire suppression—large scale range fires followed by rain and rejuvenation. Long-term, the fires may have some benefits—brushy areas could come back more in grasses. Short-term, biologists are concerned about ground-nesting birds such as lesser prairie chicken, pheasant, quail and turkey, plus multiple nongame species, which now have little to no nesting and protective cover. TPWD will be closely monitoring the situation over the coming months.

Game Warden Academy Opens Up (All Regions)

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is taking applications for a game warden cadet class scheduled to start in October 2006. Applications were available beginning March 1, 2006 and will be accepted through April 14, 2006.

Twenty-five cadets will be accepted in the 52nd Game Warden Academy, which will begin its seven-month training in October 2006. More than 700 people applied for the 40 positions in the previous cadet class that graduated in July 2005.

- read news release "Applications Being Taken for Game Warden Academy" - 02/20/06