The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will meet in Austin to consider a full agenda on January 24-25. On Wednesday, the commission will be briefed on proposed changes to hunting and fishing regulations for the 2007-2008 seasons and staff will ask for approval to post the proposed changes to the Texas Register for public comment. A series of public hearings will be held across the state in the coming weeks, with final adoption of next year's seasons and bag limits and other regulatory changes to come in April. Commissioners will also be discussing proposed license fee and structure changes. TPWD staff has been looking at ways to streamline and simplify the license structure and will ask the Commission for permission to post the proposed changes in the Texas Register for public comment. The changes would come back for approval in April to be implemented on September 1, 2007. Also on Wednesday, commissioners will hear details of a proposal to sell Texas Game Warden Training Academy land in Central Austin with sale proceeds dedicated to development of a new training facility at the Police Activities League land in Hamilton County, which was donated to TPWD last year. In another land transaction, the Commission will be briefed on a land donation in Brewster County by the Texas Bighorn Society which would add 260 acres to the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. (Continued on page 2)
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The latest video documentary from TPWD about water resources, Texas the State of Springs, will air at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations in the state. The one-hour TV program is part of a broader TPWD public information initiative that began with a special water resource issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine in July 2002 that has become an annual special issue every July since. The initiative also includes radio, Internet and other educational components. Broadcast news legend Walter Cronkite has again lent his distinctive voice to this latest project. This year’s documentary will examine the historical decline of springs across the state and explore current groundwater and land use issues that impact spring flow. It will look at how groundwater pumping and water marketing in rural areas can affect springs, along with how proper land management can enhance and even restore spring flow. It will show how conservation easements and land acquisitions are used to protect key elements of watersheds. It concludes with how urban homeowners can have a positive impact and dramatically reduce their water bills through native plant landscaping and other water conservation measures. The 2007 documentary is made possible in part thanks to sponsors Shell Oil Company, The Partnership Foundation, Lower Colorado River Authority and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. By late this month, interested parties should be able to watch a video preview of the documentary on the State of Water Web site.
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