April 23, 2026

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Launches New Paddling Trail in Bay City

BAY CITY – On April 25, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will officially launch its 91st paddling trail at Riverside Park in Bay City.

April 22, 2026

Toyota ShareLunker Program Delivers a Memorable Collection Season

ATHENS – The 2026 Toyota ShareLunker collection season didn’t disappoint during its 40th Anniversary celebration with an incredible 18 Legacy Class ShareLunkers submitted from 10 different public lakes across the state of Texas.

April 21, 2026

Inks Lake State Park to Host Fourth Annual “Fun for All” Event Celebrating Accessible Outdoor Recreation on April 25

BURNET — Inks Lake State Park will welcome visitors of all abilities for its fourth annual Fun for All event on April 25, offering a day of hands-on outdoor experiences designed to make nature more accessible to everyone.

April 20, 2026

Lockhart State Park Grows by Almost 190 Acres with New Acquisition

LOCKHART — Lockhart State Park has expanded its boundaries by 188 acres with the acquisition of two neighboring properties. This new addition, which nearly doubles the size of the Austin-area park, was completed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Texas. With the new additions, the park is growing to about 453 acres.

April 17, 2026

TPWD Closing Oyster Harvest Area in Galveston Bay

AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is closing TX-1 in Galveston Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest beginning 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, April 21st. This closure is based on samples recently collected by TPWD showing a low abundance of legal-sized oysters.

April 15, 2026

Texas Fish Art Contest Reveals 2026 Winners

ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is pleased to announce the 2026 winners of the Texas division of the Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest. The contest is housed and administered by TPWD’s Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens.

April 14, 2026

11th Annual City Nature Challenge Kicks Off April 24

AUSTIN —The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), through the Texas Nature Trackers program, invites all Texans to participate in a four-day outdoor focused community event involving 16 Texas metropolitan areas for the 11th year of the City Nature Challenge, from April 24-27.

April 10, 2026

Parque Estatal Palo Pinto Mountains Celebra su Inauguración Oficial con Corte de Listón e Invitados Especiales

AUSTIN — El Parque Estatal Palo Pinto Mountains celebró oficialmente su inauguración el 10 de abril con un evento especial de corte de listón. Entre los asistentes estuvieron El Gobernador Greg Abbott, La Secretaria de Estado Jane Nelson, El Director ejecutivo del Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (TPWD), David Yoskowitz; El Presidente Emérito de la Comisión de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas, Lee Bass; El Presidente de la Fundación de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas, Michael S. Greene; y El Director de Parques Estatales de Texas, Rodney Franklin, quienes ofrecieron comentarios durante la ceremonia.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Celebrates Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting, Special Guests

AUSTIN — Palo Pinto Mountains State Park officially marked its grand opening April 10 with a special ribbon cutting event. Governor Greg Abbott, Secretary of State Jane Nelson, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director David Yoskowitz, Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Emeritus Lee Bass, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Chairman Michael S. Greene, and Texas State Parks Director Rodney Franklin were in attendance and spoke.

TPWD Cerrando las Áreas de Cosecha en la Bahía de Galveston y la Bahía de Matagorda

AUSTIN – El Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (TPWD) está cerrando el área de recolección de ostión TX-7 en la bahía de Galveston y la TX-20 en la bahía de Matagorda para la recolección comercial y recreativa de ostión. TX-7 cerrará a partir de las 12:01 horas del martes 14 de abril y TX-20 cerrará a las 12:01 horas del miércoles 15 de abril. Estos cierres está basado en muestras recolectadas recientemente por el TPWD que mostraron baja abundancia de ostiones de tamaño legal.