Storm Beryl Alert
In anticipation of storm Beryl, TPWD is closing some coastal sites, opening camping spaces to shelter evacuees and preparing personnel and resources to assist with search and rescue operations. See storm Beryl updates. For closure updates, see the Texas State Parks Alert Map.
AUSTIN, Texas — A total of $225,000 in Texas Healthy Habitats Grants has been awarded to 15 different schools and non-profit youth organizations across the state, including near Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, Bryan, Lubbock and other cities. Each organization will receive up to $15,000 to support students doing service-learning projects to benefit wildlife and the environment.
At a time when people in big cities are becoming increasingly disconnected from the world of nature and the outdoors, Take Me Outdoors Houston on Oct. 10 at Discovery Green will offer Houston’s first free, family-oriented festival of the outdoors.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Professional and recreational sport shooters in the Kerrville, Waco and San Antonio areas will benefit from the $240,000 in matching grants that their local target range facilities will receive to continue previously funded construction and renovation projects.
AUSTIN — More and better off-highway vehicle (OHV) facilities will surface around Texas after a bill passed during the 81st Texas Legislature this year will allow Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to use all of the funds generated from OHV decal sales.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging hunters in need of certification to enroll soon as fall hunter education courses are filling up fast. As hunting seasons draw closer, demand for hunter education classes is expected to increase.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas hunting and fishing licenses for 2009-2010 will go on sale Saturday, Aug. 15. Sportsmen are reminded all current Texas annual hunting and fishing licenses (except for the year-to-date fishing license) expire Aug. 31.
AUSTIN, Texas — Duck hunters in Texas will once again get the liberal waterfowl season with a 74-day season and six bird daily bag limit framework during the 2009-2010 general waterfowl seasons, but mottled ducks will be off the table during the first five days. The framework has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is pending adoption by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Aug. 27 public meeting.
WASHINGTON-ON-THE-BRAZOS, Texas — Barrington Living History Farm in Washington County northwest of Houston seems a little emptier this week.
Brownsville, Texas — Some exciting news for entomologists: a new species of tree cricket has been found in the United States. On May 16, 2009, Nancy Collins from Wisconsin and Laurel Symes, a PhD candidate at Dartmouth University, heard a tree cricket sing at Resaca de la Palma State Park and World Birding Center in Brownsville. On a return trip in June they found another cricket at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park, another World Birding Center in Mission. Further analysis by Dr. Thomas J. Walker, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida-Gainesville, revealed that it was an unnamed species of Oecanthus. Collins says that it will be called Alexander’s tree cricket, in respect of R. D. Alexander who first discovered them in Mexico in the 1960s.
AUSTIN, Texas — Thirteen chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program have announced fall training classes for volunteers wanting to help conserve our natural resources.