NEEDVILLE— Get outside this weekend at the Brazos Bend Expo from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Saturday, May 14 at Brazos Bend State Park. The Expo will have activities and programs all day for families to enjoy, as well as food trucks and a special visit from Smokey Bear.
ATHENS – The 2022 Toyota ShareLunker collection season claimed its spot as one of the best in program history. Anglers contributed 24 ShareLunkers from nine different lakes across the state, surpassing 2021’s impressive total of 23 Legacy fish. This season nearly matched 1995’s program record of 27 during a January through March collection timespan.
AUSTIN- The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Red snapper fishing is open year around in state waters. Bag and size limits will remain unchanged. The regulations are 2 fish per person daily with a 16-inch minimum size limit in federal waters, and 4 fish per person daily with a 15-inch minimum in state waters. Red snapper caught in federal waters count as part of the state bag limit of 4 fish. No more than 2 red snapper in federal waters and 4 red snapper in state waters may be in your possession while fishing.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) is pleased to announce the Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest winners for 2022.
ATHENS – Offspring from the Toyota ShareLunker Program are set to be delivered to waterbodies across the state. Between May and July, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will stock Texas lakes with pure Florida strain largemouth bass exclusively from broodfish produced from Legacy Class (13+plus pound) entries into the ShareLunker program. Dubbed “Lone Star Bass” to denote their special significance to Texas, the unique fish are made possible by the valued partnership with anglers who loan their fish to the program.
AUSTIN – The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed this week the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a great horned owl at a rehabilitation facility in Wichita County — the first such confirmed case in a wild bird in Texas. The facility quickly notified the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) after the owl began to show clinical signs consistent with HPAI. This case of HPAI follows an early April detection of the disease in a commercial pheasant flock located in Erath County.
AUSTIN –The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) is currently racing through Congress with unprecedented bipartisan support. RAWA could bring $50 million to the state to help protect wildlife, restore land and give Texans more ways to enjoy the outdoors. Help is needed to get RAWA to the finish line. The public is encouraged to contact their U.S. senators and representatives to vote “yes” for this important legislation.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is proud to reveal the 2022 Lone Star Land Steward Ecoregion Award winners. This year’s award winners represent a variety of conservation goals and accomplishments, all of which display excellence in natural resource management and stewardship.
VICTORIA- Texas Game Warden Trey Kram’s dedication to educating his community, engaging local organizations and pursuing poaching investigations has set a high standard among his peers and throughout the state. This month the National Wild Turkey Federation recognized Warden Kram as the Texas Wildlife Officer of the Year.
AUSTIN— The May issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, available on newsstands now, highlights the Lights Out Texas campaign, which aims to create a safer spring migration for birds through cities across the state. Lights both attract and disorient the birds.