AUSTIN – This week, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hunter Education. The first course in Texas was held on Feb. 28, 1972. Since then, over 1.5 million students have completed Texas Hunter Education throughout the state.
AUSTIN – Audubon Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), partners in the Bird City Texas initiative, are proud to announce that the City of Dripping Springs has received certification recognizing their efforts to ensure birds, wildlife, and people thrive in their communities. Dripping Springs exhibited leadership in 3 categories: Community Engagement, Habitat Protection, and Threat Reduction. The 3-year Bird City Texas certification for the community lasts through 2024.
ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens has partnered with Fishing’s Future and the George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar Education Fund to provide convenient fishing education opportunities for families throughout Texas.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame committee is pleased to announce that professional angler Gary Klein of Mingus, Texas will be inducted into the hall of fame in 2022. Klein has been an anchor in professional fishing for 42-years and an innovator on the cutting edge of the sport. Additionally, Klein generously gives back to the fishing community through volunteer work with kids and military veterans.
AUSTIN - Hunting-related accidents in Texas are at an all-time low since Hunter Education became mandatory in 1988, according to the 2021 Texas Hunting Accident Report released by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
MATHIS – Saturday, Jan. 29, park rangers at Lake Corpus Christi State Park are hosting their Kid Fish 2022 event as an opportunity for young anglers to learn how to fish and to enjoy the wonders of outdoor recreation.
AUSTIN- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on the proposed rules changing bag and size limits for spotted seatrout on the middle and lower Texas coast. The proposed rules would reduce the spotted seatrout bag limit to 3 fish and restrict the allowable size to 17-23 inches for two years. The goal of this rule is to leave more spawning fish in the water for two spawning seasons in order to help the populations recover quickly from the 2021 winter storm. These regulation changes would only affect Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre systems.
AUSTIN– Since 2012, the Game Warden Peace Officer’s Association has been working to relocate the memorial from the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens to the grounds of the Texas State Capitol. The life-size bronze figure of a Texas Game Warden stands to honor the wardens that lost their lives in the line of duty and serves as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the Texas Game Wardens.
AUSTIN – After a two-year hiatus, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is proud to announce that the Texas State Parks Ambassador Program will relaunch in early 2022. The program will begin accepting Ambassadors applications for Central and West Texas State Parks on Dec. 15.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) law enforcement reports.