VALLEY VIEW – Ray Roberts Lake State Park is excited to announce the grand opening of a new Nature Center at the Johnson Branch of the park Saturday, October 9. The grand opening event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning with a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony followed by tours of the facility. The park is also waiving entrance fees for this special event.
AUSTIN – With the opening of deer season on the horizon, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists are asking that hunters and landowners throughout the state be mindful of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) as new cases of the disease have been discovered in individual locations within multiple counties throughout Texas.
AUSTIN — For the next two weeks, Texans are invited to take part in the sixth annual statewide Pollinator BioBlitz. The goal of the BioBlitz, which runs from Oct. 1-17, is to raise awareness of the diversity and importance of pollinators while bringing greater attention to the critical habitat needs of monarchs and native pollinators across the state.
ROCKSPRINGS— Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area is commemorating 50 years as a National Natural Landmark with a festival, and special bat and stargazing programs at the park. The celebration will run from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Oct. 1 and continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 2. Programming will vary each day but will end with an evening bat show. The bat shows will begin at 7 p.m. every evening.
GALVESTON — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Game Warden Association will be hosting the 3rd annual Cast Away Rods Guppy Cup KidFish on Saturday, September 25. The competition will run in conjunction with the Galveston Island Shrimp Festival and National Hunting and Fishing Day.
AUSTIN – For generations, Texas sportsmen and women have understood that fish and wildlife populations and habitats must be managed for present and future generations to appreciate and enjoy. As they take to the hunting field or cast their line into a lake or the Gulf of Mexico, they know they are not only enjoying the state’s bounty but are helping to conserve it.
AUSTIN – Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists say that 2021-22 is expected to be a white-tailed deer season for the books. Last year, the overall white-tailed deer population was estimated to be 5.4 million deer. While that estimate is down from the previous two years, TPWD biologists say that if fawn recruitment predictions hold true this season, coupled with good carryover of deer from last hunting season, hunters and landowners can expect to see an increase in the overall statewide white-tailed deer population.
FORT WORTH — Once common, the Texas horned lizard is now one of more than 1,300 species of concern across the state. But there is good news for the little “horned toad.” Today, a coalition of zoos and wildlife scientists released 204 captive-raised hatchlings into the wild (100 of them hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo), and this follows new evidence this year that previously released lizards are now reproducing. Meanwhile, a landmark bipartisan proposal now moving through Congress, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, would bring the resources needed to save this species and hundreds like it.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwaters Fisheries Center (TFFC) will be the site of “The Sunfish Showdown” tournament slated for September 25. The event, held in conjunction with National Hunting and Fishing Day, will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and provide fun for the whole family.
AUSTIN— Texas Game Wardens patrolled more than 2,500 hours throughout the busy Labor Day holiday ensuring boaters and anglers enjoyed a relaxing wrap up to their summer.