AUSTIN – The 2021 early teal hunting season arrives this Saturday (Sept. 11) and Texas hunters can once again expect a good season. Habitat conditions across much of the state are in outstanding shape which is a great sign going into the season.
AUSTIN— With Labor Day weekend approaching, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is reminding everyone to be safe this holiday by following basic boating and water safety precautions. In 2020, Texans took advantage of the outdoors and hit the waters in droves, driving recreational boating accidents to a 30 year high. Outreach efforts by Texas Game Wardens and community partners have resulted in a 24 percent decrease in boating related accidents but numbers remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has designated Lake Worth in Tarrant County on the Trinity River basin as “infested” with invasive zebra mussels. Infested status signifies that there is an established, reproducing population of zebra mussels in the lake. The designation is a result of recent sampling efforts.
AUSTIN – Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been discovered in a deer breeding facility in Duval County, marking the first positive detection of the disease in the county.
AUSTIN— The Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission will hold a special meeting on proposed rules related to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Earlier this year, the discovery of CWD in six deer breeding facilities necessitated the filing of emergency rules in an attempt to stop the further spread of this disease. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff has been working with Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and numerous stakeholder groups to develop rules that will ultimately replace the emergency rules.
AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is proud to announce that the short film, “Bayou City”, has been nominated for a 2021 Jackson Wild Media Award in the Ecosystem – Short Film category. The film explores the 22 diverse bayou systems throughout the city of Houston.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will begin the Alligator Gar Harvest Authorization drawing application process on September 1.
BREWSTER COUNTY – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is proud to announce that Black Gap Wildlife Management Area (WMA) has been designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). Black Gap WMA is the second TPWD property to receive the Sanctuary designation, joining Devils River State Natural Area – Del Norte Unit which was designated as a Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2019.
AUSTIN — September marks the start of dove season for almost 300,000 Texas hunters per year. After Winter Storm Uri hit the state in February, many hunters are wondering how the snowfall and below-freezing temperatures may have affected dove populations. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists report that hunters can expect a good dove season, especially in the South Zone.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is now accepting grant applications for the Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP). CO-OP provides grant funding to tax-exempt organizations for programs that engage under-represented populations in TPWD mission-oriented activities. These grants support community-based conservation and outdoor recreation activities such as archery, fishing, camping, hiking, hunting, nature education and more.