BASTROP, Texas — Most of the men whose skilled hands during the 1930s and early 1940s helped build the structures that form the backbone of the Texas State Park system have passed on as the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps approaches. Those CCC workers who are still alive today are in their 80s and 90s.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Jan. 24 approved $5.85 million in grants for 15 Texas communities to acquire or develop city park outdoor and indoor recreational sites.
HOUSTON — Many of the 7,500 or so students who visit Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center each year see the solar power arrays and wind turbine generating clean electricity, but probably few of them know this site recently became the first Texas Parks and Wildlife Department building to get a prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
VICTORIA, Texas — Construction of the Victoria-Riverside Park Paddling Trail on the Guadalupe River is complete and the new trail access ramp will be dedicated on Wed., Jan. 23 at 10 a.m.
KYLE, Texas — Across Texas, a seismic shift in land ownership is transforming the landscape. Bigger ranches are giving way to ranchettes, resulting in loss of open range and fragmentation of wildlife habitat. One solution is landowners banding together for common benefits, which is the focus of the Texas Organization of Wildlife Management Associations (TOWMA) annual conference Feb. 1-2 in Kyle south of Austin.
EDITORS NOTE: In this issue of TPWD News, we forsake our usual format for the most part and provide a summary of the top news stories of 2007. Details about these topics can be found in the department’s online news archive. Please note that TPWD will not be distributing weekly news during the coming holidays. Weekly news distribution will resume on Jan. 14, 2008. Happy Holidays!
PILOT POINT, Texas — An international resort company that owns Dallas’ famed Southfork Ranch was the highest bidder last week at an auction to take over of Ray Roberts Lake State Park’s Lantana Lodge. The previous concessionaire at the park, Nature Leisure Times, LLC, had been in bankruptcy for more than a year.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Carter Smith was named executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Dec. 5 at a special meeting of the TPW Commission in San Antonio. Smith will be leaving the helm at The Nature Conservancy of Texas to take the top job at TPWD.
AUSTIN, Texas — Give a gift of the outdoors this holiday season to that favorite someone on your shopping list and you’ll get a present as well under a special Texas Parks and Wildlife Department promotion.
AUSTIN, Texas — For those who prefer Texas history, colorful traditions and the occasional outdoor setting for holiday festivities, Texas state parks are offering a variety of special events and opportunities for the public during the 2007 holiday season.