Rare Piranha Catch Illustrates Need to Prevent Invasive Aquatics in Texas
AUSTIN – A rare catch of a red-breasted piranha in a community lake near Houston recently illustrates the need for prohibition of invasive aquatic species in Texas waters.
Storm Beryl Alert
In anticipation of storm Beryl, TPWD is closing some coastal sites, opening camping spaces to shelter evacuees and preparing personnel and resources to assist with search and rescue operations. The latest on storm Beryl's impacts to TPWD sites are posted to our media page. For park closure updates, see the Texas State Parks Alert Map.
AUSTIN – A rare catch of a red-breasted piranha in a community lake near Houston recently illustrates the need for prohibition of invasive aquatic species in Texas waters.
BASTROP – State park fans reeling from the closure of Bastrop State Park due to destruction caused by the recent wildfire that blackened all but 100 acres of the park can still enjoy a fall outing in the “Lost Pines” by visiting its nearby sister state park that escaped unscathed and reopened this week.
ATHENS—Some 172,000 fish were lost in Fairfield Lake in September in what has become an annual event at the Luminant power plant lake adjacent to Fairfield Lake State Park.
AUSTIN – Beyond the loss of lives and property, the still-smoldering Bastrop Complex Fire has had a significant impact not only on the iconic and highly-popular Bastrop State Park but much of the entire Lost Pines ecosystem. The fire, which began north of the park on Sept. 4, claimed two lives, destroyed more than 1,500 homes, and changed the lives of thousands in Bastrop County.
ATHENS—The 26th season of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Toyota ShareLunker program kicks off October 1, and reports from around the state indicate the fishing may be excellent despite the hot weather and drought.
BASTROP – Bastrop State Park will be closed through at least October as Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel continue to douse hot spots on the mostly-burned property and begin assessing damage as well as developing a plan to get the park reopened to the public.
QUITAQUE – Eighty descendants of the great Southern Plains bison herd that numbered in the tens of millions in the mid-19th century will once again roam the range of their ancestors at Caprock Canyons State Park.
BASTROP, Texas – Despite earlier optimism, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department firefighters and other personnel were still facing a fire threat to historic structures at Bastrop State Park today.
AUSTIN — Texas’ largest state park, Big Bend Ranch State Park near Presidio, may soon be expanding by 520 acres along the Rio Grande River.
AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Nature Conservancy have identified a property in Palo Pinto and Stephens Counties near the town of Strawn as a potential site for a new state park.