AUSTIN, Texas — The inaugural 2006 Pro-Tour of Nature Photography next April 1-30 will bring together professional nature photographers and Texas hill country landowners, with 20 photographer-landowner teams competing for $200,000 in prize money. Organizers say it is the world’s first all-professional tournament for nature photography.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging students to take part in the Hometown Horned Lizard historical essay contest. The writing contest is designed to engage children in learning about and promoting conservation of the Texas state reptile.
AUSTIN, Texas — State and federal wildlife experts say the chance of people in Texas encountering wild migratory birds with HPAI H5N1 avian influenza this year is remote. However, authorities are launching proactive efforts to detect the disease if it comes to North America and they’re advising hunters about game bird handling to reduce general disease risks.
SAN MARCOS, Texas — Scientists, policy makers, water managers and interested citizens will gather at Texas State University here Oct. 31-Nov. 2 to discuss how to ensure adequate environmental flows for Texas rivers and streams and freshwater inflows into bays and estuaries along the Texas coast.
AUSTIN, Texas — The San Pedro Ranch owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Joseph Fitzsimons and his family has received the 2005 Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assoc. and the Texas Section of the Society for Range Management.
MCALLEN, Texas — A workshop to be held Nov. 5 will educate Rio Grande Valley landowners about available land management tools. The workshop is part of a statewide series designed to address the growing problem of Texas rural land being fragmented into smaller tracts, often involving urban-based owners who are interested in wildlife conservation but lack experience in wildlife or land management.
AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens continue to deliver food, water, medical assistance and peacekeeping support to East Texas counties still reeling from Hurricane Rita. Meanwhile, the number of state parks temporarily closed by Rita is down to four from about 20 two weeks ago. State wildlife management areas remain open, but fall hunters are being urged to use caution.
AUSTIN, Texas — The cool front that blew through Texas this week brought the leading edge of the annual migration of millions of monarch butterflies traveling south to their Mexico wintering grounds, and early indications are the monarch population has finally recovered from the severe snow storm that struck overwintering colonies in 2004.
AUSTIN, Texas — The endangered whooping crane may be the state's most famous "winter Texan." This year as biologists and bird-watchers anticipate the arrival of another record population on the Texas coast, Texas Parks and Wildife Department is offering a new tool for sportsmen to help protect whooping cranes and other similar birds.
AUSTIN, Texas — “Hummingbirds of Texas,” a new book by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employees that benefits hummingbird conservation, is the first work devoted to the 19 species of hummingbirds seen in Texas and surrounding states.