Nov. 27, 2013

Landowner Enrollment Begins For Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Plan

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will host two informational meetings in December for private landowners regarding the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-wide Conservation Plan and the landowner enrollment process.  The meeting for landowners in the southern plains will be held in Sundown (Sundown School, S School Avenue) at 7 p.m.  Dec. 11.  The meeting for landowners in the northeast Panhandle will be held in Pampa (USDA Center, 12125 E. Frederic Ave. [Hwy. 60]) at 1 p.m.   Dec. 12.

Nov. 26, 2013

Endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Needs Support

AUSTIN — A spring morning on the Texas coast was once greeted with the haunting sound of male Attwater’s prairie chickens calling from the short prairie grass. Today the few remaining patches of Gulf Coast prairie are nearly silent.

Nov. 22, 2013

Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail Maps Updated

AUSTIN— Texas wildlife viewers and birders can now find the best spots to re-connect with nature through the newly revised Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail maps.

Nov. 14, 2013

NFWF Announces $8.8 Million for Gulf Restoration Projects in Texas

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 14, 2013 — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $8.8 million for five Texas projects that address high priority conservation needs. The projects, developed in consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office and federal resource agencies, are designed to remedy harm or reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Oct. 23, 2013

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endorses Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endorsed the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan, a landmark, collaborative planning effort to conserve a species proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Oct. 22, 2013

Mule Deer Hunters Reminded of CWD Testing Requirements

AUSTIN – Wildlife officials are reminding mule deer hunters and landowners in far West Texas about the protocols developed as part of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Chronic Wasting Disease management plan. The plan includes mandatory check stations for harvested mule deer taken inside the CWD Containment Zone, which covers portions of Hudspeth, Culberson, and El Paso counties. See map of CWD zones at http://tpwd.texas.gov/cwd.

Oct. 1, 2013

Coalition Extends Drought Photo Campaign, Asks Texans to Document Conservation, Positive Drought Response

AUSTIN — A the coalition of three state agencies has extended through October their “What does your Texas drought look like?” statewide photo project, which has already has received hundreds of compelling photographs documenting the devastation caused by the ongoing drought. And the coalition is now asking Texans to share photos showing the other side of the drought, by documenting innovative water conservation methods and positive drought responses.

Sept. 26, 2013

Outlook Favorable for Texas Deer Season

AUSTIN — While not clear of the drought, things are looking up in many parts of the state this year and the outlook for deer and deer hunting is much brighter.

Sept. 25, 2013

Big Time Texas Hunts Entry Deadline is Oct. 15

AUSTIN —Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reminds hunters the deadline to enter this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts is Oct. 15.

Sept. 24, 2013

Five States Submit 4th Draft of Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation Plan as Alternative to Federal Endangered Species Act Listing

Phoenix, AZ  – The 4th draft of a comprehensive conservation plan for the lesser prairie-chicken has been submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endorsement, a plan offered by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and state wildlife agencies in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. This latest version comes after extensive review and comment by stakeholders across the bird’s five-state range. Once the USFWS endorses the plan, the states can begin implementing it, in hope of precluding the need to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act.