GALVESTON, Texas — The loss of lives and property inflicted by Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island and the upper Texas coast a year ago on Sept. 13 has been well-documented. Less known, however, is the Category 2 storm’s considerable impact on southeast Texas’ natural resources and the challenges facing those persons entrusted with returning impacted flora and fauna to health.
AUSTIN, Texas — A total of $225,000 in Texas Healthy Habitats Grants has been awarded to 15 different schools and non-profit youth organizations across the state, including near Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, Bryan, Lubbock and other cities. Each organization will receive up to $15,000 to support students doing service-learning projects to benefit wildlife and the environment.
LUBBOCK, Texas — A new brochure titled "A Shared Future" details how the lesser prairie-chicken is an indicator of rangeland health and part of the West Texas heritage, how it could affect agriculture and rural property if the bird is listed as threatened or endangered, and what landowners and others can do to conserve wildlife habitat and safeguard the region’s economy, outdoor recreation opportunities and natural legacy.
Brownsville, Texas — Some exciting news for entomologists: a new species of tree cricket has been found in the United States. On May 16, 2009, Nancy Collins from Wisconsin and Laurel Symes, a PhD candidate at Dartmouth University, heard a tree cricket sing at Resaca de la Palma State Park and World Birding Center in Brownsville. On a return trip in June they found another cricket at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park, another World Birding Center in Mission. Further analysis by Dr. Thomas J. Walker, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida-Gainesville, revealed that it was an unnamed species of Oecanthus. Collins says that it will be called Alexander’s tree cricket, in respect of R. D. Alexander who first discovered them in Mexico in the 1960s.
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Dan Allen Hughes Jr. of Beeville to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2015. The commission oversees the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
AUSTIN, Texas — Because of a sponsorship revenue decline related to the economic recession, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is cancelling the Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo set for Oct. 3-4 in Austin. The agency will suspend the Austin event for at least this year and 2010 and will instead expand efforts to support similar events around the state.
ATHENS, Texas — The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center has announced the winners in the 2009 State-Fish Art Contest.
AUSTIN, Texas — The call is going out to public and private/nonprofit middle and high schools across the state: Texas Healthy Habitats Grants of up to $15,000 are now available from the Texas Center for Service-Learning, with applications due June 19. The grants will support students doing service-learning projects to benefit wildlife and the environment, made possible with a donation from EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
AUSTIN, Texas — Despite welcome rains in late March, much of Texas remains parched by prolonged drought of historic proportions, and wildlife die-offs of whooping cranes and deer have been reported. However, experts say native wildlife evolved to bounce back from drought, and a bigger issue is how human water use is changing the equation, and how drought underscores the need for water planning and conservation.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Master Naturalist program has reached 1 million volunteer service hours. This major milestone marks the 10th anniversary of the program, which began in Texas but has since given rise to a growing national movement.