Tag Archives: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Rescuing fish

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Wildlife biologists [last week evacuated] two species of minnows from the shrinking waters of a West Texas river in the first of what could be several rescue operations involving fish affected by the state’s worst drought in decades. Smalleye … Continue reading →

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Let the porkchopping begin!

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Are you ready for some death from above? “Pork choppers,” Texas’ newest weapon in the war on feral hogs, will take to the skies Thursday when it [became] legal for hunters to buy seats on hog-hunting helicopters and gun down … Continue reading →

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Thanks for helping us balance the budget, fishermen

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Shannon Tompkins explains how budgetary shenanigans have an adverse effect on Texas’ hunters and fishers. Every year, tens of millions of dollars in hunting and fishing license fees are left sitting in the state account used to fund … Continue reading →

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Austin braces for job losses

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come. The Texas Education Agency said Tuesday that it is laying off 178 employees this week. Those are among the first of thousands of state government layoffs expected in the coming weeks. The TEA decision … Continue reading →

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Invasive species report

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about a group of scientists cataloging invasive species in the area. Termed the Texas Rapid Assessment Team — Galveston, the group includes scientists from across the spectrum of disciplines and expertise conducting surveys and collecting samples to document … Continue reading →

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Texas gator population bouncing back

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The storm surge from Hurricane Ike in 2008 severely damaged alligator habitat in coastal marshes along the upper Texas coast, resulting in the outright death of a considerable number of gators. It also delayed the mortality of others … Continue reading →

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Please don’t play with the alligator

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You would think that this would be self-evident, but I guess not. For the most part, encounters between alligators and humans are harmless. Already this season in Harris County, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has logged more than 25 … Continue reading →

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The bears come back to East Texas

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Bears are slowly returning to the woods of East Texas thanks to thriving bear populations in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, wildlife officials say. As a result, sightings in East Texas have been on the rise, up from just five … Continue reading →

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The Texas Partnership for Children in Nature

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The National Wildlife Federation was in town this weekend for a summit to advance a national policy agenda to connect children with the outdoors. Basically, kids spend a lot less time outside these days, and there are measurable effects of … Continue reading →

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That cold was good for something after all

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t do anything to control the mosquito population, but that cold front did help with some other nuisances. The worst invasive plants are natives of warm climates — South America, mostly — and have limited tolerance to cold temperatures. … Continue reading →

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See you later, alligator

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know how much Hurricane Ike has affected and continues to affect people and property. I at least had no idea how devastating it had been to the state’s alligator population. The throaty bellow of adult male alligators, a … Continue reading →

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