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Hill Country Cedar: Combating Global Warming?

Texas’ cedar could bank carbon and fight global warming

New research suggests that juniper, mesquite and other woody brush that have overrun grasslands on the Edwards Plateau of west-central Texas aren’t the water hogs that they were thought to be. Further, bulldozing this brush may not be wise, because it would remove plants that take in lots of carbon from the atmosphere, making them a potential ally in efforts to counter global warming.

These are the findings of Dr. Jim Heilman, a Texas AgriLife Research scientist and professor of environmental physics in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University.

“People have this idea that trees are suction pumps, that if you have all of this landscape and big trees, much more water is used,” he said. “Not true. What drives water use is the energy supplied from the sun and the atmosphere.”

Heilman’s data show only “small increases” in the amount of water used due to brush encroachment. “It’s not because the trees are extracting large amounts of water that the grasses can’t reach, but because trees trap and absorb more sunlight than grasses,” he said. Continue reading Hill Country Cedar: Combating Global Warming?

Lake Arlington Paddling Trail

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) first lake-based trail for the Texas Paddling Trails programs is set to open on August 14 at Richard Simpson Park on Lake Arlington. The 10.9-mile Lake Arlington Paddling Trail is also TPWD’s first in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and is intended to allow paddlers to travel along the lake shore to enjoy a taste of nature in the middle of an urban center.

The trail was made possible through a partnership between TPWD and local parks and recreation departments with the cities of Arlington and Fort Worth. The Texas Paddling Trails program develops public inland and coastal paddling trails throughout the state with maps, signage and other information. The trails provide well-mapped accessible day trips in a variety of settings for people at all levels of paddling experience. Continue reading Lake Arlington Paddling Trail

Conference on Wind Power and Wildlife Issues

Wind Energy can have impacts on native wildlife

The Panhandle Wind and Wildlife Conference will be held this weekend, August 8 and 9 in Amarillo, Texas, and is designed to provide landowners with an impartial view of wind energy development. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), AgriLife Extension, and the Texas Wildlife Association are working together to offer the two-day conference.

Some topics will include the history and current state of wind energy, its future and viability, what is known about impact on wildlife, power transmission issues, land appraisals, and the impact on real estate values by wind energy development. Discussion panels will include landowners, several state senators and representatives, universities, agricultural organizations, conservation groups, the wind energy industry and state and federal agencies. Continue reading Conference on Wind Power and Wildlife Issues

Flounder Fishing Techniques

In Texas, flounder can be taken by rod and reel in almost any portion of any bay. However, it often is more productive to fish around jetties or oyster reefs that extend into the bay from shore. Flounder do not swim continuously and they tend to accumulate in places in their search for food. During the fall when flounder are moving to the Gulf for spawning, the best flounder fishing takes place in the channels and passes leading to the Gulf.

During the spring, wade fishermen work the edges of channels, such as the Intracoastal Waterway, as the fish are moving back into the bays.

Flounder can be taken by rod and reel or by gig. When fishing with rod and reel, light tackle is typically the go-to tackle for catching flounder. Both artificial lures and natural baits can be used to catch this patient flatfish. Over barren bottoms, lead heads rigged with plastic worms are often very effective. In heavily vegetated areas, shallow-running spoons are best.

Flounder show a decided preference for live bait over dead bait. Live shrimp retrieved slowly along the bottom often produce excellent results. Several species of killifish, referred to locally as mud minnows, fished in a similar fashion are good bait. These often can be taken in large numbers with a cast net or minnow seine.

Avoid Mosquito Bites to Prevent West Nile Virus

Prevent West Nile Virus by avoiding mosquito bites

Hot weather and stagnant water can be ideal conditions in which mosquitoes flourish. And while most mosquitoes are simply an annoyance, some may carry West Nile infections. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) officials say that the best way to protect yourself from mosquito-borne illnesses is to use an insect repellent every time you are outdoors. Look for insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Read and follow the label instructions.

West Nile and other mosquito-borne infections can cause potentially serious illnesses. West Nile infection is caused by the bite of an infected mosquito that gets the virus when feeding on infected birds and other wild animals. It is not spread from person to person through casual contact such as touching or kissing.

DSHS offers the following additional recommendations:

Drain standing water from around your home. Empty cans, buckets, tires, rain gutters, tree holes and saucers under potted plants regularly. Change the water in pet bowls, bird baths and wading pools several times a week. It only takes a thimble of water for mosquitoes to breed.
Limit the amount of time outdoors between dusk and dawn when those mosquitoes likely to carry infections are most active.
Dress appropriately when outside in mosquito-infested areas. Cover as much skin as possible to reduce exposure to mosquito bites and use a recommended repellent on exposed skin. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spray clothes with repellent containing either DEET or permethrin for extra protection. Be sure to follow label directions. Do not spray permethrin onto skin.
Mosquito-proof your house. Make sure door seals are secure and door and window screens are intact.

Symptoms of the milder forms of West Nile illness include fever, severe headache, muscle and bone aches, nausea and drowsiness. Symptoms of more serious neuroinvasive West Nile include a stiff neck, visual problems, altered taste, body tremors, mental confusion, memory loss and seizures. Symptoms usually appear from 3 to 14 days after a person is bitten.

People most at risk of developing symptoms include those older than 50 and those with compromised immune systems. Contact your local health care provider if you suspect West Nile illness. There is no specific treatment for West Nile infections. Other mosquito-born illnesses in the Panhandle and South Plains include St. Louis encephalitis and western equine encephalitis.

Fishing Lake Texoma: In Search of Striper Action

Lake Texoma Striper Fishing

We left out for a couple days of fishing on Lake Texoma this past weekend. After the four hour trip from my house in Texas we settled in to our hotel room in Denison and prepared to hit the lake for a few hours of fishing before it got dark. We launched the boat and had a few technical difficulties, but we soon cruised the lake near the dam. However, we had no luck — not a fish.

The next day we were up and on the lake before sunrise. We thought we might find some fish in the area, but nothing. Then we saw a congregation of boats and we went to investigate. As you’re probably aware, usually a bunch on boats in a location is a good sign, but after driving on over — nothing again. As it was mid-morning, we decided to just ride around the lake a bit (and there is plenty to ride around on since the lake is like 85,000 thousand acres) and then do some trolling.

That did’t yield much, so we kept moving and ended up on the Texas side of Lake Texoma near Little Mineral. We finally found a spot that was holding some sand bass (white bass) and we caught several. We were on the boards! We kept crusing down the Texas shoreline picking up fish here and there and then we found a spot that was holding some stripers. We worked the area for a while a picked up quite a few. They finally quit biting and it was past lunch time so we bugged out for a break and a bite to eat. My father and I returned that evening to fish a couple hours, but we only picked up a few sandbass and one nice striper.

The second morning proved to be the most successful. My father and I hit the lake at sunrise, but started just west of Eisenhower State Park. We tried a little bit of everything, but we weren’t having any luck. Then we moved to the area where we had picked up some stripers the day before, just west of Butterfly Cove. We caught some sand bass and even an occassional striper, but then we saw that the stripers were schooling and were on the surface — exactly what we had been waiting for!

We cruised over, dropped the trolling motor, and starting throwing topwater lures. The fish were in a feeding frenzy so all we had to do was put something with hooks in front of their face. Each cast would yield strikes and and soon it would be fish on! The schools would come up from anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes, but we finally found a school that was hanging out on top. My father and I each caught a limit of stripers (10 each) that morning and I caught many more that I threw back.

All in all, Lake Texoma was OK! That’s kind of an Oklahoma joke — but come to think of it we did catch all of our fish on the Texas side. I’m already looking forward to a repeat visit!

New Dallas Reservoir Still in the News

News reports over the weekend indicate the City of Dallas is considering appealing a U.S. district judge’s decision last week that essentially blocked plans by the city to build a new reservoir in East Texas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to create Neches River National Wildlife Refuge in the same area as the proposed Fastrill Reservoir. Conservation groups, East Texas communities and others in favor of the new wildlife refuge applauded the judge’s decision last week.

On Saturday, the Dallas newspaper quoted Dallas Assistant City Manager Ramon Miguez saying “We haven’t given up on Fastrill. Having said that, we’ve always subscribed to the philosophy that we’re not going to put all our eggs in one basket.” The Dallas story went on to say the city and Texas Water Development Board have not decided whether to appeal the judge’s ruling.

It also detailed other Dallas water supply and reservoir alternatives, including the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir on the Sulphur River. The story also quoted the assistant city manager saying “Conservation and reuse are an important part of our long-term water-supply strategy.”