Outdoor News - Wildlife Management Pro

Enroll Now for Texas Wildlife Conservation Camp

The Wildlife Conservation Camp focuses on exciting hands-on activities with presentations led by wildlife professionals from across Texas. The camp is open to high school students who have completed the 9th grade or higher. Subject matter includes wildlife and plant identification, wetland and coastal habitats, hunting as a management tool, species diversity, conservation ethics, wildlife capture and census techniques, wildlife tracking, predator-prey dynamics, white-tailed deer management, fishing, hunter safety, shooting skills and much more.

Campers especially enjoy the opportunity to interact with wildlife professionals and college students majoring in a variety of wildlife and conservation fields. Students considering careers in the natural sciences are strongly encouraged to attend! Continue reading Enroll Now for Texas Wildlife Conservation Camp

Texas Rainwater Harvesting Course Set

The value of water is becoming increasingly important in Texas, particularly through the recent drought that Central Texas experienced in 2009. As ponds and lakes went dry, residents realized that much value resides in underground and surface water. But regardless of where water is stored, it all comes from the same place—rain that falls from the sky. And as such, it can be contained, harvested, or collected before vanishing before our eyes.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service is offering a 1 ½ day course on the basics of rainwater harvesting on April 21 and 22 in Harker Heights. Even though the drought of 2009 in Central Texas may seem like a bad dream after a wet winter, there are many other good reasons to set up a rainwater harvesting system than an ongoing drought, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

“For many who get their water from wells, it is security if the well is running dry,” said Brent Clayton, AgriLife Extension assistant. “For those on municipal water, it is a way to irrigate when restrictions come into place. Others do it for environment. Rainwater harvesting uses less groundwater.” Continue reading Texas Rainwater Harvesting Course Set

Guadalupe River State Park Science Festival

If you enjoy science and the outdoors, head over to Guadalupe River State Park (GRSP) on April 24th for a Family Fun Science Festival! Interpretive Services and the staff of GRSP cordially invite you to bring your families to attend a grand opening celebration for the children’s interactive Discovery Center newly installed in the park. Families can enjoy a free hot dog lunch from the Friend’s Group before trying twenty different stations of science activities including nature drawing, looking at river insects under microscopes, petting live crawfish and taking home native plant seeds. Continue reading Guadalupe River State Park Science Festival

Game Warden Investigates Dead Ocelot

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Game Warden Matt Waggoner, based in Palo Pinto County, is investigating the discovery of a dead ocelot east of Palo Pinto early Sunday. This member of the cat species is normally found only in the lower Rio Grande Valley, so the presence of an ocelot in Northwest Texas is highly unusual, Waggoner said.

A motorist spotted the dead animal along the right of way of Highway 180 as of the county seat about 7:45 a.m. Sunday. After viewing the animal and realizing it was probably an ocelot, the woman’s father-in-law called Parks and Wildlife. Waggoner took custody of the carcass and refrigerated it. Continue reading Game Warden Investigates Dead Ocelot

Texas State Parks Get New Website

“New and improved” is how Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is touting it’s new state park web site. An yes, it may sound like an overused advertising gimmick, but TPWD says it certainly applies in this case. And just in time for the busy spring camping season, no doubt? Campers, hikers, boaters, and recreational enthusiast seeking information about their favorite Texas state parks on the TPWD Web site will be redirected to a new, redesigned online resource to help them plan their visits.

A year-long effort by the TPWD State Parks, Communications, and Information Technology divisions, the new Web site is dedicated entirely to the 93 Texas state parks operated by the TPWD. And the new parks site goes live, online this month at texasstateparks.org.

The new site is in response to an online survey TPWD conducted last year where over 3,000 visitors told the State exactly what they thought. Survey respondents made it clear that they seek more useful state park information online and want the pages to be more visually appealing. And I could not have agreed more! Continue reading Texas State Parks Get New Website

TPWD Offers Wildland Firefighter Training

The benefits of prescribed fire have been well documented, but it gets a bit hairy when a wildfire burns across the landscape. As such, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Deparment (TPWD) State Parks Division is collaborating with the Texas Forest Service (TFS) to offer three Wildland Firefighter Training Exchanges at state parks this January through March. Two exchanges have been completed to date, and the third is being held February 28 through March 6. As the collaboration develops, the trainings may be opened up to additional agencies and the public in years to come.

The idea for the training exchange arose last year when State Parks Wildland Fire Program Manager Jeff Sparks was visiting with TFS Mitigation and Prevention Coordinator Rich Gray. Jeff explains, “We were discussing how we could better provide training and experience opportunities to inexperienced firefighters, and also training opportunities to firefighters working to increase their firefighter qualification levels.” Continue reading TPWD Offers Wildland Firefighter Training

Moose Excited Over Buffalo Statue!

Wild animals, like people, will always have the urge to do what comes naturally—and it all depends on how the mood strikes! Luckily for wildlife biologist, wild animals usually have no trouble keeping the population growing if suitable habitat is available for the species. Every wildlife species has a defined breeding period, and during this time animals act much different than they do during the remainder of the year.

Apparently the breeding season was in high gear and the desire to mate was striking this moose right between the, uh, eyes, because this moose definitely had eyes for this buffalo. Well, not exactly a buffalo, but more like a buffalo statue! Some pervertedly lucky photographer was able to capture this young, bull moose mounting an unreceptive buffalo statue! Like every young male, he was just ready to jump on anything that would sit still!