AUSTIN, Texas — On Feb. 20-21 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will debut its new Life’s Better Outside® Experience, in effect taking its TPW Expo on the road. In San Antonio and at similar events this year in Houston, Longview and Corpus Christi, visitors of all ages can try fishing, archery, birding, rock climbing, camping, Wildlife CSI, and other activities, with gear and guidance provided free.
AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has approved $2,545,249 in grants to pay for 10 boat ramp construction or repair projects across the state.
The funding receiving the commission’s OK at its January 28 meeting is made possible by the State Boating Access Program authorized by the 64th Legislature in 1975. The program provides funding for the purchase, construction, renovation and maintenance of boat ramps, access roads and other related projects aimed at improving the recreational boater’s access to public waters. The money for the program comes back to the states from the federal recreational boating gasoline tax and an excise tax on fishing tackle collected under the Federal Aid to Sport Fish Recreation Act.
Local governments will operate and maintain the ramps.
CORPUS CHRISTI — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials announced drop-off sites for the 8th Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program, scheduled this year from Feb. 19 to 28.
During this 10-day period, all Texas bays will be closed to crabbing with crab traps, and any traps left in the bay will be presumed to be abandoned and considered litter under state law, thus allowing volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find.
AUSTIN — Attractive as ornamentals and functional in some applications, invasive aquatic plants can also pose a threat to the state’s natural resources. To provide appropriate opportunities for use of certain non-native aquatic plants and algae without risking impacts to the state’s natural resources, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for help compiling a prospective list of exotics that could be allowed for sale in Texas.
ROCKPORT — Women interested in the outdoors are invited to attend the second annual Women in the Wild workshop, a weekend-long event being held by the Rockport chapter of the Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) on May 1-2. The event is designed to help familiarize women with the various outdoor activities in the Coastal Bend and encourage them to participate in a fun and safe outdoor environment.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department-Coastal Fisheries Division is hosting a series of workshops on how to get involved in the fisheries management process.
