The San Pedro Ranch owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Joseph Fitzsimons and his family has received the 2005 Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assoc. and the Texas Section of the Society for Range Management.

The award was presented Oct. 6 at the TSSRM annual awards banquet at South Padre Island. This is the second year for this award, which was created “to recognize those who have demonstrated outstanding skill and knowledge in practicing sound management and care of rangeland resources.”

A team that finished last nine years ago stormed back to win the weeklong competition in this year’s 9th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic, which has announced a list of habitat conservation projects selected by winning teams.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has adopted a series of changes to state hunting and fishing regulations that offer greater harvest flexibility on lands managed for mule deer and prairie chickens, while simplifying and expanding hunting opportunity in other areas.

Based on the department’s popular Managed Lands Deer Permit program that provides incentives to individuals that conduct habitat improvement projects on their property for the benefit white-tailed deer, the commission approved similar opportunities for mule deer and prairie chickens.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for some skilled anglers to help catch spotted sea trout and flounder for its hatchery breeding program. Rough work, but someone’s got to do it, and TPWD is dangling some nice bait—one angler at each of four special tournaments coming up on the Texas coast will win a lifetime fishing license.

With the new Coastal Fisheries Bay Team program, TPWD is working with coastal conservation groups to recruit experienced folks who have the skill to handle fish so they arrive alive and well at the hatcheries.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging the public to provide input about a slate of proposed changes in hunting and fishing regulations.

Each year, TPWD considers regulation changes to achieve resource-management objectives and maximize outdoor recreation opportunities consistent with good stewardship.