Better Outside, a new Texas Parks and Wildlife podcast brought to you by Whole Earth Provision Co., will launch its first season in late May with programs on a variety of topics such as paddling the Devils River, a trail across Texas and a feral hog bounty program. Find more information on upcoming episodes at betteroutside.com
The show will be hosted by Morgan O'Hanlon, senior writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, and David Yoskowitz, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Better Outside covers stories about conservation, recreation and the outdoors. In each episode, the hosts will take you on an acoustic journey to a place where Texans are working to build a better outside. Whether it's building a new trail, exploring a park or bringing back an endangered species, the topics will transport you to new places and teach you things you never knew about Texas.
Better Outside builds on TPWD's legacy of producing outstanding audio content. Under the Texas Sky, the agency's first original podcast, launched in 2019 and ceased production shortly after the retirement of its host, Cecilia Nasti. Prior to the launch of the podcast, TPWD produced a short-form radio segment, Passport to Texas, which ran for 26 years. “People are at the core of conservation work in Texas,” Yoskowitz says. “I'm excited for you to hear their voices straight to you so they can explain why the work they do matters and you can hear the impact it makes.”
Before joining TPWD in 2022, Yoskowitz served as the senior executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. At HRI, he oversaw the development of the Gulf Stream podcast and served as its host for several episodes.
O'Hanlon wrote for local newspapers and statewide magazines before joining the staff of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine in 2024. She developed a passion for the outdoors by exploring the Austin greenbelt as a kid. That passion grew into an obsession as she trained for the Texas Water Safari — a 260-mile canoe race from San Marcos to the Gulf Coast.