www.TPWMAGAZINE.COM O j an u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 T h e O U T D O O R M A G A Z I N E o f T E XAS Plus: BAT MANIA grasslands terry hershey OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE TOYOTA TEXAS BASS CLASSIC The 2015 Tundra Bass Pro Shops Off-Road Edition. Built in Texas with an available 5.7V8 and all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth®, back-up monitor and more. Ready to take on hunting, fishing or whatever the great outdoors brings, in style. www.toyota.com Assembled in Texas with U.S. and globally sourced parts. j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 Features 26 cover story Seeing Stars By Rob McCorkle State parks embrace measures to protect dark skies at night. 36 ­­­­Bat Mania 44 ­­­­Islands of Grass By Amy Price Texans go batty for these pest-eating fliers that face an uncertain future. By Russell A. Graves Texas has lost most of its prairie, but pockets of grassland are preserving diversity. Visit our online archive at www.tpwmagazine.com. Find us on Facebook. For the latest information on Texas’ parks and wild- life, visit the department’s ­website: www.tpwd.state.tx.us. 4 O january/february 2015 Texas Parks & Wildlife O 5 Departments 8 At Issue By Carter P. Smith 10 Foreword/Mail Call Our readers share their ideas. 12 Scout: A Stamp for Fish Fund has raised $60 million in 10 years for hatcheries and stocking. By Dyanne Fry Cortez 14 Park Pick: After the Flood McKinney Falls is recovering from 2013’s damaging deluge. By Stephen Garrett 16 Flora Fact: Cut the Mustard Draba provides some of Texas’ earliest spring foliage. By Jason Singhurst 18 Wild Thing: Killer on the Prowl The cannibalistic wolf snail lives up to its name. By Ben Hutchins 20 Picture This: Digital Darkroom Post-processing allows a wide array of enhancements to be made to a photograph. By Earl Nottingham 22 Skill Builder: Natural Forecast Plants, animals and skies give clues to impending storms. By Dawn Bello 24 Three Days in the Field: Time Stands Still El Paso attractions preserve and illuminate the rich history of the area. By Rob McCorkle 50 Legend, Lore & Legacy: Force of Nature Terry Hershey’s environmental activism changed Houston and sparked conservation in Texas. By Lydia Saldaña 58 Parting Shot By Chase A. Fountain Covers front: Stars light up the night sky over an old bridge near Llano. State parks are playing a leading role in the national movement to preserve nighttime dark skies. Photo © Tod Grubbs back: A purple coneflower sprouts up from the prairie at the Nature Conservancy’s Clymer Meadow Preserve in North Texas. The preserve protects one of the largest and most diverse remnants of Blackland Prairie. Photo © Sean Fitzgerald Previous spread: Lightning streaks across the sky over the prairie near Dodd City in North Texas. Photo © Russell A. Graves This page: A windmill catches the breeze as the moon rises in the Rio Grande Valley. Photo © Derrick Hamrick / rolfnussbaumer.com 6 O january/february 2015 In the Field T he o u td o o r ma g a z ine o f T E X A S J a n u a r y / f ebru a r y 2 0 1 5 , ­ V o l . 7 3 , N o. 1 Governor of Texas Rick Perry Commission Dan Allen Hughes Jr., Chairman Beeville Ralph H. Duggins, Vice Chairman Fort Worth T. Dan Friedkin, Chairman-Emeritus Houston Roberto De Hoyos Houston Bill Jones Austin James H. Lee Houston Margaret Martin Boerne S. Reed Morian Houston Dick Scott Wimberley Lee M. Bass, Chairman-Emeritus Fort Worth Executive Director Carter P. Smith Communications Director Josh M. Havens M a g a z i n e St a f f : Randy Brudnicki Publisher Louie Bond Editor Russell Roe Managing Editor Nathan Adams Art Director Sonja Sommerfeld Photo Editor Earl Nottingham Chief Photographer Chase A. Fountain Photographer Traci Anderson Business Manager Alayna Alvarez, Katy Schaffer Editorial Interns Catherine Groth Photography Intern C ON T RI B U T IN G W RI T ERS : Mike Cox, Steve Lightfoot, Rob McCorkle, Larry D. Hodge, Dyanne Fry Cortez, Stephanie M. Salinas C ON T RI B U T IN G p h o t o g r a p h e r S : Russell A. Graves, Tod Grubbs, Clark Crenshaw Editorial Offices: 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744 Phone: (512) 389-TPWD Fax: (512) 389-8397 E-mail: magazine@tpwd.texas.gov Advertising Sales Offices: S tone W allace C ommunications , I nc . c/o TP&W magazine 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744 Jim Stone, Advertising Director (512) 799-1045 E-mail: jim.stone@tpwd.texas.gov s ub s c r i p t i o n s : (800) 937-9393 Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine (ISSN 0040-4586) is published monthly with com- bined issues in January/February and August/September by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Rd., Austin, Texas 78744. The inclusion of adver- tising is considered a service to subscribers and is not an endorsement of products or concurrence with advertising claims. Copyright © 2015 by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without the permission of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. The magazine is not responsible for the return of unsolicited materials provided for editorial consideration. Subscription rate: $18/year; foreign subscription rate: $27.95/year. POST­­MASTER: If undeliverable, please send notices by form 3579 to Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, P.O. Box 421103, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1103. Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas, with additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBER: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obliga- tion unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine is edited to inform readers and to stimulate their enjoyment of the Texas outdoors. It reflects the many viewpoints of contributing readers, writers, photographers and ­illustrators. Only articles written by agency employees will always ­represent policies of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. S U B S CRI BER SERV I C ES Subscription inquiries only, please. Phone: (800) 937-9393 Russell Blackland A. Graves near Dodd grew up City, in where Texas on he spent the northern Prairie countless hours roaming the open prairies around his coun- try home. As a writer, photographer and filmmaker, he has spent the last 25 years telling stories of rural people and places in Texas and how the two are inextricably connected. For this month’s story on prairies, he didn’t have far to travel as several remnants of Blackland Prairie are just a few miles from where he grew up in rural Fannin County. As a self-professed “plant nerd,” he loves to photograph and identify plants he’s never docu- mented before. With the diversity of native prairies, he found plenty to keep him busy. Russell’s work can be found at www.russellgraves.com. writer/storyteller for the Amy Price organization the is grant Bat Conservation International. global She conservation regularly communicates with bat conservation colleagues and partners around the world, bringing stories of their field work to new audiences. Bats are a late and unexpected passion for Amy. As a native of San Antonio, she grew up watching the bats of Bracken Cave on Doppler radar on the 10 o’clock news but didn’t realize their value to Texans until she began working with BCI eight years ago. Bats now factor into everything from camping with her children to her work as a certi- fied national wildlife habitat steward to the growing collection of bat folk art at her home and office. lydia saldaña is communications director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation after 23 years with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, including 17 years as TPWD’s communications director. She interacted with dozens of Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission members during her tenure, and Terry Hershey, featured in this month’s Legend, Lore & Legacy, ranks among the most memo- rable for her reputation as a powerful environmental advocate, her steadfast support for parks and her status as one of only a handful of women to have served on the commission. Lydia is assisting Audubon Texas in rolling out the inaugural Terry Hershey Texas Women in Conservation Award and believes it is about time to recognize the many contributions women have made to conservation in Texas. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 7 from the pen of carter p. smith History certainly suggests I am not much of a soothsayer. Nor, as my wife will attest, am I much of a New Year’s resolution maker. That being said, with the advent of 2015 upon us, I do want to share a few words about what is on the department’s seemingly never-ending “to-do list” in the coming year. First, I hope you will indulge me as I look back into the 2014 rear-view mirror at some of the more notable highlights in the realms of Texas’ lands, waters, fish, wildlife and parks. Your TPWD team, along with its many private and public partners, had a pretty fruitful year. And, as the hunters, anglers, park-goers and outdoor enthusiasts who make that work possible, you deserve an accounting of what we helped accomplish on behalf of our home ground. It was a busy year on the coastal waterfront with TPWD’s expansion of the five-trout limit up through Matagorda Bay and the work of Aransas County and CCA to reopen the historic fish pass at Cedar Bayou between San Jose and Matagorda islands. Add to it the acquisition of Powderhorn Ranch, the reopening of Sea Rim State Park, the celebration of the 100th birthday of the Battleship Texas, the reefing of a ship off Corpus Christi and record years for both flounder production and oyster restoration. It was a banner year for the Gulf Coast. Inland, the outcomes were no less impressive. Guadalupe bass, the state fish of Texas, was successfully restored in the Blanco River, where it had been absent for over two decades. In West Texas, bighorn sheep were restored to Nine Point Mesa and Capote Peak, while Eastern turkeys were returned to portions of the East Texas woods. A massive five-state, range-wide conservation effort was launched to help recover the lesser prairie-chicken, and the third year of transplanting pronghorn antelope from the Panhandle Plains to the Marfa and Marathon basins was successfully undertaken. Major research, conservation and outreach initiatives to help recover the beloved bobwhite were launched in places from the Rolling Plains to the Coastal Plains. Our new K-9 teams more than proved their mettle in helping our officers locate unlawfully taken fish and game. On the recreation front, new paddling trails were added on waterways such as the Lower Neches and over 25 miles of public river access were leased to offer more fishing opportunities. The one millionth hunter education student was certified, and the new Outdoor Annual app and online public hunting program systems were launched, making it even easier for outdoor enthusiasts to get out and hunt and fish throughout the state. Meanwhile, our state parks team significantly expanded the Texas Outdoor Family program, worked with Texas A&M University to update the State Parks Economic Impact Study, and worked toward finalizing public use plans for the new Devils River State Natural Area unit, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park and the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area. Rest assured, we have no plans to rest on our laurels. 2015 will be just as busy, if not busier. We have an active legislative session to work our way through. We also have plans to roll out a new and improved Mother Neff State Park, open new cabins at Fort Boggy State Park, partner with CCA and the TPW Foundation to build a major reef off Port O’Connor, complete a monarch butterfly conservation plan, wrap up a statewide catfish management plan, add a new wildlife management area in the Texas Panhandle, help host the national Children in Nature conference, expand public hunting and fishing opportunities and kick off the first-of-its-kind joint law enforcement academy for the state’s game wardens and park police officers. We’ll also continue important fish and wildlife conservation efforts, including those on Guadalupe bass, oysters, pronghorns and Eastern turkeys. And we’ll keep fighting the good fight against the spread of exotics such as giant salvinia and zebra mussels and continue the pioneering research at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area on the control of feral hogs. Be assured your team at TPWD joins you in caring deeply about our wild things and wild places. They need us now more than ever. I hope you will indulge me as I look back into the 2014 rear-view mirror at some of the more notable highlights in the realms of Texas’ lands, waters, fish, wildlife and parks. Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife Department mission statement: To manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 8 O january/february 2015 feel the PULL Catch trophy-size trout and redfish with Paul Brown’s Soft-Dine XL 3 1/4” Suspending Twitchbait. This twitchbait features a built-in reflective foil insert for a realistic look and a sonic rattling chamber for vibration and noise. Designed for fishing the shallows. 5/8 oz. 3 1/4”. Two treble hooks. picks, pans and probes from our readers f o re w o r d LETTERS Watching millions of bats emerge at dusk has become one of the most loved mom’s stories Y memorable nature viewing experiences in Texas. Whether in the urban setting our article “Día de los Mariposas” of the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin or at the abandoned railroad passage (November 2014) took me back to at Old Tunnel State Park, the spectacle draws throngs of mesmerized viewers. my childhood days. Back to the warm, At dusk, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats spiral out as though a bugle has sometimes cool evenings in South Texas sounded the alarm marking the start of insect-hunting time. A single colony can when my mother would tell us cuentos eat more than 100 tons of insects each night. Many who see this display describe (stories). We loved her cuentos so much it as moving and unforgettable. that we anxiously awaited for the word Bracken Cave is the summer home of the largest bat colony in the “bedtime.” They were just world. Located in southern Comal County, the cave is surrounded cuentos to me, but through by land that is on the suburban fringe of San Antonio, seemingly ripe the years I realized that for development. On Halloween — such an appropriate date — the many of her stories were City of San Antonio, the Nature Conservancy and Bat Conservation in fact true. Great article, International secured more than 1,500 acres to add to the preserve’s I look forward to reading 700 existing acres. The new parcel, called Crescent Hills, had been more leyendas (legends). slated as a site for a possible 3,500 new homes. Elsa Ybarra “We would have had hundreds of bats congregating on the porch- Kingsville es, around street lights, around swimming pools,” BCI Executive Director Andy Walker told National Public Radio. “Baby bats that hunting today were either resting or sick, or older bats that were sick, might be t saddens me to see what found by family pets and brought into houses.” Now, the crisis has “If I were king, blinds and so-called hunting has been averted. become. A more suitable baiting would be outlawed, These public-private partnerships are the “dream teams” of land term would be “waiting.” Men and hunters would have to conservation in Texas. Their hard work pays off in this instance in and boys with high-powered stalk the game on foot.” protection for both animals and people, as well as the opportunity rifles, in camouflaged blinds Glynn Rogers to enjoy nature for generations to come. The land also lies within on the ground or in trees, sit Kingwood the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, so water is protected, and it’s comfortably waiting for deer home to federally endangered golden-cheeked warblers as well. and other game to come feed Win, win, win. on bait they’ve put out. That’s like walking We had a delightful partnership ourselves this month with Bat Conservation out into a pasture and murdering a cow. International as BCI’s Amy Price penned our feature on Texas bats. BCI also pro- If I were king, blinds and baiting would vided some stunning photography from its vast archives. When you see the bats’ be outlawed, and hunters would have to precious features, unwarranted fears melt away. They’re not only useful creatures stalk the game on foot. And archery bows in so many ways — they’re absolutely adorable as well. would be their only killing device. That’s Also in this issue, we take a look at starry nights, because we can. However, if you the way the American Indians took game, live in one of the state’s large, brightly lit urban areas, you may not be able to view up to the time unscrupulous white men the celestial light show in the sky. Texas state parks are doing everything possible to provided them with rifles. ensure that the stars at night will always be big and bright, if not in your own back- I remember seeing a movie many yard, then a short drive away. Rob McCorkle tells us how they’re accomplishing it. years ago, where Howard Hill (a famous And when the sun arises after the darkest night, try to be near one of the last archer) killed all kinds of big game in remnants of prairie in the country to experience the simple, dewy beauty of a sea of Africa with bow and arrow. Hill used waist-high grass. Russell Graves explores the quiet splendor that’s slipping away as a conventional bow with a 200-pound surely as a night sky filled with stars. pull with which he took down a huge ele- phant with a single arrow. And he risked his life in killing other dangerous ani- mals. Now that’s what I call hunting! I Louie Bond, Editor 10 O January/February 2015 ma i l call I don’t subscribe, but I read and enjoy your Texas Park & Wildlife magazine in my dentist’s office, the local library and other places. Glynn Rogers Kingwood let’s preserve night skies T he cover photo on your Decem- ber issue gets a 10 and a zero. The 10 is for jaw-dropping beauty with the weathered old barn shown against the backdrop of a starry Texas sky. But it gets a zero for the barn’s unshielded lighting fixture shining light out above the horizon to create light pollution that diminishes our ability to see that very same starry sky. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in conjunc- tion with the International Dark-Sky Association (Texas chapter), is cur- rently engaged in a major effort to assess the outdoor lighting at all Texas state parks as the first step in con- enchanted rock treasures I very much enjoyed Tara Humphreys’ arti- cle highlighting Enchanted Rock (“Beyond the Dome,” November 2014). As she stated, most visitors skip the footpath around the dome and surrounding rocks. Should folks become more adventurous, they can climb the backsides of these supporting domes and find what I call Enchanted Rock toadstools such as the one in the photograph. Steve Young Huntsville trolling aberrant outdoor lighting that robs visitors of the enjoyment of the nighttime sky. Perhaps you can do a story on that effort in a future issue and enlighten your readers about light pollution and night sky preservation. Wayne Gosnell Blanco TPW MAGAZINE RESPONDS: That’s a great suggestion. It turns out we were already planning a story on the dark sky movement, and it appears on Page 26. Sound off for Mail Call Let us hear from you! Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine welcomes letters from our readers. Please include your name, address and daytime ­telephone number. Write to us at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744. Fax us at 512-389-8397 Email us at magazine@tpwd.texas.gov We reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. MaMMotH ConVERGEncE In Waco, Texas, just east of I-35, the Brazos and the Bosque Rivers converge, forming one of the richest natural spaces in all of Texas. On one side, they form the border to Cameron Park, 416 acres of magniicent parkland rising high on a bluff over the rivers, with unspoiled views for miles. You’ll also nd hike and bike trails winding through tree-lined hills, as well as an award-winning natural habitat zoo focused on conservation. Just across the Bosque sits the Waco Mammoth Site, a world-renowned dig with the largest preservation of Pleistocene Mammoths in the country. A mammoth convergence, indeed. Visit WacoheartofTexas.com to learn more about the natural aaractions in Waco and the Heart of Texas. news and views in the texas outdoors Fund has raised $60 million in 10 years for hatcheries and stocking. Ten years ago, Texas freshwater anglers were asked to pitch in and help revamp an aging fish hatchery system. Since Sept. 1, 2004, those who have bought a license to fish our lakes and rivers have paid an extra $5 per year for a freshwater stamp. Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2003, the stamp created a dedicated fund to repair, maintain, renovate or replace freshwater hatcheries and to buy game fish to stock in public waters. In 10 years, that $5 fee has generated close to $60 million. So what has the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department done with this money? The biggest share went to design and build the John D. Parker East Texas Fish Hatchery, which 12 O january/february 2015 produced its first crops of bass and catfish in 2012. Situated just below Sam Rayburn Reservoir, the facility replaced the Jasper Fish Hatchery, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1932. The total price tag to construct the hatchery and its associated infrastructure was $43 million, with about $38 million provided by the freshwater stamp. Back around 2000, when TPWD began talking with angler groups to gauge public support for a possible freshwater stamp, “our highest priority was to replace Jasper,” recalls Gary Saul, who recently retired as TPWD Inland Fisheries director. Engineering studies indicated some existing hatcheries could be renovated in place. At Jasper, faced with leaky earthen ponds, an insufficient water supply and virtually no indoor spawning facilities, TPWD decided it was best to start fresh. The new East Texas hatchery has 67 acres of rearing ponds and a 34,000-square-foot production building where fish are spawned and their eggs are fertilized and hatched. Temperature and water-quality controls are state-of-the-art. Outdoor ponds are equipped with modern liners and a new type of “kettle” (the outlet and holding structure at the downstream end of the pond) that allows more efficient harvest and loading of fish. In 2014, this hatchery produced and stocked 4.26 million PHOTO © robert s. michelson a stamp for fish Photo © Grady Allen State fish hatcheries have been producing fish (such as the striped bass at left) for Texas anglers for decades. Since 2004, the freshwater stamp purchased by anglers has paid for construction of a new hatchery and repairs and renovations at others. fingerlings into Texas waters. Renovations and repairs at other hatcheries have accounted for approximately $5 million of the fund so far, with some projects still underway. The stamp paid for pond liners at the Possum Kingdom and A.E. Wood (San Marcos) hatcheries. It’s helping to upgrade wastewater treatment at A.E. Wood and build a holding facility at Possum Kingdom where striped bass broodfish can live year-round. These captive fish serve as a backup source of eggs for TPWD’s annual production of striped and hybrid striped bass. In some cases, TPWD has been able to stretch stamp dollars by using them as matching funds for federal grants. The stamp provides a reliable funding stream for basic repairs and maintenance — work that isn’t glamorous but needs to be done. Like a city public works department, a fish hatchery has roads and driveways, water pumps, pipes and valves, and electrical systems that control critical functions. “If you don’t maintain that infrastructure, it decays and becomes dysfunctional,” notes hatchery chief Todd Engeling. Another $1.5 million has been used to buy fish, mostly rainbow trout for TPWD’s popular winter stocking program. TPWD stocks more than 100 small lakes and rivers with trout each year. Prior to 2004, that effort was funded by an optional $7 trout stamp, which no longer exists. Today all freshwater anglers buy the $5 stamp, and some of that money pays for trout. The freshwater stamp has also given TPWD the flexibility to address emerging issues. Fish kills from golden alga blooms were just starting to be a problem at the beginning of the last decade. In 2001, a bloom on Diversion Lake wiped out a season’s hatch of striper fry at the Dundee State Fish Hatchery near Wichita Falls. Scientists still don’t know how to control golden alga in lakes and rivers, but they can keep it out of hatchery ponds by treating incoming water with ozone gas. Ozone systems don’t come cheap, but with stamp funding, TPWD is installing them at vulnerable hatcheries. The ongoing drought has also caused hardships at some hatcheries. Diversion Lake was hit hard and hasn’t recovered yet, putting the Dundee hatchery out of production since 2012. Water isn’t usually a problem in East Texas, but in 2011, Lake Athens dropped so low that the pipe supplying the ponds and tanks at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center was above water. TFFC is now building a storage reservoir to provide a short-term emergency supply if that happens again, along with a system that can treat and recirculate hatchery water if necessary. TPWD is looking at similar strategies for all Texas hatcheries. In the original legislation, the freshwater stamp was set to expire in September 2014. With support from angler groups, the law was amended in 2011 authorizing the department to continue selling the stamp. As long as freshwater anglers keep buying licenses, Engeling says, “our hatcheries will remain viable well into the future, helping to provide for future generations of anglers.” —Dyanne Fry Cortez Texas Parks & Wildlife O 13 P After T H I the S Flood McKinney Falls is recovering from 2013’s damaging deluge. McKinney Falls State Park is an urban treasure. Nestled along a scenic stretch of Onion Creek in southeast Austin, its abundant wildlife, gushing waterfalls and historic ruins attract people from all walks of life. The park’s serene beauty makes it the per- fect escape from the hustle and bustle of Texas’ rapidly growing state capital. This peaceful existence was inter- rupted, however, when the park became the scene of a historic natural disaster — the Halloween Flood of 2013. That day, Onion Creek rose 41 feet from its banks and flowed at 120,000 cubic feet per second. All of a sudden, this little tributary of the Colorado River was a raging river flowing with nearly twice the force of Niagara Falls. By the time Onion Creek returned to its banks, park Superinten- dent David Shirley was already busy coordinating damage control and cleanup. The Smith Visitor Center, The waters of Onion Creek flow through McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, and in October 2013, those waters were raging, thanks to a torrential rainstorm that flooded parts of the city. The park’s visitors center was flooded, and trails and picnic areas were covered by debris. The campground and most trails are open while work continues on renovation and flood planning. Top right Photo © Lance Varnell; Left & bottom photos by Don cash / TPWD Halloween Flood at McKinney Falls State Park 14 O january/february 2015 which overlooks the Upper Falls, was inundated with five feet of floodwa- ter. Debris covered hiking trails and picnic areas all along the creek. In addition to damage at the state park, the flash flood damaged or destroyed 1,200 homes along Onion Creek and took the lives of four people. “The hardest part was having to close the park to campers for nearly two weeks,” Shirley recalls. While the Halloween Flood was the biggest in the recorded history of Onion Creek, catastrophic floods are nothing new. The previous flood of record occurred in 1869, when the creek rose approximately 34 feet, a little below the Halloween Flood. Thomas F. McKinney, for whom the park is named, was an entrepre- neur who helped finance the Texas Revolution. After building his for- tune in Galveston, he built a retire- ment homestead on Onion Creek. He planned to spend his retirement at his ranch breeding racehorses and spending time with his family. Always industrious, he built a gristmill near the Lower Falls, one of the first such mills in operation in the Austin area. The 1869 flood destroyed the mill, causing a financial ruin from which McKinney would never recover. Like the 1869 flood, the Halloween Flood left destruction and heartache in its wake. But unlike Thomas McKinney, the state park that bears his name will soon recover from the devastation and emerge stronger than ever. Renovation and planning are underway to ensure that the affected areas of the park will be available for generations to come. In the mean- time, all campground facilities and most trails are open for you to enjoy. McKinney Falls State Park is located within the city limits of Austin, about two miles west of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. For more infor- mation, call (512) 243-1643 or visit www.tpwd.texas.gov/mckinneyfalls. —Stephen Garrett “We just wanted to hike the longest wilderness foot path in Texas. We weren’t prepared for its beauty.” Hector Garcias W hether exploring 22,000 acre Lake Conroe or hiking the renowned Lone Star Trail, Conroe provides four seasons of fun with our mild temperatures. Visit W. Goodrich Jones State Forest for urban wilderness at its finest while y ou hike, bike, or bird. And after your day full of adventure fill your night with entertainment at one of Conroe’s many live music venues or quaint eateries. Make us your winter The Garcias day hiking the 120 mile, destination for fun. TXP&W-1-15 Lone StarTrail in the Sam Houston National Forest. Start planning your next getaway with our FREE Vacation Guide! 1-877-426-6763 Find more getaway ideas at: www.PlayInConroe.com VisitConroe (tx) Texas Parks & Wildlife O 15 P Cut the Mustard I T H S Draba provides some of Texas’ earliest spring foliage. P During the cool winter month of February, my family enjoys walking and biking around our neighborhood retention ponds. When the ponds are full, our girls are attracted to an exposed chalk limestone glade area that fractures with small disk-like rocks, perfect for skipping across the pond. The early draba flowers peep out from the cracks in the limestone rock and open, barren clay soils adjacent to the pond, brightening our winter afternoon. This charismatic little plant excites my botanical thirst as one of the early signs that spring flora is upon us. The genus Draba is in the mustard family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) and contains 380 species distributed through northern temperate and boreal areas and the mountains of South America. hoto © alan cressler / lady bird j ohnson wildfl ow er center visitpecos.com nature lovers stop EXPLORE OUR NEW HOTELS, FAMOUS EATERIES AND HISTORIC IN-TOWN SITES. 16 O january/february 2015 . . . pecos, texas day trips MONAHANS SANDHILLS STATE PARK DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK CHIHUAHUAN DESERT NATURE CENTER MCKITTRICK CANYON BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 49 miles 78 miles 80 miles 95 miles 157 miles Draba is the Greek name for “acrid,” due to the bitter taste and smell of mustards. Five species of drabas occur in Texas in bare spots in prairies, rocky glades, open woods and roadsides on clay, sand and gravelly soils. Drabas are commonly known as “whitlow-grasses” even though they are not related to grasses. Texas species include both annuals and perennials, and form basal clusters of leaves, which are thick, sometimes toothed, and coated with hairs. Drabas bolt with one or more erect stems that may be up to 16 inches tall. Each hairy stem bears an inflorescence (complete flower head of a plant including stems, stalks, bracts and flowers) with white flowers for four of the Texas species and yellow flowers for the rarer Standley’s draba. Drabas flower and fruit primarily from early February through April with the exception of Standley’s draba, which flowers June through October. Short-pod draba (Draba brachycarpa) is white-flowered and distributed from East Texas west through the Blackland Prairie to the Edwards Plateau. Short- pod draba occurs in woods, roadsides and open grounds on mostly sandy soils. Short-pod draba flowers from February through March. Wedge-leaf draba (Draba cuneifolia) is one of the most widely distributed mustards in Texas. Found on sandy and gravelly soils throughout much of Texas, the wedge-leaf draba is white-flowered and blooms February through April. Broad-fruited draba (Draba platycarpa) is white-flowered and distributed from the Blackland Prairie west to the Rolling Plains and Edwards Plateau. Broad-fruited draba occurs in rocky slopes or bare spots in prairies on sandy or calcareous clay and flowers March through April. Carolina draba (Draba reptans) is distributed from the Blackland Prairie west to the High Plains. Carolina draba occurs in open woods, fields and roadsides on sandy or rocky soils and flowers February through March. Standley’s draba (Draba standleyi) is globally rare, yellow-flowered and a perennial. The plant occurs in sparely vegetated igneous boulders in pine- oak-juniper woodlands. Keep an eye out for these tiny mustards, early harbingers of spring. —Jason Singhurst PORT ARTHUR Play. Explore. Experience. “Flounder Capital of Texas!” — CHESTER MOORE, Outdoors Writer Experience diverse fishing on Sabine Lake and offshore. Hear about our history at the Museum of the Gulf Coast and our historical homes. Explore our coastal environment and encounter wildlife up close. Stroll our boardwalks and beaches. Convention & Visitors Bureau • 800.235.7822 • visitPortArthurTx.com trail mix Getting your nature fix couldn’t be easier. San Marcos’ urban trails wind through town, up hill country paths and along the spring-fed river. From easy and accessible to advanced and natural, you’ll find a trail that is just the right mix. /TourSanMarcos www.TourSanMarcos.com | 512.393.5930 Texas Parks & Wildlife O 17 P Killer on the Prowl T H I S The cannibalistic wolf snail lives up to its name. SIghts & Sounds texas parks & Wildlife tv and radio T E L E V I S I ON Look for These Stories in the Coming Weeks Jan. 4–10: The hunting Laurens; laser mapping Devil’s Sinkhole; Texas time lapse; the marsh doc- tor; Valley birding. Jan. 11–17: Catfish crazy; Laborcitas Ranch quail habitat; Chester’s island; bison babies; Martin Creek Lake. Jan. 18–24: Urban bobcats; Sycamore Canyon Ranch family ties; Mustang Island beach; Aransas animals. Jan. 25–31: The legend of Ethel; Resaca de la Palma State Park; working squirrels; coastal expos; artificial reefs. 18 Feb. 1–7: Saving sharks; biolo- gists in the city; Barton Springs swimming; the natural botanist. Feb. 8–14: Handcycling; Lake Tawakoni State Park; Palo Pinto Mountains; where are the frogs? Feb. 15–21: Fishing for crappie; cooking crappie quick and easy; Austin’s Wildflower Center; McKittrick Creek leaves. Feb. 22–28: The dove hunter; dove breast recipe; biking Ray Roberts Lake; Lake O’the Pines sunset. O january/february 2015 Scientists work to save sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Watch the week of Feb. 1. Texas Parks & Wildlife Winner of 12 Emmy Awards, our ­television series is broadcast ­throughout Texas on local PBS ­affiliates. In stereo with closed captions. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/tv RADIO your radio guide to the great outdoors Passport to Texas is your guide to the great Texas outdoors. Any time you tune in, you’ll remember why you love Texas. Go to www.passporttotexas.org to find a station near you that airs the series. largest land snails. The smallest of Texas’ three wolf snail species, the glossy wolf snail (Euglandina texa- siana), occurs only in the lower Rio Grande Valley and adjacent portions of northern Mexico. The striate wolf snail (Euglandina singley- ana), native to much of the Edwards Plateau and parts of the Gulf Coast- al Plain, has a shell over 2.5 inches in length. Even larger, the rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea), a native of the southeastern U.S. introduced to parts of coastal Texas, has a shell 3 inches long. These snails are so large that they have been mistaken for invasive giant African land snails, causing a wave of false alarms from the media in 2013. Wolf snails are most readily found under fallen logs and rocks in wood- ed valleys and lowlands, but they may also be found under boards, ground-covering plants and rocks in gardens and urban green spac- es. More often than not, only empty shells are found, as the adults seek shelter in secluded crevices to avoid drying out. As with many species of snails, your best chances of seeing a live wolf snail is during a cool, damp morning or at night, especially after a light, steady rain. Although finding one of these large snails in your garden may be disconcerting, remember that they are hunting a variety of other slugs and snails that could be real pests for your plants. Enjoy the service pro- vided by these voracious hunters, but avoid keeping them as pets and never transport them. The rosy wolf snail, in particular, has become an invasive terror, causing the extinction of many native snails around the world. —Ben Hutchins tpw d sensitive recep- tors on their ten- tacles, head and lips, wolf snails detect the slime trail left behind by a potential meal. Like their mammalian namesake, they then begin tracking their prey, hunting at a snail’s pace that is several times faster than the average snail. Once it finds its prey, the wolf snail will begin to devour the other snail alive, swal- lowing it whole or cutting off bits of flesh with an array of specialized teeth called radula. If necessary, wolf snails are capable of rolling their victim over and using their elongated body to get inside the would-be protective shell. There’s no escape! Wolf snails are some of Texas’ photo s by Ben Hutchins / It’s a damp spring morning in the Texas Hill Country, and as I walk to my car, I hear a crunch under my feet. Snails by the hundreds are taking advantage of the damp conditions to feed and reproduce. These little mollusks have far more to fear than my careless steps, because a killer is on their trail. Though snails are food for a variety of organisms, including birds, rodents and snakes, they are also a featured menu entrée for a cannibalistic cousin. Wolf snails (genus Euglandina) specialize in hunting and devouring other snails and slugs. Using Welcome to our Living Room! P THIS Digital Darkroom Post-processing allows a wide array of enhancements to be made to a photograph. the days of digital photography, when film was king, much of what made a great photograph was the result of what could be done in the darkroom, well after the photo had been exposed in the camera. Photographers knew that once a negative was exposed and processed, the job was only half over and there were still an infinite number of possible looks available for the final print by varying processing times, temperatures, paper types and toners — giving each image its individual look. The famous photographer Ansel Adams once said, “The negative is the score. The print is the performance.” In other words, photography is like music in that the exposed negative is comparable to sheet music, but the print, with all of its potential variations, is the resulting orchestral performance. In today’s digital age, the wet darkroom with its acetate negatives and printing papers is a thing of the past. No longer do polluting chemicals flow freely down the drain, nor do noxious fumes burn the eyes and lungs. Today’s darkroom is a computer with photo editing software that can emulate those traditional photo processes yet yield new and creative visual possibilities from a digital camera file. This digital processing is referred to as post- production, or “post” for short. Many new and advanced amateur photographers say it is an epiphany when they find out that much of what makes a good photograph is a result of post-production, and that a simple snapshot can be turned into a great performance with just a few keystrokes and mouse moves. Most cameras offer the option of shooting images in either a compressed JPEG ( Joint Photographic Experts Group) format or in a “raw” format. The advantage of the JPEG format is its smaller file size and a lack of need Before Complete with HD, 3-D & Surround Sound Photos by earl nottingham / tpwd Add us to your playlist! 830-796-3045 BanderaCowboyCapital.com 20 O january/february 2015 for post-production enhancement – helpful to those averse to working with images on a computer. Many smartphone and desktop photo apps such as Instagram, Snapseed and Photoshop Express offer creative, ready-made “looks” that can be applied to JPEG images and require no editing experience. However, due to the compression of a typical JPEG file, there is not a lot of creative latitude available other than very basic exposure and color correction. The uncompressed raw format, on the other hand, contains all of the information that the camera’s sensor is capable of capturing and unlocks the creative potential inherent from a wide tonal range and depth of color. As an analogy, if a JPEG file has all of the color possibilities of an eight- count box of crayons, then a raw file is the equivalent of a 125-count box. How many colors would YOU like to work with? Another advantage of the raw file is that you can experiment with an unlimited number of effects without destroying the original file — just like the old-fashioned negative. Once you have finalized the image corrections and enhancements on your raw file in the editing application, you then save it as a JPEG, TIFF or any number of other file formats. Most camera manufacturers furnish free software for processing raw images. Beyond the basic enhancements that can be made in post-production, there are many other creative tools in most applications to make your images truly spectacular. Play with all of them and experiment. There is always the delete key! Here are some basic effects, found in most photo editing applications, that are typically used to add impact and creativity to a photo. BEFORE: The original camera “raw” image of a West Texas landscape looks flat and unappealing — certainly nothing like the photographer visualized. Exposure and contrast Lightening or darkening a photograph can have a profound effect on the overall mood of a scene. Lighter images can convey a dreamlike quality or sense of airiness, while darkening a photo can add drama and mystery. Color balance Color plays a big part in setting the mood of an image. Overall image tone as well as individually selected colors can be adjusted as desired. Cool, receding colors such as blues and greens can convey peacefulness, while warm colors such as yellows and reds add excitement and energy. Color saturation can also be increased or decreased to make colors vibrant, pastel or monochromatic. Dodging and burning This technique is similar to exposure correction but is localized to specific areas of the photograph. Dodging allows individual objects to be lightened, while burning darkens an object. It is common to slightly burn in the edges of an image (vignetting) to keep the viewer’s eye in the frame. Composition One of the easiest ways to add interest to any photograph is to compose it so that the main subject or focal point is off-center, which creates just enough visual imbalance to challenge and engage the viewer’s AFTER: With the same raw file, corrections to exposure, color balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness result in a photograph with much more visual impact. eye. A subject that is dead-center in the frame usually results in a very static feel. Cropping in post- production offers an opportunity to play with different compositions to find the most appealing. Sharpening/unsharpening Most digital images can be improved by some additional sharpening. However, care must be given not to oversharpen. Many photographs have been ruined by unwanted “artifacts” created by oversharpening. Conversely, if the mood of a scene is soft, you may consider lightly adding diffusion or even a blur. Play with the effect until you get the desired result. You can always undo any effect before it is saved. — Earl Nottingham skill builder A PEEK-A -BIRD PARADISE. / Dawn Bello Natural give clues Forecast Plants, animals and skies to impending storms. When I was a child on the island of Puerto Rico, I loved running through a field of moriviví plants (meaning “it died, then lived again”) and turning around to watch my trail come alive as the mass of plants closed their leaflets in my wake. Every afternoon, as a daily thunderstorm rolled in, these same plants would tightly close their leaflets as falling raindrops struck them. An entire field would appear to writhe, then die, only to come back to life after the storm passed. I discovered that many other plants, including morning glory, chickweed, dandelions, wild indigo, clovers and tulips, close their petals in response to environmental conditions. These plants are prompted to close their petals before nightfall or a rainstorm as a defense mechanism to protect FEBRUARY 19-22, 2015 SKY // Look up to the sky, where you can find indicators of weather changes, sometimes up to two days in advance. For example, a ring around the moon is caused by cirrostratus clouds that come with moisture and warmer temperatures. Expect rain within 72 hours. Other cloud- based weather patterns include: “Mare’s tails” are cirrus clouds that sit high in the sky. These long, wispy bands often foretell rain up to 36 hours in advance. www.PORTARANSAS.ORG 22 800 - 45 - COAST O january/february 2015 If the moon is pale or reddish, fair weather is coming, indicated by the dust and dry air associated with a high-pressure system. The same is true about a reddish sky at sunset. To the contrary, a bright moon may indicate that a low-pressure system has cleared out the dust and rain could be headed your way. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 23 Nottin gham / TPWD Mammatus clouds are so named because they look like mammaries hanging in the sky. They are formed by wet, heavy, sinking air and can indicate severe thunderstorms or some- times even tornadic activity. photo s (L-R) © Ka th y Adams Clark/kac productions; jean & robert Pollock / visuals unlimited; Earl SCENT // Have you ever “smelled” rain? What you smell is ozone, a form of oxygen that has been transformed by electrical energy in storm clouds. In a similar manner, far-reaching atmospheric changes caused by a hurricane can also change the way the air smells, sometimes days in advance of the storm. Days before hurricanes Rita and Ike struck, the distinct aroma of sea air penetrated the usual Pineywoods and Big Thicket air. The air “smelled like the beach” several days before the hur- ricane arrived. Increasing moisture in the air enhances earthy scents and keeps them close to the ground, indicating that a storm may be coming. During a recent hike in the Davis Mountains, I kept commenting on how aromatic the flowers were. Their fragrance, which should have evaporated quickly in the warm sun and thin, high-altitude air, was intense and remained at nose level. I knew what this meant and expeditiously led my group to the bottom of the mountain just moments before a black storm cloud appeared at the top of the mountain. photo © mark Schneider / visuals unlimited inc.; inset Mackerel skies (altocumulus clouds) can be banded or rounded. They usually precede cold fronts and, when present in the morning, often indicate rain coming in the afternoon. SOUND // Even silence is an indicator. Chirping crickets, singing birds and even barking dogs will abandon their usual chatter to seek shelter from an impending storm. However, if you are near a pond that is normally graced with the sounds of gently croaking frogs, you may notice the opposite phenomenon. Frogs’ calls will often become louder and more intense as a storm approaches. bac kg round their pollen against moisture. This makes them a reliable indicator of impending wet weather. Changes in barometric pressure will also cause the leaves of trees to “flip,” so that you see their underside. Another reliable indicator of atmospheric mois- ture is the pine cone. Stiff and hardened when dry, the scales separate and protrude outward. In moist weather, however, the scales of the pine cone will soften and lay together smoothly. Increasing moisture in the air often leads to rain. Plants are not the only indicators of weather changes. By becoming more in tune with nature, you can grow increasingly adept at predicting the weather through time-tested indicators. These clues are all around you. SIGHT // Watch wildlife for telltale changes in behavior. Hours before a storm arrives, birds and mammals can be observed busily gathering food and fortifications for their homes. Horses may run in an agitated state with their tails held high. Just before the arrival of a storm, behavior changes again. Birds will fly lower, flock together and gather on tree branches or telephone wires. Squirrels and other small animals will disappear altogether. Cows will herd together and lie down in the fields. Horses will gather together and turn their backs to a mounting wind. Bees and butterflies will mysteriously disappear from the garden while ants will either build up bigger mounds or cover their holes completely. Spider webs will suddenly lie vacant. And, as any fisherman can tell you, fish will be biting voraciously, sometimes leaping out of the water. Days in the Field / By Rob McCorkle Destination: El Paso E T r a v e l t i m e f r o m : austin – 7.75 hours / brownsville – 11 hours / Dallas – 8.5 hours Houston – 9.75 hours / San Antonio – 7 hours / LUBBOCK – 5.25 hours Time Stands Still l Paso attractions preserve and illuminate the rich history of the area. El Paso’s Franklin Moun­tains State Park is the larg- est urban park in the nation. 24 O january/february 2015 decorated with dozens of discernible paintings — masks, a jaguar and human figures in ochre, yellow and black pigments — that Marrufo says interpret a kachina belief system. Hueco Tanks reigns as a world-class depository of more than 3,000 colorful pictographs (rock paintings) of faces, religious masks, dancing figures, geometric designs, animals and other symbols first left by ancient hunter-gatherers after the last Ice Age. In more recent centuries, travelers have been drawn to this desert oasis to take advantage of its shade, food, shelter and rainwater that pools in the pockmarked rock or huecos from which the park takes its name. Archeologists believe most of the pictographs are the handiwork of the Jornada Mogollon people, who built crude permanent dwellings at Hueco Tanks and raised corn from 600 to 1400 A.D. “The power of this site just blows me away,” Marrufo says. “The importance of this place is notable throughout the millennia. Cerro Hueco can be found on 18th century Spanish maps.” Franklin Mountains State Park photo by chase a. fountain / tpwd For more than 10,000 years, prehistoric people, Spanish explorers, soldiers, Native Americans, settlers, stagecoach drivers and modern-day travelers have traversed the natural pass along the Rio Grande that slices through the Rocky Mountains’ southernmost extension to reach their destinations. On their way, many stopped at a special place. Standing on a rock shelter ledge at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site under an impossibly cobalt blue, sunlit sky with ancient pictographs at my back and the sizzling Chihuahuan Desert sprawled before me, I realize that perhaps no place in Texas better represents humankind’s nomadic proclivity than this park amid the jumble of syenite boulders 30 miles east of El Paso. Here, on the edge of the great Southwest, history seems more palpable than any place in Texas I’ve ever been. Park maintenance ranger and native El Pasoan Jorge Marrufo guides my wife, Judy, and me to West Mountain, home to the Cave of the Masks. We ascend to a shallow cave Photos by chase a. fountain / tpwd Clockwise from top left: Union Plaza’s restaurants and clubs attract locals and visitors; the San Elizario Chapel anchors the historic town of San Elizario; the prominent face of North Mountain rises above the desert at Hueco Tanks; the Wyler Aerial Tramway whisks visitors to the top of Ranger Peak. Wyler Aerial Tramway To protect the ancient art and fragile resources from graffiti and other damage, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department years ago tightened its access restrictions on many of the park’s more environmentally and culturally sensitive areas. Marrufo leads us to Site 17, a large cave known as Newspaper Rock that can be visited on guided, two-hour tours. He points out some “historical graffiti” from the 19th century, much of it lettering in charcoal and grease, inscribed by settlers, a Texas ranger, U.S. cavalry troops and others. It overlays pictographs left earlier by Apaches, such as a long, white snake. Hot, tired and thirsty, we head back toward El Paso to reach the historic Camino Real Hotel with just enough time to enjoy a refreshing dip in the rooftop pool before a late dinner. Having had enough of airplanes and cars, we decide to strike out on foot to one of a handful of nearby restaurants. I’m intrigued by the recent revitalization of the downtown warehouse district near the grand, old train depot. Union Plaza’s restaurants and clubs have become a magnet for El Paso’s burgeoning hipster scene and tourists eager to try something different in this Mexican food mecca. The next day, adventure calls to us in this unique border city. There’s no better way to absorb the size of the sprawling desert megalopolis of El Paso-Juárez (population 2 million- plus) split by the Rio Grande than to see it from the top of Ranger Peak in the Franklin Mountains. To get there, we drive 15 minutes to Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park and ascend to the mountaintop during a four-minute ride nestled inside a Swiss-made gondola. Judy marvels at the view of two nations (U.S. and Mexico), three states (Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua) and 7,000 square miles. The tramway was originally built by El Paso television station KTSM to provide access to its broadcast tower for maintenance. Today, the TPWD-operated tram spirits 300 to 500 riders a day to the top of Ranger Peak, where Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site they can visit a park store, enjoy interpretive panels explaining the landmarks below and access rugged trails that snake through the park. I’m curious about the new Jackalope Trail, and cautiously hike a short way along the mountain spine before declaring the trail more fit for goats than most humans. To reach our lunch spot on the other side of the mountains, I eschew Interstate 10 for the more scenic route. Scenic Drive, which winds along the mountainside, is dotted with several pocket parks overlooking downtown El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Coin telescopes help bring the borderland into focus. After lunch, I drop Judy off at the hotel for an afternoon siesta, while I head to El Paso’s Upper Valley, one of the city’s more verdant areas, wedged between I-10 and the Rio Grande on the west side. I want to see how one of TPWD’s Far West Texas Wildlife Trail stops, Keystone Heritage Park’s El Paso Desert Botanical Gardens, is faring. I arrive too late, not realizing the gardens close at 1 p.m. Nearby, just off Doniphan Road, a Texas historical marker about the Doniphan Expedition reveals an important, but not well-known, part of American history. It tells of Col. Alexander William Doniphan’s military exploits in 1846 that led to the U.S. victory in the Mexican War. His troops’ victories in Mexico over the course of a year during a 5,000-mile expedition led to the annexation of more than 1 million square miles in much of what today is the western U.S. On the way back to the Camino Real, I stop by the El Paso Museum of History to view compelling exhibits that tell the story of old El Paso from 1598 when Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate first explored El Paso del Norte. I admire a Ysleta Mission cedar door with hand- forged hinges and locking latch dating to the 1700s before browsing an informative display about the El Paso railroads, which in the 1800s fueled the city’s development (Continued on Page 52) Texas Parks & Wildlife O 25 26 O january/february 2015 photo by chase a. fountain / tpwd *seeing stars State parks embrace measures to protect dark skies at night. by Rob McCorkle Texas Parks & Wildlife O 27 left photo © mark langford; right photo © clark crenshaw “The stars at night are big and bright ... Deep in the heart of Texas” —June Hershey and Don Swander The 1942 Hit Parade song paying tribute to the Lone Star State’s starry skies strikes a sour note today in large cities nestled deep in the heart of Texas, where artificial light pollution has rendered all but the very brightest celestial bodies invisible to stargazers. But there’s a meteoric movement in Texas to hit the dimmer switch on manmade illumination that obscures night skies across much of our state. Texas state parks remain among the few public places where the starry heavens can still be viewed in all their glory with minimal intrusion of artificial light. An ambitious dark skies initiative launched a couple of years ago has begun to bear stellar fruit. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department finds itself in the vanguard of the nascent dark skies movement that has its origins in Arizona, home of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), which has been promoting night sky conservation and environmentally 28 O january/february 2015 responsible outdoor lighting since 1988. The IDA (www.darksky.org) also serves as the clearinghouse for granting official certification to parks, communities and reserves through its Dark Sky Places Program. Last summer, Copper Breaks State Park in the Panhandle and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in the Hill Country became the first Texas state parks to be designated International Dark Sky Parks by IDA. Both sites received the highest Gold Tier night sky rating, joining Big Bend National Park (in 2012) and the City of Dripping Springs (in 2014) as the only Texas locations to have earned the coveted Dark Sky Places recognition. More Texas state parks are attempting to attain dark sky certification, which requires efforts to limit lighting and offer public education along with starry skies. In achieving dark sky status, Enchanted Rock and Copper Breaks join a select group. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area became one of the first Texas state parks to earn the designation of International Dark Sky Park. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 29 Stargazing in State Parks Interested in learning more about upcoming stargazing events taking place near you? Visit www.tpwd.texas.gov/ state-parks/parks/things-to-do/ stargazing-in-state-parks. The website also ranks the darkness of skies above Texas state parks on the Bortle Scale — from the darkest, such as Big Bend Ranch State Park (Class 1), to the not- so-dark sites (Classes 4-9). In addition to Big Bend Ranch, 13 other state parks are rated as having “very dark skies.” Class 2 parks: Balmorhea, Barton Warnock Visitor Center, Caprock Canyons, Copper Breaks, Davis Mountains, Devil’s Sinkhole, Devils River, Kickapoo Cavern and Seminole Canyon. Class 3 parks: Colorado Bend, Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples and South Llano River. The Big Bend region has some of the state's darkest skies. Big Bend National Park retrofitted its lighting fixtures to make the park even darker. Big Bend Ranch State Park is the only Texas state park with a Bortle Scale rating of 1, indicating the darkest skies. 30 O january/february 2015 that point illumination toward the ground, helping keep charcoal night skies darker and utility bills lower. An added bonus: the park’s notable horned lizards, as well as other critters, are protected from artificial lighting that can have negative health and behavioral impacts on wildlife. Similarly, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area has brought more than 90 percent of its lighting into compliance with IDA guidelines, says Superintendent Doug Cochran. Enchanted Rock started offering Star Parties in 2011 and also hosts monthly full moon hikes to educate the public about dark skies, light pollution and preservation. “Not only do the steps taken save on energy costs, but they also guarantee that visitors from the city will enjoy a quality outdoor experience and a night sky uninterrupted by the glow of park lights,” Cochran says. “Children can come here and know that stars do exist.” The state natural area boasts a donated Sky Quality Meter, installed at the visitors center, and a computer that records night sky darkness levels that can be viewed on the Enchanted Rock website. The next step, Cochran says, is to apply for a grant to convert all park lighting to LEDs (light- emitting diodes). In spring of 2013, a $5,000 grant from a generous donor sparked a partnership between Texas state parks, the University of Texas McDonald Observatory and the Texas section of IDA to launch a pilot program in several Hill Country parks. Park rangers were provided with night sky training at the observatory to help develop star parties and received resource trunks with binoculars, star charts and other materials to facilitate their programs. TPWD also launched a Lighting Assessment and Retrofit Project, contracting with several members of IDA’s Texas section to train a pool of volunteers to inventory existing lighting at state parks, recommend ways to improve lighting and coordinate with park managers to implement the changes. Leading that charge has been Driftwood’s Cindy Luongo Cassidy, described by IDA’s Barentine as Texas Parks & Wildlife O 31 left photos © lee hoy photography; middle photo by earl nottingham / tpwd From the 2001 inception of the nonprofit organization’s Dark Sky Places conservation program through mid-2014, only eight communities, 19 parks and nine reserves (large swaths of remote lands) have achieved such status, according to program manager John Barentine in Tucson. “Texas is rapidly becoming a national leader in the dark sky movement,” says Barentine. “There are some really dedicated folks in Texas’ parks and communities taking significant steps to protect night skies and educate policymakers and the public about the importance of preserving one of the state’s most precious natural resources.” Chris Holmes, Texas state parks interpretive program leader, exudes a missionary zeal in rallying park staff behind an initiative he believes has cosmic implications for all Texans. He says more than a third of the 95 state parks have received lighting audits from IDA-trained volunteers, usually Texas master naturalists or astronomy club members. “Lots of people, especially children, have never seen a truly dark sky or the Milky Way and marveled at the vastness of the universe and wondered about their place in it,” Holmes says. “The main culprit for this situation is the growing urban glow from countless light-polluting street, parking and commercial lights. State parks still offer Texans a dark preserve in which to experience the night skies as our ancestors enjoyed them thousands of years ago.” Copper Breaks has been offering its popular StarWalk for 19 years, capitalizing on spectacular night sky viewing opportunities, to draw stargazers to the remote park 90 miles from Wichita Falls, the nearest metropolitan area. Like many Texas state parks that offer such events, Copper Breaks enlists knowledgeable “sky guide” volunteers — amateur astronomers — to lead participants in an exploration of the night sky with the naked eye and optical devices. Superintendent David Turner replaced many outdoor lights with more efficient, low-light fixtures and retrofitted others with shields In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed a law mandating that the seven West Texas and Big Bend counties surrounding the McDonald Observatory adopt outdoor lighting ordinances to protect what are the nation’s darkest night skies above any major observatory. 32 O january/february 2015 Bill Wren of the McDonald Observatory in West Texas is a leader in Texas' dark skies movement. “I learned there is no conflict between having good lighting at night and dark skies,” Wren says. photos by chase a. fountain / tpwd Texas Parks & Wildlife O 33 photo by earl nottingham / tpwd Copper Breaks State Park, below, has been offering its popular StarWalk for 19 years. The park became an International Dark Sky Park last summer. “nothing less than a force of nature” when it comes to promoting protection of Texas’ night skies. In consultation with fellow IDA member Steve Bosbach and McDonald Observatory’s Bill Wren, she wrote a volunteer training manual. To date, more than 20 state parks have received assessments, and another 20 parks have entered the process. The ultimate goal is to assess all of Texas’ 95 state parks, natural areas and historic sites. More recently, Cassidy, who was hired several years ago by the City of Dripping Springs to monitor compliance with the municipal lighting ordinance, successfully applied to IDA to have the city designated a Dark Sky Community. In doing so, she had to overcome considerable opposition from local retailers and private landowners who balked at being told how they could (or could not) light their property. “Instead of looking at it as a violation of their property rights, I suggested they needed to consider their neighbors’ rights not to have light intruding onto their property from next door,” Cassidy says. “It’s about being a good neighbor.” She notes that artificial nighttime lighting 34 O january/february 2015 has been documented to cause negative consequences for humans and animals. High levels of lighting can affect humans’ circadian rhythms and levels of serotonin, as well as animals’ hormone levels, mating and feeding habits — even a buck’s antler size. Safety for humans can be compromised, too, by blinding glare that can create dark places for intruders to hide. Wren of the McDonald Observatory is considered the godfather of Texas’ dark skies movement. He has been spreading the dark skies gospel ever since attending an International Dark-Sky Association conference in 1990 during his first days as special assistant to the superintendent of the world-renowned observatory. “I learned there is no conflict between having good lighting at night and dark skies,” Wren says. “We’re not anti-light. It’s real simple. If everyone would just keep their light on their own property, it would alleviate concerns about light pollution and light trespass.” Wren says there have been some lighting ordinances around since 1978, but more cities, counties and even the State of Texas have jumped on the bandwagon in recent years. For example, a 1999 state law mandates top photo © clark crenshaw; bottom photo © erich schlegel that state-funded projects, such as new highways and prisons, incorporate fully shielded or fully “cut-off” lighting that focuses light downward instead of shining outward and upward. In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed a law mandating that the seven West Texas and Big Bend counties surrounding the McDonald Observatory adopt outdoor lighting ordinances to protect what are the nation’s darkest night skies above any major observatory. Despite such steps, Wren laments that sky glow from drilling rigs, gas flaring and field oil storage facilities in the Permian Basin is affecting the view from atop Mount Locke, where some of the world’s most powerful telescopes are trained on the farthest reaches of pristine dark skies. “They’ve been lighting up the horizon with drilling rigs and gas flares in the past three or four years,” Wren says. “It’s good for the economy, but the impact on night skies is unmistakable.” A joint McDonald Observatory and Pioneer Energy Services report resulting from a study of lighting at a typical oil rig concluded that the careful and innovative use of lighting, especially LEDs, can increase cost efficiency, provide environmental protection and improve safety by reducing blinding glare. Wren hopes other oil companies will follow Pioneer’s lead. He’s been contacted by Chevron about ways to upgrade its lighting and prevent glare to improve workers’ health and safety and save on utility costs. Wren has worked with a number of cities, including nearby Alpine, to create lighting ordinances and finds himself in demand as an expert on the topic. He praises the TPWD leadership for embracing the dark skies gestalt. “‘The stars at night are big and bright.’ Why is that a catchy tune? It appeals to something beyond the mundane and is humbling; we’re real small, but there’s a sense of being connected to something really big,” Wren says. He wonders about the unforeseen long- term consequences of polluting our night skies with manmade light. “By raising generation after generation of people who have never seen a naturally dark sky before,” he says, “we’re toying with the forces of nature. There’s something intangible, but significant, in viewing starry skies. It’s the heart of who we are.” O Above: The Milky Way shines over the Paluxy River near Dinosaur Valley State Park. Below: The lights of Odessa glow along with the stars at Monahans Sandhills. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 35 36 O january/february 2015 Photo © Artranq | Dreamstime.com against night skies over backyards and fields, winging through the “Friday night In the April 2011 issue of Science (www.sciencemag.org), researchers suggest that bats in North America prevent agricultural losses estimated at more than $3,700,000,000 ($3.7 billion) every year. lights” of football stadiums, etched in moonlight during a meteor shower over Palo Duro Canyon State Park or steadily Bat species make up 30 percent of the non-marine mammals listed as “species of greatest conservation need” in the Texas Conservation Action Plan. climbing like smoke during a sunset Bats drink on the wing and need clean, unobstructed drinking water sources. emergence. Though we may recognize the iconic dips and spins of bats in flight, much of the magic of bats is a mystery to After controlling for the effects of body size, bats are by far the longest-lived mammal group. even the biggest fans of Texas wildlife. BY AMY PRICE There are more than 1,300 species of bats worldwide. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 37 cake icon © Vl adimir Yudin / Dreamstime.com; Bat icon © Elena D yachenko / dreamstime.com BATFACTS Most of us have seen bats silhouetted E very Texan lives near bats. Some of Texas’ 33 bat species prefer limestone regions with caves, sinkholes, streams and large springs. Others are found in forests, and many call highway bridges home. There are bats roosting and foraging across the plains and in the canyonlands. Crops, forests and orchards — as well as native plants across the state — benefit from the pest management provided by bats. Bats are one of the most ecologically and economically important wildlife species worldwide, but also one of the most threatened. In the United States, almost half of the 47 bat species are listed as endangered, threatened or sensitive at a federal or state level. In Texas, 23 bat species are listed as “species of greatest conservation need” in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Conservation Action Plan. Photo © rick & Nora Bowers / Visuals Unlimited Let’s take a closer look at four bat species on the list. Partnerships between TPWD and Bat Conservation International prevent further bat species extinctions and help identify and protect significant bat areas to ensure lasting survival of the world’s 1,300-plus bat species. Visit www.batcon.org or BCI’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/BatCon to learn more. 38 O january/february 2015 BATFACTS The Mexican long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris nivalis, was declared an endangered species in the United States in 1988 and in Mexico in 1991. (Leptonycteris nivalis) The Mexican long-nosed bat is the only federally endangered bat in Texas. The bats have long, nectar-lapping tongues that can extend several inches deep into flowers. Their faces are characterized by a long muzzle with a prominent nose leaf at the tip. Lifespan: Up to 10 years. Prime Viewing Spots: Only in Big Bend. TPWD CONNECTION: Supporting research (including radio telemetry) to track this scarce species across vast landscapes, in the hope of discovering new roost sites in West Texas. The first discovery of this species in the United States was in 1937 at Big Bend National Park, where the Chisos Mountains are home to the only known cave roosts of Mexican long-nosed bats in Texas. Nectarivorous species like these have broad wings with long tips, allowing them to hover at the face of the flower. This bat, with its elongated, furry face, is often photographed with a bright dusting of pollen across its head and shoulders. Currently, the National Park Service and Bat Conservation International are funding research from Texas A&M University to create a detailed model for habitat needs and migratory patterns of the Mexican long-nosed bat. In the “nectar corridor” of agave blooms during the migration of Mexican long- nosed bats, the highest peak of nectar availability occurs between May and September. Flowers that are pollinated by bats may have a very strong, fruity, nocturnal fragrance or are often described as smelling musky or “batty” or like products of fermentation. Nectar-feeding bats and the plants they feed on have become so highly dependent on one another that the loss of the bats could mean the loss of the entire ecosystem. This dependence on bats is known as chiropterophily. BCI and TPWD launched a hummingbird feeder monitoring program in Terlingua to see if Mexican long-nosed bats would appear at the feeders. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 39 Map © D avoo da; hummingbird © Ashestosky; Flower © aliaksei7799 / dreamstime.com Unique Species Feature: Males don’t migrate north, preferring to remain at bachelor colonies in Mexico. This nectar-feeding species migrates north every spring following the blooms of agaves, so protecting the agave corridor is critical for the survival of the species. Wild agave populations are not extensive, limited to specific mountaintops and routinely harvested in Mexico for uses such as mescal production. Any activity that disrupts these “agave islands” creates a burden for female bats attempting to complete northward migrations into Texas during pregnancy or with young born in Mexico during April, May and early June. Ag ave Photo © rolf Nuss baumer; Bat Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle /B CI, batcon.org; icons: Mexican Long-nosed bat Photo © Michael Durham/minden pictures V I D EO Bat Caves of Texas (features Mexican free-tailed bats) Bracken Cave in Comal County contains the world’s largest bat colony; 10 million to 15 million bats return to this maternity roost annually. The limestone walls of this bat nursery are crowded, with hundreds of pups in each square foot. Mothers find their pups by remembering the approximate location, then recognizing the pup’s unique voice and scent. Bat Conservation International owns and protects the cave. 40 O january/february 2015 BATFACTS (Tadarida brasiliensis) The Mexican free-tailed bat is the official flying mammal of Texas. These bats are small and soft, with chocolate-colored fur and long, narrow wings. Their wrinkled faces, pug noses and big, round ears make them some of the most personable bats in the state. They are adept at high, fast flight — flying so high that Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio developed a bat avoidance program. Mexican free-tailed bat populations of Central Texas move between the caves of the region. Wildfires near Nye Cave in Medina County led to a population drop from about 4 million bats to tens of thousands as the bats relocated to Bracken and other sites. … Mexican free-tailed bats use more than 25 different vocalizations. free-tailed bats migrate to Texas in March and April, forming summer colonies to birth and rear pups (one per female). The bats of Bracken Cave eat more than 140 tons of insects each night, saving farmers millions of dollars in reduced crop damage and lower pesticide use. Mexican free-tailed bats consume the worst pests of cotton, corn, pecan and grape crops. Lifespan: 10 to 12 years. Prime Viewing Spots: Old Tunnel State Park, Kickapoo Cavern State Park, Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge, Houston’s Waugh Bridge and the Bracken Web cam at www.batcon.org. Mexican free-tailed bats are superb fliers, migrating from Mexico to Texas every spring, and easily traveling 60 or more miles in any direction on a given night to forage before returning to the roost. TPWD CONNECTION: Conducting outreach at the Waugh Bridge colony; maintaining state park viewing areas; maintaining video collections on TPWD website; funding assessments of Texas overwintering spots; gathering baseline population, microclimate and conservation status data; performing early white- nosed syndrome surveillance. Unique Species Feature: They’re fast (clocked at 60 mph) and high (10,000 feet) fliers. Milk of free-tailed bats is very high in fat—as much as 28 percent fat, among the highest ever recorded in mammals and higher than that measured for any other bat species. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 41 Map © D avoo da; milk © pensiri saekoung; airplane © artoptimum; Placesetting © Ievgen Soloviov / Dreamstime.com x 100,000,000 Some 100 million Mexican The diet of Mexican free-tailed bats (12 insect orders, 35 families) has the highest diversity recorded in a single study for any bat species. bat Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle / B CI, batcon.org; Icons: CU tlery © Yarosl av La zunov; Mexican free-tailed bat PALLID bat Pallid bats are terrestrial insect eaters. They can land on the ground and hunt large prey such as centipedes, scorpions, beetles, praying mantises and crickets. (Antrozous pallidus) Lifespan: Up to 14 years. Prime Viewing Spots: Big Bend Ranch State Park, Indian Lodge State Park and Clarity Tunnel in Caprock Canyons State Park. Pallid bats have the slowest wing beats of all the state’s insectivorous bat species, with only about 10 beats per second. They are considered one of the strongest predators among insectivorous bats — even the venom of scorpions seems to have no effect on them. Unique Species Feature: They hunt prey by listening to insects walking. TPWD CONNECTION: Public education protects pallid bats. Hueco Tanks State Park includes pallid bats in the “animals to find” list for Junior Rangers — introducing young guests to one of the coolest mammals in the park. The feeding habits of pallid bats tend to result in injury to the bats, so it isn’t uncommon for researchers in the field to capture bats with significantly torn wings, broken bones and injuries from cactus spines. Photos © Merlin D. Tuttle / bci, batcon.org; medical icons © afrajtova / dreamstime.com This species has documented healing from substantial wounds, making it a favorite bat among wildlife biologists for its sheer toughness. Pallid bats often take their prey to a night feeding perch, creating middens of discarded insect parts. These bats are found in canyonlands and arid regions, roosting in rocky crevices. Pallid bats have pale yellow- brown and cream-white fur to best blend in to rocky landscapes. Pups, usually twins, are born in May and June. Colonies of this bat are frequently small (fewer than 20 bats); many roost individually. 2 inches With big ears half as long as their bodies, pallid bats are able to hear their prey walking, without any use of echolocation. This “passive sound localization” is so refined that from almost 20 feet away, a pallid bat can land within two inches of insect prey after hearing a single footfall. 42 O january/february 2015 (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) Rafinesque’s big-eared bats are easily recognized by their very large ears that curl and move and become almost translucent in strong light. Rafinesque’s big-eared bats roost in the hollow cavities of mature, old-growth trees in hardwood bottomland forests in Texas. Photos © Merlin D. Tuttle / Bci, batcon.org; thermometer icon © yarosl av La sunov / dreamstime.com Rafinesque’s big-eared bat Rafinesque’s fur is longer than that of many other bat species in Texas, giving them a softer, shaggier appearance. V I D EO Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat Colony Unlike many insectivorous bats that “hawk” only flying insects, this species is capable of gleaning pests from the stalks and leaves of plants. As their habitat disappears, Rafinesque’s big-eared bats have utilized abandoned buildings and other structures, but even these roosts are disappearing rapidly as buildings deteriorate or are removed for safety concerns. Texas is one of a handful of states experimenting with artificial roosts designed specifically for Rafinesque’s big-eared bats. In the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds the preservation of an abandoned house that the bats favor as a roost. The refuge’s artificial roosts are becoming popular with the bats as well and will provide options when the house is beyond repair. Lifespan: Up to 10 years. This species is considered “sedentary” because it doesn’t migrate and may move only a few kilometers between roosts. The species has high “site fidelity,” which means the bats prefer to use the same roosts year after year. Prime Viewing Spots: A TPWD video (Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat Colony) or Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge. TPWD CONNECTION: State wildlife grants for the annual East Texas Rare Bat Survey in Angelina and Sabine National Forests; collecting decades of data vital to the management planning for this species; a video: http://youtu.be/y4deQZaE3bQ. * Unique Species Feature: The largest known maternity colony of this species in Texas consists of 140 bats, compared to the tens of millions of Mexican free-tailed bats at the Bracken Cave maternity roost. These bats are nicknamed “whisper bats” because they have a low-amplitude echolocation call that is difficult for scientists to record with bat detectors. At intervals during a Texas winter, these bats go into a torpor, a special behavior in which they lower their body temperature to save energy. Texas Parks & Wildlife O 43 ISLANDS GRASS 44 O january/february 2015 Smiley-Woodfin Prairie Texas has lost most of its prairie, but pockets of grassland are preserving diversity. Less than 24 hours ago, rain fell on the prairie. A spring thunderstorm, spawned just a few miles southeast of here, rumbled its way toward Oklahoma. Along the way the storm dropped about 2 inches of rain on the patchwork of prairie, wooded draws and cultivated farmland in western Lamar County. Before the sun even rises, Tridens Prairie is already waking up. Frogs creak and groan in the subtle light of dawn, trying their best to attract a mate and multiply while conditions are optimal. Flitting across the top of the vegetation are birds I cannot identify at first. It’s not until one lands in a nearby tree and starts to sing that I realize it’s a dicksissel. Its warbling song penetrates the still, humid morning. Tridens Prairie isn’t necessarily all that pretty by conventional measures. To the untrained eye, it looks like a tangle of weeds or an old farm field that’s been left fallow. The beauty of this place, however, is in the diversity of plants that populate the 97-acre patch of ground that’s never been turned over by a plow. In all, more than 170 species of plants are documented as growing on this unassuming piece of prairie. Story & Photos by Russell A. Graves Texas Parks & Wildlife O 45 Just a couple of hundred yards to the north and separated from Tridens by U.S. Highway 82, the vast Smiley-Woodfin Prairie meets it southeastern terminus at FM 38. Heading west and north from this intersection is a vast sea of waist-high grasses interrupted only by tree-lined draws that drain water off the prairie. According to the historical marker that lies along Highway 82, this property is the largest piece of Texas tallgrass prairie that’s never been plowed. It’s cut each year for hay production and burned periodically as part of a prescribed management practice, but it’s never been turned by a plow. In early May, the field is still bright green with cool season grasses just about to peak at full maturity. While the land is private and I cannot trespass, I stand at the historical marker, look north and see the unkempt and wild grasses, forbs and wildflowers — a scene in juxtaposition to the carefully grazed and managed cow pastures that lie all around the thousand acres. Sadly, this land — and the grassland community that grows upon it — is now exceedingly rare in Texas. The grass is still heavy with dew from the recent rain; puddles stand in the bar ditches along the highway. But as I examine the Smiley-Woodfin Prairie, I see no water standing. It’s been soaked up like a big sponge. Across the continent The Great Plains is a huge swath of land that incises mid-America from northeastern Mexico to the southern Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Western Great Plains runs through arid landscapes 46 O january/february 2015 where sediment from the Rocky Mountains have flowed for eons. With scant rainfall, the prairie grows short there. On the eastern side of the Great Plains — where rainfall measures up to 40 inches per year — the grass grows tall. “Of all America’s vanished wilderness, no part has suffered and declined as much as the prairie,” the Boston Globe lamented in a 1970 editorial. When the early settlers arrived, there were 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie nationwide. The ecosystems of Texas and Oklahoma (Cross Timbers and Southern Tallgrass Prairie) included 49 million acres of that total. Today, nearly 99 percent of the original prairies are gone. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (in Oklahoma and Kansas) is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left in the world. The elements that make the grass grow so tall — the rich soil, abundant rainfall, ample sunshine, temperate climate and moderately sloping topography — also make it attractive for development. “Over the last 150 years, we have lost most of our grassland heritage,” says Matt White, author of Prairie Time. “It is a process that sadly is still happening even though we have such a small fraction left.” White says that he believes the greatest risk to existing prairies is the conversion of grasses into improved forage for agriculture and residential/commercial development. “My belief is that black soil was the first ‘black gold’ in Texas,” explains White. “It was so rich, so fertile that soon the value of the land skyrocketed as a plowing frenzy turned the land upside-down. When that happened, the vegetation vanished into memory, except in places where hay meadows were hoarded like money in the bank by cattle ranchers who knew their value.” According to White, those small patches are scant now and becoming more rare every day. “The greatest risk to the remaining prairies is that they too will be sold, plowed or developed by the next generation who believe that more is better,” White says. “As we lose folks who knew their value and their importance, we lose even more of our collective memory about what was here and what we have lost.” Protected prairie Despite the bad news, acres of pristine prairie do remain. Sixty miles northeast of Dallas, nestled between Blue Ridge and Celeste, are a couple of places of ecological significance. Collin County-owned Parkhill Prairie and the nearby Nature Conservancy easement, Clymer Meadow, protect some of the last remaining pieces of tallgrass prairie left in the state. The two parcels protect more than 1,400 acres of prairie that have never been developed or turned by a plow. One fall day, Jim Eidson of the Nature Conservancy and I walk through the grass. Historic drought conditions have desiccated the grasslands, but botanical diversity is still evident. Maximilian sunflowers are shedding their seeds after a lackluster fall bloom, and many of the seasonal grasses are far past their peak. By conventional measures of natural beauty, most would probably think that the prairie isn’t too impressive. To the uninitiated it appears to be not much more than an overgrown field. That seems to be part of the problem. Even though beautifully sublime, prairies generally lack the monu­ mentalism of other natural features. A prairie’s beauty is more microscopic. Eidson helps me see the beauty of the details. “See these low depressions?” Eidson asks, motioning to swale patches as big as cars. “These are gilgai. When it rains, it catches and holds water and creates these little potholes of habitat.” Within the gilgai, I see the obvious difference in soil color — darker and perhaps richer in organic matter. Grasses like Eastern gamma (a moist-soil-loving tallgrass) grow in these depressions. Even though far away from permanent water, crayfish stools are evident in the low spots. This is such a specialized habitat, a species of crayfish unique to just these prairies exists here. Even in drought, Eidson sees the potential for prairies to conserve and replenish groundwater, which in turn benefits nearby reservoirs that supply drinking and industrial water to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. “One of the things prairies appear to do is capture and store water,” Eidson tells me as we stand in the grass near an old prairie homestead. “We observe multi-inch rainfall events that produce little runoff. Normal gilgai on the tops of hills will be full for a week or two and slowly percolate down through the soil. A few weeks later, seeps form at the bottoms of the hills.” In prairie-covered open spaces, the land holds water like a sponge instead of letting it run off into creeks, carrying sediment with it. Without this benefit, the area becomes Smiley-Woodfin Prairie Texas Parks & Wildlife O 47 flashy, meaning that the status of most Blackland Prairie streams is either “raging torrent” or “bone dry.” Eidson says he thinks these dry creeks were once constantly flowing, but the disappearance of the prairie disrupted the area’s hydrological system. “Repairing this broken hydrology is key to improving water quality and reducing sediment loads, which can drastically reduce the capacity of reservoirs,” Eidson says. “The second benefit is that if the water gets underground, it is not lost to evaporation.” Even though much of the prairie Eidson and I walk across consists of knee- to waist-high grasses, two-thirds of the prairie’s biomass, an estimated seven tons, lies beneath the surface. Eidson explains that the average root depth is 6 feet, up to 20 feet for some species. The variety of grass and forb species is important for the soil’s water absorption capabilities. “Each year, a large portion of this root mass dies off and is replaced, providing micro and macro channels through the soil for water to move,” Eidson says. He explains to me that this life/death plant cycle increases the organic matter in the soil, helping it act like a sponge and retain water even during the heaviest rainfall events. A Patchwork of Promise A couple of weeks after my first visit, I am again with Eidson at the Clymer Meadow. This time, however, we listen to a controlled burn expert who gives us a safety briefing. In my fire-resistant, high- visibility clothing, I am flanked by biologists from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local firefighters who, like me, listen intently to the fire manager’s last-minute instructions. Within just a few minutes, one of the fire technicians lights up a diesel-fueled drip torch and walks along the northeastern edge of one of the prairie paddocks. The October grass is summer cured and makes efficient tinder. Once the first flames from the torch touch the ground, fire roars from the dried grass, and white smoke fills the northeastern Texas sky. Even as the prairie burns and leaves the ground bare, it won’t be long before fresh shoots of green Beardtongue at Tridens Prairie 48 O january/february 2015 Once the first flames from the torch touch the ground, fire roars from the dried grass, and white smoke fills the northeastern Texas sky. Even as the prairie burns and leaves the ground bare, it won’t be long before fresh shoots of green grass begin to emerge from the charred field. “On Clymer, our objective is not to produce a vignette of what it looked like in 1842, but rather to increase diversity and thereby maintain healthy populations of all the 300-plus species of native plants occurring there.” —Jim Eidson of the Nature Conservancy grass begin to emerge from the charred field. The burn/regrow cycle is part of the rhythm of the prairie. “All of the tallgrass prairie, from the coast of Texas to southern Manitoba, is a fire disclimax,” Eidson says. Fire disclimax is a term used to describe an ecosystem being perpetually maintained in an early stage of succession by humans. Although the fire history for the region is unclear, Eidson believes that historically, Native Americans used fire as a tool to manage wild herds of bison. “Bison will select burned patches over unburned,” he says. “The protein content of the forage increases. It is tender, and they do not have to fight through dead oxidized grass to get to the green. It has been supported by some fire ecologists that most of the fire in the tallgrass prairie was introduced by humans at intervals of one to three years, punctuated by drought-driven wildfires that were major conflagrations.” Without fire, Eidson says, the prairie quickly succumbs to brushlands, and given the amount of rainfall in the area — about 40 inches a year — the successional forces are rapid. As the fire burns in a steady and predictable manner, I follow along with the fire crews as they monitor the burn. In places, the flames reach as high as 10 feet or more and crackle with a sound that is sharper and more urgent than in the wood fires that I am accustomed to hearing. While the fire creeps to the southwest, crews on the other side of the meadow light another fire that is headed northeast into a scant early-October breeze. The idea is that the fires will eventually meet in the middle, thus completing the controlled burn and increasing the grass output and diversity come spring. For Eidson, managing this prairie has been a 20-year affair, and he’s always had a clear goal in mind. “On Clymer, our objective is not to produce a vignette of what it looked like in 1842, but rather to increase diversity and thereby maintain healthy populations of all the 300-plus species of native plants occurring there,” he says. “In light of climate change and the dire predictions, it is unlikely that these prairie remnants will be what they are today. We need to keep all of our options open.” O Knotroot bristlegrass at Clymer Meadow Texas Parks & Wildlife O 49 Legend, Lore & Legacy Force of Nature Terry Hershey’s environmental activism changed Houston and sparked conservation in Texas. by Lydia Saldaña O ne cause. One woman. Indomitable energy. It was enough to jump-start the Houston environmental movement in the mid-’60s and lay the groundwork for a generation of activists. Terese “Terry” Tarlton Hershey first got involved in what would become her life’s work in 1966. She and her neighbors observed a mess of fallen trees and bulldozed undergrowth along Buffalo Bayou and called county offices, expecting a remedy. She was outraged to learn that the Harris County Flood Control District and the Army Corps of Engineers were in the process of rerouting Buffalo Bayou without public notice. She was even more incensed when she realized officials planned to do nothing to stop the destruction. Hershey joined a fledgling organization called the Buffalo Bayou Preservation Association and soon became its most active member. She mobilized neighbors and community organizations. Hershey’s energy and persuasive style served her well 50 O january/february 2015 in countless town meetings. She was quoted in the newspaper and interviewed on television, which continued to raise the profile of the issue and inspired many to get involved. After a barrage of press coverage and public outcry, the Harris County Commissioners Court agreed to a six- month moratorium on the project. Hershey and her allies continued to appeal at the federal level, and she turned to her newly elected congressman for help. George H.W. Bush began his first term in January 1967 and invited her to testify before Congress. They were successful in having the issue re-examined, and the destruction was halted. From 1967 to 1971, Hershey and her allies conducted community education campaigns and challenged the Army Corps of Engineers, the Harris County Flood Control District and the Commissioners Court at every turn. The campaign finally succeeded with the 1971 passage of the National Environmental Policy Act, which required the Army Corps of Engineers to seek public input and prepare environmental impact statements for significant projects. The Buffalo Bayou project that had precipitated Hershey’s plunge into environmental activism was canceled. But that was just a single victory. It would take another two decades of constant challenges for flood control approaches in Houston to consistently change for the better. During those 20 years, Hershey’s involvement and influence grew. The Buffalo Bayou Preservation Association morphed into the Bayou Preservation Association and became the watchdog organization of all 22 watersheds in the region. During that time, Hershey was one of 16 women who founded Citizens Who Care, the forerunner of the Citizens Environmental Coalition, which is still going strong today. She was also a founding member of The Photos courtesy of hershey foundation Park People Inc., which for more than 30 years worked tirelessly to advance the cause of parks and green space for Houston. She served on myriad local, state and national boards and garnered dozens of awards for her work. Hershey would modestly demur that she was but one of many active citizens who took part in environmental causes in Houston, but she was the catalyst for landmark initiatives as well as a persuasive, courageous and outspoken advocate for the issues she believed in. She nurtured a vast network of like- minded people and was known for the countless letters she wrote to keep the causes she cared about on the radar screens of the right people. When Ann Richards became Texas’ 45th governor in 1991, she appointed Hershey to the Texas Parks and Wild­ life Commission, the first parks and environmental advocate ever to be appointed to the board. Hershey’s tenure got off to a rocky start at her very first meeting. After an endless series of commission agenda items about hunting regulations and programs, Hershey commented that “all of this talk makes me want to throw up.” The comment caused a firestorm of criticism, fueled by outdoor writers from some of the major newspapers in the state. At a subsequent meeting, a Dallas Morning News reporter presented Hershey with a barf bag signed by some of the outdoor writers who regularly covered the meetings, eliciting a peal of laughter from the new commissioner. She took it as a peace offering of sorts, and her reaction demonstrated her sense of humor. She displayed the bag in front of her the rest of that meeting, to the amusement of everyone in the hearing room. “Terry Hershey was the first and strongest advocate for state parks on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission,” says Andrew Sansom, who served as executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department during her tenure. “She raised the profile of parks issues and helped her colleagues on the commission understand their importance. But she wasn’t just a parks person. She understood the role that private landowners play in wildlife conservation and was the first person on the commission to herald the value of a little-known legal device known as a conservation easement.” A conservation easement is an agreement between a landowner and a government agency or conservation organization that permanently limits uses of private land to protect its conservation value. Hershey had easements placed on her ranches in Stonewall and Colorado and hosted the first-ever conference on conservation easements in Texas. Now, conservation easements are a widely used tool to protect natural resources on private land. She also organized the first-ever land trust conference; today, there are dozens of land trusts across Texas. Hershey had a few quirks, one of which was never leaving a restaurant without a “doggy bag” for her backyard wildlife. She could always be counted on to collect the uneaten bread from her dining companion’s plates so that the birds she enjoyed watching from her kitchen window would never go hungry. Hershey also famously collected paper. Lots of it. She was known to make copies of documents or reports she found interesting and circulate them to her network. She kept letters she wrote, letters written to her and notes from board meetings and conferences she attended, and she stored them all in what she called her “busy room.” Terry Tomkins-Walsh was a doctoral student trying to focus her Ph.D. research when she met Terry Hershey in 2003. She was working with the Houston Endowment to advise Hershey on her collected papers and was surprised at the volume of material Hershey had stockpiled. “I bolted out of bed at 3 a.m. and realized ‘There’s a dissertation in that house!’” Tomkins-Walsh says. For the next few years she spent every Friday with Hershey, processing her papers and working on a dissertation about the history of Houston’s environmental activism. That connection led to access to the Citizens Environmental Coalition papers, and those papers formed the nucleus of the Houston History Archives, which Tomkins-Walsh now manages. Thanks to her work, fueled by the encouragement and Hershey Award The Terry Hershey Award will be bestowed on an inaugural set of honorees at the first annual Audubon’s Texas Women in Conservation awards luncheon in February. cooperation of Terry Hershey, the legacy of environ­mental activism in Houston has been chronicled and will be preserved. President Bush reflected on Terry Hershey’s service to Houston in the late 1990s and called her “a force of nature.” It is a fitting description. Hershey has served as an inspiration and role model, and personifies the contributions that women have made to protect Texas’ natural resources. It has been a largely unheralded story. Hershey has a park named after her in Houston, and now her legacy will live for years to come in another way as Audubon Texas and Houston Audubon have named an award in her honor. In February 2015, the first annual Audubon’s Texas Women in Conservation awards luncheon will be held in Houston, and the Terry Hershey Award will be bestowed on an inaugural set of honorees. The award recognizes women who have shown extraordinary leadership and achievement in conservation in Texas. “Terry Hershey exemplifies that one woman can make a difference,” Sansom says. “Women have been at the forefront of conservation in Texas, and this award will celebrate their role and encourage and inspire young women to follow in their footsteps.” O Texas Parks & Wildlife O 51 (Continued from Page 25) and connected the east to the west and Texas to Mexico City. Another exhibit reveals the famous folks who once called El Paso home: newsman Sam Donaldson, actor Gilbert Roland, artist Tom Lea, bootmaker Tony Lama and U.S. Customs collector Pat Garrett (who would later kill Billy the Kid in New Mexico). I can’t visit El Paso without eating what I believe is the state’s best and most authentic Mexican food, served up home-style in such restaurants as Kiki’s. Judy and I decide on dinner at the treasured 100-year-old local haunt that has served as a restaurant since 1976. The spicy fare prominently featuring red chiles turned out by what our waiter proudly referred to as “the old Mexican ladies in the kitchen” does not disappoint. The Hispanic roots of El Paso, originally known as Magoffinsville, reach deepest in the string of 16th and 17th century communities that sprang up around the presidios and missions established by the Spanish along the Rio Grande southeast of the city in what is known today as the Lower Valley. San Elizario, which once sat south of the river channel, is the oldest community and the spot where Oñate and his small contingent of soldiers, friars and colonists arrived at the banks of the Rio Grande in 1598 after crossing northern Chihuahua’s brutal Samalayuca Desert. Today, the charming town of San Elizario is enjoying a rebirth fueled by its state designation in 2013 as a State Cultural District and the tireless efforts of the San Elizario Genealogical and Historical Society. San Elizario hosts a monthly Art Market every third Sunday and occasional Art Walks and guided history tours. We stop at the visitors center to pick up a walking tour map denoting the various art galleries (including the Amado Peña Jr. Gallery) popping up in renovated historic haciendas and the dozens of landmark structures lining adjacent streets and clustered around the picturesque town square, over which looms the stunning 1882 San Elizario Chapel. A video about San Elizario, which was founded as a Spanish presidio in 1789, and informative Los Portales Museum exhibits prove invaluable background. One of the most popular tourist destinations is the Old County Jail, built in 1850 of adobe bricks and cottonwood logs, when San Elizario served as El Paso County’s first county seat in 1855-1866. The jail still contains the original steel cellblocks. Legend tells that famed outlaw William Bonney (Billy the Kid) broke into the jail to spring his cohort Melquiades Segura, the only man ever to escape the lockup. Jail museum curator and local artist Al Borrego regales us with a host of fascinating historical anecdotes about the history of the jail (which is located on the United States’ oldest main street), the town’s origin and San Elizario’s recent renaissance. “Before, people just came to see the church, which is on the El Paso Mission Trail,” says Borrego, who also serves as president of the local genealogy society. “International visitors, however, now visit because of cowboys, Indians and Old West outlaws like Billy the Kid.” After strolling the streets past adobe landmarks, we have just enough time to grab some crispy tacos and chicken enchiladas roja before heading to the airport. As we reach the boulevard leading to the airport, we salute the giant bronze of Oñate on his rearing steed — one final reminder of how El Paso’s rich past inexorably informs its present. O It’s the for FU REGISTER YOUR TEAM TODAY! 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S t o res o o N St in Each hand-crafted issue has its place on the spear and tomahawk display—a $70 value! Shown much smaller than actual size. When displayed as shown on the premiere issue display, the collection measures 30 inches L x 16½ inches W. Please reserve the Mystic Spirits Collection for me as described in this announcement. Limit: one per order. Please Respond Promptly Mrs. Mr. Ms. Name (Please Print Clearly) Address City State Zip Email (optional) 903984-E31791 ©Vivi Crandall ©2014 BGE 01-16793-001-BIR *Plus $8.99 shipping and service. Limited-edition presentations restricted to 295 crafting days. Please allow 4-8 weeks after initial payment for shipment. Sales subject to product availability and order acceptance. image specs: Nikon D3S camera with 20-35mm f/2.8 lens. Shot at 20mm, f/4.5. ISO 200. Multiple five-minute exposures merged into a single image. Built in 1828, the Rice Family Log Home at Mission Tejas State Park served as a stopover for immigrants, adventurers and others traveling the Old San Antonio Road across pioneer Texas. Texas Parks & Wildlife photographer Chase Fountain took this image on a moonless night in East Texas. “When shooting night shots I really like positioning interesting struc- tures in the foreground to give the image even greater depth,” Chase says. 58 O J an u ar y / febr u ar y 2 0 1 5 SAVE TODAY. TOUCHDOWNS TOMORROW. See how much you could save on RV insurance. for your RV geico.com | 1-877-434-2678 | local office Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2015. © 2015 GEICO