W W W . T P W M A G A Z I N E . C O M O J U L 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 Bayou DOWN ON THE Jefferson, Caddo Lake SCARLET COLLEY: DOLPHIN WHISPERER BIRTH OF A STATE PARK and the Cypress Bayou NIGHT BASS FISHING j u l y 38 30 44 4 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 2 0 1 5 COVER STORY Secrets of the Bayou Like a mysterious movie set, the moss-fringed curtains of Caddo open on fascinating history and abundant wildlife. By Preston Kirk Birth of a Park By Rob McCorkle First, you acquire some iconic Texas land. Then what? ­­­­Bass Fishing’s Dark Side By Larry D. Hodge When the sun goes down, the fish come up. Visit our online archive at www.tpwmagazine.com. Find us on Facebook. For the latest information on Texas’ parks and wildlife, visit the department’s ­website: www.tpwd.texas.gov TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 5 Departments 8 At Issue By Carter Smith 10 Mail Call Our readers share their ideas. 12 Scout: Keeping It Wild TPW Foundation has raised $65 million so far in its campaign to help Texas parks, wildlife and wardens. By Lydia Saldaña 14 Flora Fact: Over and Over Prairie clovers come in all shapes and sizes. By Jason Singhurst 16 Wild Thing: Tarantula Hunter While these wasps may frighten tarantulas, we have little to fear except a painful sting. By Ben Hutchins 20 Picture This: Eye in the Sky Drones are grabbing the buzz in the photo and film worlds. By Earl Nottingham 24 Park Pick: Texas Rustic CCC features give Lake Brownwood State Park a nature-designed feel. By Jane McFarland 26 Three Days in the Field: Elvis Was Here Visitors can learn about the King and the oil boom and enjoy spring foliage in Gladewater-Longview. By Mike Cox 50 Legend, Lore & Legacy: Dolphin Whisperer Meet Scarlet Colley, patron saint of the Laguna Madre dolphins. By Melissa Gaskill 58 Parting Shot 6 By Earl Nottingham O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Covers FRONT: Beauty and mystery await visitors to Caddo Lake in Northeast Texas. Photo by Earl Nottingham / TPWD PREVIOUS SPREAD: Lights keep the darkness at bay along a pier at Caddo Lake State Park. Photo by Chase A. Fountain / TPWD THIS PAGE: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, a new park being developed west of Fort Worth, is on the road to becoming a recreational haven for Texans. Photo by Chase A. Fountain / TPWD In the Field THE OUTDOOR MAGAZINE OF TEXAS J U LY 2 0 1 5 , ­ V O L . 7 3 , N O. 6 GOVERNOR OF TEXAS Greg Abbott COMMISSION Dan Allen Hughes Jr., Chairman Beeville Ralph H. Duggins, Vice Chairman Fort Worth T. Dan Friedkin, Chairman-Emeritus Houston Lee M. Bass, Chairman-Emeritus Fort Worth S. Reed Morian Houston Bill Jones Austin James H. Lee Houston Margaret Martin Boerne Dick Scott Wimberley Executive Director Carter P. Smith Communications Director Josh M. Havens MAGAZINE STAFF: 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 Erin Kedzie Editorial Intern Jonathan Vail, Catherine Groth Photography Interns CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Steve Lightfoot, Larry D. Hodge, Dyanne Fry Cortez, Stephanie M. Salinas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Seth Patterson, Sandy Dunham, Erich Schlegel 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 SUBSCRIPTIONS: (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 ROB McCORKLE 20 has years decided with to the move Texas on Parks to new and adventures after spending Wildlife Department writing about state parks and the agen- cy’s nature tourism programs (Texas birding and paddling trails). He says he hopes TPWD will be able to open the gates to thousands of acres of acquired parkland to serve a rap- idly growing population thirsting for greater outdoor recreational opportunities while also maintain- ing the other state parks that mil- lions of Texans enjoy each year. In retirement, Rob plans to continue exploring the Texas Hill Country, where he lives with his soon-to- be-retired wife, Judy, and hopes to dedicate more time to visiting the state parks he has proudly promoted for two decades. the invertebrate BEN HUTCHINS is Program. state Although his biologist for TPWD’s Wildlife Diversity academic background focused on Texas’ cave and aquifer invertebrates, his current position sends him across the state to investigate a wide range of critters, from butterflies and moths to snails and crustaceans. Texas has nearly 450 invertebrate species of greatest con- servation need, facing the threat of extinction. Ben’s role at TPWD is to coordinate and implement research, educational efforts and conservation measures to aid in the long-term protection of those species. Field work frequently puts him in contact with Texas’ stinging and biting (but beneficial) invertebrates like the tarantula-hawk wasp (see Page 16). PRESTON KIRK is a former United Press International reporter who has covered space shots, medical transplants, pres- idential campaign swings and desegregation hearings, among other topics. He was a founding editor of Houston Business Journal and Texas Business Magazine. “Covering Texas’ great outdoors and colorful history is a welcome change,” says the Lake Travis-area resident. He and his wife owned The Magnolias 1867 B&B in Jefferson in the early 1980s, doing “living history” tours and occasionally canoeing or floating Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake. The PR-marketing consultant closed his agency in May 2014 to take a “bigger bite out of nature, to con- centrate on my poetry and to do more acting.” Since 2000, he’s worked in dozens of films, TV series, commer- cials and stage productions. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 7 from the pen of carter p. smith It is a tale of two parks, both early in the making. Rob McCorkle’s narrative on two of our state’s newest treasures, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park and Kronkosky State Natural Area, chronicles what it takes to plan, develop and build a park from the ground up. To no surprise, it doesn’t happen by accident. Moreover, it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. As evidenced by the other 90 or so park sites in our portfolio, we believe it is well worth the wait. As with any of our sites, they must first be acquired. Those acquisitions make up a colorful part of TPWD’s lore, full of political will, intrigue, drama and suspense. They also reflect the deep spirit of generosity of Texas’ civic, philanthropic and landowner leaders who have helped shape the state’s park system, past, present and future. The Palo Pinto Mountains site came about as a way to resolve a mounting contretemps in Fort Worth over the proposed sale of the former Eagle Mountain Lake State Park, a 400-acre swath of open space on the northeast shore of the park’s namesake lake. The park, which had never been opened since its acquisition in the 1980s, had been labeled as “surplus property” and put up for sale to the highest bidder. To put it charitably, neighbors, area residents, park enthusiasts and civic leaders came unglued. The resulting solution was the rarest of the rare in the realm of conservation deals — a proposed “two parks for one” deal for the residents of Fort Worth and surrounding areas. In its basic terms, the Tarrant Regional Water District, with donations from a variety of public, corporate and private philanthropic sources, including schoolkids from Fort Worth, would “buy” the Eagle Mountain Lake site from the state and manage it as a local park. TPWD, in turn, would use the funds from the “sale” to acquire a new, larger state park site within an hour or so of the Fort Worth area. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t quick, but thanks to the generosity of many people, the good deeds of the Trust for Public Land to help broker the original deal, the work of the Nature Conservancy to locate and secure the Palo Pinto Mountains site, and the deft political skills of a couple of Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission chairs, the two-parks-for-one deal came to final fruition with the acquisition of the 4,000-acre Palo Pinto Mountains site, a jewel of a place just off of Interstate 20 near the quaint community of Strawn. The nearly 4,000-acre Kronkosky State Natural Area has its origins in the former 3K Ranch, owned by Bessie and Albert Kronkosky. Located in the picturesque hills just west of San Antonio, the ranch, worth of tens of millions of dollars, could have easily suffered the fate of development of so many other farms and ranches on the urban fringe. Thankfully, the Kronkoskys, generous philanthropists and principal benefactors of the Kronkosky Foundation, had other thoughts about the property’s future. Those plans, which included bequeathing the biologically rich Hill Country land to TPWD, came about in no small part because of a friendship between Mr. Kronkosky and the late Louis Stumberg. Mr. Stumberg, a former TPWD commissioner, impressed upon the couple the immense public value that the property would offer as a park or natural area. They readily concurred. Upon Mr. Kronkosky’s death, the property was ready for transfer to TPWD. But two obstacles emerged. The first was an unexpected challenge to the transfer by a nonprofit organization that had very different designs on the future of the ranch. The second was the timing. The state was in a very challenging position financially and in real danger of having to temporarily close parks. Adding new lands at a time like that might be perceived as irresponsible. Thankfully, however, the deal came together. The estate’s executor held firm against the challenge by the dissenting organization, and the TPW Commission took the long-term view on the property and accepted the bequest. I often say that our work both matters and is measured in generational terms. And, while it will undoubtedly take time to fully develop and open up both sites for full public use, they will be here before we know it and will be here long after we are gone. Thanks for caring about our wild things and wild places. They need you now more than ever. Those acquisitions make up a colorful part of TPWD’s lore, full of political will, intrigue, drama and suspense. 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 J U LY 2 0 1 5 the only stop for your fishing needs picks, pans and probes from our readers ED BLUESTEIN JR. Morgan’s Point TEXAS’ BEAUTIFUL BIRDS I n “The 12 Most Beauti- ful Birds in Texas” (May 2015), I am amazed you left out the painted bunting and the wood duck, two of the most colorful and beautiful species in North America. To each his own, I guess. Doug Campbell Houston C liff Shackelford’s choices for “The 12 Most Beau- tiful Birds in Texas” will no T he same day I received the May issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife a male paint- ed bunting appeared on my deck. I think he might war- rant consideration as one of “The 12 Most Beautiful Birds in Texas.” Jim Morton Waco W hen I viewed “The 12 Most Beautiful Birds in Texas,” I kept focusing on “most beautiful” while trying to appreciate the selections. Was Le Conte’s sparrow or the black-capped vireo selected for political correct- ness or the swallow-tailed kite, scissor-tailed flycatcher and tricolored heron selected WHOOO DO WE LOVE? OWLS T hanks to Camille Wheeler for the article about eastern screech-owls (May 2015). In February, my wife, Bettye, and I noticed an eastern screech-owl splashing in the bird bath in our backyard. We decided to build a nesting box. I placed the box in an oak tree in our backyard. Several days later, we saw an owl sticking its head out of the box. That hooked us on owl watching. In the latter part of April I checked the box and observed two babies ... little white fluffs a little larger than golf balls. We hope to continue having screech-owls as our neighbors. Ed McCrary Georgetown 10 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Painted BunTing PHOTO © TERRY FISCHER “Cliff Shackelford’s choices for ‘The 12 Most Beautiful Birds in Texas’ will no doubt be contentious.” doubt be contentious. He has some beauties, but as Plato noted long ago, beauty lies in the beholder’s eyes. My list would certainly include a cardinal, blue jay, wood duck, painted bunting and scarlet tanager. And prob- ably a green-head mallard, roseate spoonbill and cedar waxwing. Let’s be thankful for all of them. Ed Bluestein Jr. Morgan’s Point based on uniqueness? Obvi- ously the judges had never seen a painted bunting. Paul Silber San Antonio I appreciate your opinion of the most beautiful birds and enjoyed the article but disagree in your assessment of the gadwall being drab. After photographing them, I discovered the fine intri- cacy of their feather patterns and consider them beau- tiful. How about an article called “Discover the Beauty of Plants and Animals by Taking a Closer Look”? Kathy Cantu Belton I L oved the article about birds. As we sit on the porch swing and watch the beautiful tanager we are reminded of the awesomeness of God. As you lamented in the article, the painted bunting also deserves a spot. Perhaps another spread will allow the inclusion of these beauties. C. L. Kolstad III Anderson County H ow could you not include the painted bunting in “The 12 Most Beautiful Birds in Texas”? Don Martin Cedar Hill just received my Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine and read the story “Whooo Do You Love?” My wife of 50-plus years and I get up every morning to see if Ollie is in sight. We named our owl Ollie because we can’t tell the difference between male or female, or this year vs. last year, etc. I figured if it is a he, our owl is Oliver, and if a she, it is Olive. We love our owl(s). A friend of ours thought her husband didn’t have enough to do and suggested he build us an owl house. So he did. Friends and neighbors said for me to hang it and the owls would come. And they did. This is our second year owl watching. Mike Satterfield Dallas Rio has always felt a strong connection to the hunters and sport shooters of America. Though our innovation and pioneer spirit can be traced back well over a century to Spain, we see ourselves as a truly American company. Never has it been more true than today. Rio is proud to continue that pioneering tradition and share news of our new state- of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Marshall, Texas. Alongside the good folks of The Lone Star State, we are destined to write a new and uniquely American chapter in our storied history. Rio Ammunition, Inc. • 7300 Regency Road • Marshall, TX 75672 • 214.561.8616 NEWS AND VIEWS IN THE TEXAS OUTDOORS KEEPING IT WILD TPW Foundation has raised $65 million so far in its campaign to help Texas parks, wildlife and wardens. In March 2014, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation launched a fundraising campaign with an ambitious goal: to raise more than $100 million for strategic conservation priorities by 2018. In just over a year, Keeping It Wild: The Campaign for Texas has raised more than $65 million in private funds. The campaign is the biggest project yet undertaken by the foundation. Created in 1991 to help support the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s efforts to conserve our state’s wild things and wild places, the foundation leverages private philanthropy to address the most critical conservation 12 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 needs and opportunities. Keeping It Wild is the result of careful collaboration with TPWD leadership and is organized around priorities tied to TPWD’s Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan. By strategically supporting these priorities with private funding, the foundation and TPWD can complete projects that will benefit all Texans, as well as our wild things and wild places for generations to come. “The projects to be funded through this campaign are truly transformational,” says Dan Friedkin, T PW Commission chairman emeritus and campaign chairman. The coastal Powderhorn Ranch was purchased last year for preservation as a future state park and wildlife management area. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation spearheaded the acquisition effort. “They span every corner of the state and will address the most pressing conservation and outdoor recreation priorities in Texas.” One of these priorities is strategic land acquisition across the state. Projects include purchasing new sites, such as the August 2014 acquisition of Powderhorn Ranch along the coast, as well as acquiring land adjacent to current TPWD holdings to expand state parks and wildlife management areas. Funding secured for land acquisitions through the Keeping It Wild campaign will allow TPWD to take advantage of opportunities to invest in irreplaceable wildlife habitat and recreational lands for the benefit of all Texans. Another campaign priority is to provide public access to undeveloped sites such as Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, west of Fort Worth (see Page 30). With more than 80 percent of Texans living in urban areas, the need for easy access to state parks and quality outdoor experiences is a critical issue for millions of Texans. Funding in this area will create more opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation near the busy urban centers in our state. In addition, the foundation will raise funds to support species and habitat restoration projects that affect iconic Texas fish and wildlife, including pronghorn, bobwhite quail and Guadalupe bass. These creatures, along with many other species, run the risk of disappearing from their historic ranges without habitat restoration and management efforts. Finally, campaign funds will be invested at the Game Warden Training Center, ensuring that Texas game wardens can maintain their longstanding legacy of excellence in protecting the natural resources and people of Texas. Game wardens stationed throughout the state serve as first responders in many rural areas and provide critical assistance during natural disasters and other emergencies. “This initiative is the biggest conservation fundraising campaign in Texas history,” says Mark Bivins, who serves on the executive committee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation board of trustees and is campaign vice chairman. “It’s gratifying to be involved in this comprehensive effort that will have such a positive impact on the landscape of Texas.” If you would like to make a contribution to Keeping It Wild: The Campaign for Texas, please visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation website at tpwf.org or contact Executive Director Anne Brown at (214) 720-1478. —Lydia Saldaña New iSnapper App With a 365-day season and a four-fish daily bag limit, red snapper is popular among Gulf anglers. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employs various tools to monitor snapper populations. In addition to traditional methods such as bag seines and angler interviews, the agency last year rolled out a free online reporting tool — iSnapper — for anglers to voluntarily share their snapper landing information. Developed by the Harte Research Institute, iSnapper gives TPWD another tool to validate the data collected from current monitoring programs. Anglers voluntarily input very basic information: the date of the trip, how many people were on the trip, the number of fish caught, the number of snapper landed. Download the free app from isnapper.org. PHOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 13 P Over and Over H T I S Prairie clovers come in all shapes and sizes. into summer, the erect and creeping prairie clovers of all sizes, shapes and colors begin dotting our landscapes, helped along by this year’s above- average rainfall. Prairie clovers (genus Dalea) are great indicators of intact grasslands and savannas in Texas and are heavily utilized by wildlife. Texas is blessed with 42 of the 70 species of prairie clovers that occur in the United States. Prairie clovers prefer prairies and savannas with little competition. Fire suppression practices, however, have eliminated the wildfires that cleared out encroaching woody plants and renewed our prairie grasslands and savannas. Now the expansion of woody shrubs and trees threatens many of the prairie clovers, which need warm, sunlit prairie or savanna landscapes to survive. Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea) is known for its showy purple flowers that bloom from May through July. In Texas, it occurs in the north and northeast portions of the state and Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas. During the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–06), Lewis saw American Indians gather purple prairie clover leaves, soak them in water and apply them to fresh wounds. American Indians also used the plant as a heart medicine and diarrhea remedy. The easiest places to view this prairie clover include Blackland Prairie remnants in North Texas and the prairie at the southern end of Lake Ray Roberts State Park. White prairie clover (Dalea candida) is white-flowered and known for its tall, slender, showy upright clump habit, with fine textured green leaves that are larger than those of the purple prairie clover. The easiest places to view this prairie clover include Blackland Prairie remnants in North Texas, Guadalupe Mountains National Park 14 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Purple prairie clover, identifiable by its cone-like flower head, is an excellent food source for wildlife. and Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Round-headed prairie clover (Dalea multiflora) is white-flowered and distributed along the middle and upper coast and Central and North Texas. A few easy places to view this prairie clover include Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands in North Texas. Feather dalea (Dalea formosa) is a thornless, colony-forming shrub that typically grows 2 to 3 feet tall and bears tiny, pinnately compound leaves and flowers with yellow and bright purple to pink-purple petals in short, head- like racemes. A few easy places to view this prairie clover include Big Bend National Park, Devils River State Natural Area, Franklin Mountains State Park, Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Seminole Canyon State Park. Black dalea (Dalea frutescens) is a thornless shrub up to 3 feet tall with flowers that are small and purple. It flowers from July to October. One of the showiest species of prairie clover is the golden prairie clover (Dalea aurea). The cone-shaped fuzzy flower spikes of golden prairie clover have a unique form. Hall’s prairie clover (Dalea hallii) is a rare endemic (found nowhere else but Texas) and is restricted to 18 counties in Central and North-Central Texas. However, many of these counties represent one location, and many of the sightings are historical (the plants have not been seen in 50 years or more). The flowers are yellow and orange and very distinct. The LBJ National Grasslands is one of the few reliable places to see this rare and very showy prairie clover. If you see Hall’s prairie clover, the TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program is highly interested in gathering information on the location, habitat and number of plants present. Another globally rare prairie clover that occurs in Texas is Comanche Peak prairie clover (Dalea reverchonii). This is one of a few prostrate-growing purple-flowered prairie clovers and is restricted to certain shallow-soil habitats in the Fort Worth Prairie of North-Central Texas. Botanists at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth are working with private landowners to conserve this Texas endemic. While you are traveling or hiking in prairie and savanna landscapes this late spring or summer, keep an eye out for prairie clovers. Texas is blessed “over and over” with prairie clovers, so enjoy these extremely diverse and dazzling members of the legume family. — Jason Singhurst PHOTO © RUSSELL GRAVES As the spring flora transitions It’s smiles & sunglasses season! You’re just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the pristine beaches of Corpus Christi and the Texas Coastal Bend. Come curl your toes in the sand, take a dip in the salty sea, or race your kids down the beach. Exuberance never felt so good! While you’re here, stand atop the landing deck of the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier, get a kiss from a dolphin at the Texas State Aquarium, eat just-caught flounder, and float the Torrent Tidal Wave River at the new Schlitterbahn waterpark opening this summer. Plan your trip online and find the perfect lodging, restaurants, and activities to fit your family and your budget. Don’t forget the flip flops and a camera, because memories are made here. VisitCorpusChristiTX.org or 800.766.BEACH (2322) P Tarantula Hunter T H I S While these wasps may frighten tarantulas, we have little to fear except a painful sting. One of the most conspicuous of Texas’ invertebrates, tarantula-hawk wasps (genus Pepsis) are also one of our most fascinating. These big wasps could certainly be described as beautiful with their iridescent, blue-black bodies and their wings and antennae that can be metallic black, orange or red. What’s most interesting about these wasps, however, is their namesake behavior: hunting tarantulas. I admire any hunter that specializes in prey larger than itself, particularly if that prey has the substantial defensive weaponry of a tarantula. But the tarantula-hawk wasp takes on the challenge without fear, not only hunting tarantulas at the ground level but also being so bold as to enter occupied tarantula burrows, forcing the spider to the surface for an attack. If you are lucky enough to see the 16 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 battle, settle in and take advantage of a rarely seen show. After a tense face-off, the tarantula- hawk wasp makes its move: darting under the tarantula and biting a hind leg while using its own hind legs to hold the tarantula’s fangs out of biting range. Then, in a bold wrestling move, the tarantula hawk flips the tarantula on its back and delivers the coup de grace: a sting, usually at the base of the first leg (a veritable chink in the tarantula’s armor) that paralyzes the tarantula in seconds. Then the tarantula’s day gets even worse. The immobilized but still-alive tarantula is carried back to a burrow, where the tarantula-hawk wasp lays a single egg. Like a tomb, the burrow is then sealed until the egg hatches, and the wasp larva begins to feast on the living tarantula. Although chances for survival are slim, all hope is not lost for the tarantula. In at least one species, if the wasp egg does not hatch, the venom will eventually wear off, allowing the tarantula to make a full recovery. Aside from their behavior toward tarantulas, adult tarantula-hawk wasps are, for the most part, docile vegetarians, feeding primarily on nectar. About 13 of the 250-plus species of tarantula-hawk wasps occur in Texas. Body lengths typically measure up to 2 inches, though the largest of the South American species can reach lengths up to 2½ inches. They are easily observed up close, being active during the day, particularly morning and evenings, when females can be found engaged in a fast-paced search for prey, apparently Continued on Page 18 PHOTO © MARK MOFFETT/ MINDEN PICTURES Tarantula-hawk wasps attack tarantulas to lay eggs in them. BugsAway ® apparel with Insect Shield ® technology protects you while you play outside. Outfitting Texans since 1970 for Adventure, Travel & Fun! STORE LOCATIONS Austin • Dallas • Houston San Antonio • Southlake hermAnn sons frATernAl insurAnce Insuring a better future for Texans at all stages of life since 1861. Hermann Sons Fraternal Insurance | Traditional ... http://www.texashermannsons.org/ Hermann Sons Youth Camp – A benefit for boys & girls ages 9-13 cAll ToDAY! 800-234-4124 www.hermannsons.org • Facebook http://kaywa.me/E5WAK Download the Kaywa QR Code Reader (App Store &Android Market) and scan your code! 18 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 unthreatened and unafraid of humans or any other would-be predator. Justin Schmidt from the University of Arizona hypothesizes that this confidence has arisen from the female tarantula-hawk wasp’s spectacular ability to inflict pain. Schmidt is well qualified to make this claim: As creator of the Schmidt sting pain index, he has been stung by more species of pain-inducing invertebrates from around the world than most of us care to think about. On the Schmidt sting pain index, tarantula-hawk wasps hold an infamous distinction as one of only three insects to attain the highest possible rating of 4 or “traumatically painful.” For perspective, the rather aggressive red wasps (Polistes carolina and Polistes exclamans) that are common throughout much of Texas get a 2, merely “painful.” Schmidt has described the pain of the tarantula-hawk wasp as “immediate, intense, excruciating, and totally debilitating. The pain is so debilitating and excruciating that few, if any, can maintain normal coordination or cognitive control” if stung. Despite the sobering warning, humans have little to fear from tarantula-hawk wasps. They don’t show unprovoked aggression toward humans, and in the unfortunate event of a sting, the pain completely subsides after a few minutes, leaving no permanent damage. Their bold coloration and charismatic swagger make tarantula-hawk wasps an entertaining and welcome addition to the Texas landscape. —Ben Hutchins PHOTO © ROB CURTIS / THE EARLY BIRDER • Whole life • Term life • AnnuiTies Clear vision is critical when you’re on the water. That’s why Costa makes prescription lenses that have the same patented 580 lens technology as nonprescription Costas. Use the store locator at costadelmar.com to find an authorized Rx retailer near you. Day-time Color P THIS Eye in the Sky Drones are grabbing the buzz in the photo and film worlds. 3D Robotics Solo For a few days each year, Las Vegas Night-time Color Come watch with us! 830-796-3045 BanderaCowboyCapital.com 20 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 becomes the center of the techno- geek universe during the National Association of Broadcasters Show. It’s a crossroads of broadcast, photographic and filmmaking technology where the latest and greatest of all things digital are showcased in one massive trade show to more than 100,000 visitors. Although NAB was originally formed to be an industry voice for radio and television broadcasters and engineers, it has evolved to now include those who produce and deliver high-quality digital content using the latest still and video cameras, computer hardware and software. And each year — as products morph into new, useful and creative tools to create and deliver images — one product generally stands out and grabs the rapt attention of the NAB masses. There was a buzz in the air at the 2015 NAB Show ... literally! The flying devices known as unmanned aerial vehicles, quadcopters or drones were drawing show attendees by the thousands to the Drone Pavilion, where participants could not only practice flying them but also see the quality of the video and still images that they are now capable of producing — most notably ultrahigh-definition 4K video and 12-megapixel still photos from even the entry-level models. The high- resolution imagery and the camera stabilization found on most models allow photographers and filmmakers to obtain previously difficult or unattainable angles from which a story can be told. They allow viewers to see the world in a whole new way. Along with the proliferation of drones goes the need for information and education regarding drone safety and regulations. Unfortunately, the jury (or, more precisely, the Federal Aviation Administration) is still out on finalizing regulations regarding both the personal and commercial use of drones. Texas has restrictions on drone use, so make sure you know the rules before you fly. State parks don’t allow drones to be flown without park permission. Although drones in every size and shape could be found at NAB, the overall trend was higher resolution cameras, longer range (distance and battery), greater autonomy and connectivity to personal mobile devices. Two models stood out based on their innovations and capabilities. 3D ROBOTICS SOLO www.3drobotics.com The Solo supports full remote control of GoPro cameras while also delivering live-streaming HD video to mobile devices. The drone can deliver a video stream to iOS and Android devices up to half a mile away. You can record the video directly to your device’s camera roll. The Solo has a number of “intelligent” features that give the drone greater autonomy — enabling it to fly designated routes automatically or handle camera controls on its own. A Smart Shot feature lets operators set up a shot that the Solo will then execute on its own. The Cable Cam and Orbit settings allow you to create a flight path along a “virtual track” in space. The Solo will then fly while you focus strictly on the camera. With Cable Cam, pick two points in space and the drone will move smoothly between them. With Orbit, point at an object, and the drone will fly a circle around it. A Follow mode programs the Solo to track the camera operator’s movements by locking into the operator’s mobile device. SIGHTS & SOUNDS TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE TV AND RADIO T E L E V I S I O N LOOK FOR THESE STORIES IN THE COMING WEEKS June 28–July 4: Sinking the Kinta S; desert skies; Battleship Texas fireworks; turkey trapping; CCC memories. July 5–11: Laser-mapping Devil’s Sinkhole; Texas time-lapse; the marsh doctor; goose-hunting Laurens; Estero Llano Grande wildlife. July 12–18: Catfish crazy; bison babies; Chester’s island; Martin Creek Lake State Park; Laborcitas Ranch quail habitat. July 19–25: Urban bobcats; Mustang Island beach; Aransas refuge; Sycamore Canyon Ranch family ties. July 26–Aug. 1: Turning ships into reefs; the legend of Ethel the bass; Resaca de la Palma State Park; working squirrels; coastal expos. Biologists track bobcats in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Watch the week of July 19-25. 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.texas.gov/tv RADIO DJI PHANTOM 3 www.dji.com Perhaps the most recognized name in drone technology, DJI has steadily improved its Phantom and Inspire series of quadcopters. The latest Phantom 3 raises the bar with several great features, beginning with its Vision Positioning technology that provides accurate position holding even indoors when GPS is unavailable. Visual and ultrasonic sensors scan the ground beneath the Phantom 3 for patterns, enabling it to identify its position and move accurately. Two proprietary DJI camera options are available. The Phantom 3 Professional comes with a 4K camera, while the Phantom 3 Advanced shoots 1080p HD video. Live HD View lets operators record images up to 1.2 miles away by using a mobile device or tablet with DJI’s mobile app. Camera and flight settings can be changed remotely. Operators using the newly redesigned controller can perform remote camera functions such as starting/stopping video and shooting stills. — Earl Nottingham Please send questions and comments to Earl at earl.nottingham@tpwd.texas.gov. For more tips on outdoor photography, visit the magazine’s photography page at www.tpwmagazine.com/photography. 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. PASSPORT TO TEXAS Join host Cecilia Nasti weekdays for a 90-second excursion into the Texas Outdoors. Find a station near you, or listen on the Web at www.passporttotexas.org We stock ’em, you catch ’em. Texas Parks and Wildlife frequently stocks local Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes with fish big enough to catch—and keep! Find a lake near you at www.NeighborhoodFishin.org TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 21 P Texas T H I S Rustic Lake Brownwood State Park TOP PHOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD; INSET PHOTOS © JOHN CHANDLER; OPPOSITE PAGE BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD CCC features give Lake Brownwood State Park a nature-designed feel. There’s a serene peninsula on Lake Brownwood that offers more than stunning sunsets. Lake Brownwood State Park is one of the most extensively developed Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) parks in Texas. A part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal recovery program for a country in the depths of the Great Depression, the CCC enlisted unemployed young men to improve undeveloped land across the country; the work gave hope and income to the enrollees and their families. The craftsmanship of the Civilian Conservation Corps can be seen at Lake Brownwood State Park in park buildings, stairs, cabins and more. The lake, top right, is popular with swimmers, boaters and anglers. 24 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 The Civil Works Administration (CWA), the forerunner of the CCC, started work on the park in 1933. CWA workers completed the park’s centerpiece, a beautiful refectory built from native stone. CCC Company 872 worked in the park from November 1934 to October 1935, and CCC Company 849 arrived in October 1936 and stayed until the park was completed in February 1942. Those workers built the entry portal to the park, picnic sites, Fisherman’s Lodge, a grand stairway to a boat dock, two park residences and 16 stone-and-timber cabins. All of these rustic facilities were designed with nature in mind, and built with local materials. The park’s name has changed over the years; it started as Brownwood Big Lake. Big Fun. Both await you in Conroe, TX H Hydro Rockets Flyboards offer new and adrenaline pumping ways to experience Lake Conroe. TXP&W-7-15 State Park in 1933, became Lake Brownwood State Park in 1935 and in 1946 was renamed the Thirty-Sixth Division State Park to honor the Texas Army National Guard unit that mobilized from nearby Camp Bowie. The name changed back to Lake Brownwood State Park in the 1950s. Far from being a historic museum, the park encourages visitors to enjoy the CCC’s handiwork today. Stay overnight in a cozy cabin, hike the trails past picnic sites that appear to grow out of the landscape, or walk down to the water’s edge on the boat dock stairway and appreciate the craftsmanship of this grand feature. Campers can choose from lakeside tent-only campsites, sites with water and electricity and sites with full hook-ups. The park’s trails are ideal for hikers and bikers of all ages and abilities. The new Nopales Ridge Trail is already a favorite for mountain bikers — it winds and climbs through a limestone ridge and past shaded woodlands. Wildlife watchers will love the Texas Oak Trail that dips down to the water’s edge on the north shore of the park. Hikers who take Opossum Loop may catch a glimpse of wild turkeys, white-tailed deer or the trail’s namesake from the wildlife viewing blind on the trail. Lake Brownwood has been below capacity, but visitors can still enjoy swimming, boating, fishing or skiing on the lake. Lake Brownwood State Park is located northwest of Brownwood. Take Texas Highway 279 northwest for 16 miles, and then head east on Park Road 15 for six miles. For more information, visit tpwd.texas.gov/ lakebrownwood or call (325) 784-5223. —Jane McFarland ome to 22,000 acre Lake Conroe with its 156 miles of shoreline, it is no wonder why Conroe is a premiere summer destination in Texas. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Hometown craft breweries, live music, great food, ten golf courses to choose from and more add to the charm and allure of Conroe. Start planning your summer fun with our FREE Vacation Guide! 1-877-426-6763 Find more vacation ideas at: www.PlayInConroe.com VisitConroe (tx) TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 25 Days in the Field By Mike Cox DESTINATION: GLADEWATER - LONGVIEW W T R A V E L T I M E F R O M : AUSTIN – 4.25 hours / DALLAS – 1.75 hours / EL PASO – 10.25 hours HOUSTON – 3.25 hours / SAN ANTONIO – 5.5 hours / LUBBOCK – 6.5 hours Elvis Was Here Visitors can learn about the King and the oil boom and enjoy spring foliage in Gladewater-Longview. 26 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Elvis Presley played his first paid Texas gig in Gladewater and often stayed at the Res-Mor Motel. venue in Gladewater called the Mint Club. That happened on Nov. 23, 1954, and was Elvis’ first paid gig in Texas. In fact, before that time, the yet-uncrowned King had never been before a ticket-buying audience outside of Tennessee or Louisiana. For the next several years, until his career really took off, Elvis periodically spent time in Gladewater. Sometimes he stayed at the Res-Mor in his favorite Room 104 for a week, playing schools, oil company camps and beer joints all over that part of Texas. But the future rock ’n’ roll superstar did not work all the time. Between gigs, he had no trouble making friends with local girls. “If every woman around here who supposedly had a date with Elvis actually did go out with him, he would have been taking out three different ones every day,” Perryman says with a smile. Elvis has forever left the building, but visitors can learn more about his Gladewater days at the Gladewater Museum. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and other days by appointment. At that museum, you also will learn that both Gladewater and Longview were just quiet railroad stops until 1931, when the storied East Texas oil boom transformed this part of the state. For a time, the frenzied ALL PHOTOS © SANDY DUNHAM hen you take a road trip in Texas, no matter your mental or written list of places to see and things to do, you’re not traveling right if you don’t find attractions that are not listed in Chamber of Commerce brochures. For instance, during a three-day visit to Gladewater-Longview (the two Gregg County communities are only 13 miles apart), my companion Beverly and I found ourselves standing outside Room 104 at the Res-Mor Motel (get it? “Rest More”) in Gladewater. But it wasn’t because we had spent the night there or planned to. Built in the early 1950s, the motel is a relic of the pre-interstate days when U.S. Highway 80 carried heavy east-west traffic across East Texas. While no sign or historical marker commemorates this motel’s most famous guest, his more fanatical fans know its significance: On the road to becoming a rock ’n’ roll legend, Elvis Presley stayed in this room at various times in 1954–55. As a young disc jockey at Gladewater’s KSIJ, Tom Perryman made extra money by booking entertainers he viewed as up-and- coming. One day in 1954, he got a call about a trio who had been playing on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport — Elvis, guitar player Scotty Moore and bass man Bill Black. They were broke, looking for gigs. Perryman (the 88-year-old former longtime Nashville resident now lives in Tyler) arranged for Elvis and his band to play at a long-vanished crude production emanating from the “Black Giant” — as the 140,000- acre East Texas oilfield was known — isolated the region from the economic depression wracking most of the rest of the state and the nation. While oil play shaped this area, not everything in Gregg County has to do with energy production. Beverly and I easily found three days’ worth of interesting things to do in the Gladewater-Longview area. Tyler State Park is less than a half-hour’s drive west, with a cool, 64-acre spring-fed lake, 100-foot- tall trees and historic structures. A 45-minute drive to the east lands you at Martin Creek Lake State Park, where the fishing is phenomenal year-round, as well as boating, camping and wildlife watching. First, we wanted to check out these fascinating towns. We began our next morning with a visit to the Historic Farmer’s Market in downtown Longview. The Saturday morning market offers locally grown veggies and fruit. Our next stop was the Gregg County Historical Museum. Housed in the 1910-vintage Everett Building, which for years was home to Citizens National Bank, the museum highlights Longview’s beginnings as a railroad town and goes on to document the oil boom’s impact. Art aficionados also will enjoy the Longview Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to changing exhibits, the museum — opened in 1958 — has a permanent collection of more than 300 paintings and other pieces of art. We headed off to Gladewater for lunch at the Tumbleweed Steakhouse. Pleasantly full, we rolled out to see if we could explore all the antique shops and malls in town before closing time. Gladewater bills itself as “The Antique Capital of East Texas,” and with more than 200 dealers in town, that is not hyperbole. Downtown is basically one antique shop or mall after another, so wear walking shoes if looking for treasures from days of yore is your thing. In addition to the antique places, be sure to check out Gladewater Books, a mom-and-pop used Clockwise from top: Farmers bring their goods to sell on Saturdays at the Historic Farmer’s Market in Longview; a large derrick in Gladewater is a reminder of the area’s oil boom; the Gladewater Museum documents Elvis, energy and more; antique stores fill Gladewater’s downtown. bookstore owned by Betty DeRieux and Peter Adams. Their books are many and varied, and nondigital. While you’re walking around this one-time boomtown, if you think you’ve burned off enough calories to justify a mid-afternoon snack, stop by the Fork Bakery on Main Street. We took a coffee break there. As tasty as the bakery goods looked, we toughed it out and stuck with just our cups of joe. If you want to snap a selfie while standing in front of what you could tell your friends is your oil well, head to the large metal derrick that rises near the railroad tracks that run through town. It makes a great background for a shot that will make you look like a real-deal Texan, ideal for Facebook posting. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 27 After checking out the last antique store, we headed back to Longview to rest our feet and decide where to have that evening’s supper. We agreed to try Dudley’s Cajun Café. It was packed when we showed up, and we soon found out why. I had a bowl of shrimp creole, while Beverly enjoyed a blackened crawfish salad. If focusing on Cajun food seems a bit strange, remember that Longview is only 65 miles from Shreveport, La. Beverly, a connoisseur of Cajun, gave the place her stamp of approval. At a leisurely hour the following morning, we drove to Lake Gladewater. Located 20 miles from Longview, the 481-acre impoundment on Glade Creek was built by the City of Gladewater in the early 1950s. It’s Farm-grown tomatoes and other fresh fare fill the booths at the Historic Farmer’s Market in Longview; residents enjoy a walk on the Paul G. Boorman Trail in Longview; sunset reflects off the waters of Lake Gladewater. NEED a PLACE to HUNT? Buy an Annual Public Hunting Permit » Nearly one million for dove, acres deer, of walk-in hunting opportunities turkey, quail, waterfowl, feral hog and much more. » Youth for under free. 17 can accompany a permitted adult online » Only 48 or — fi available licenses are or sold. wherever Buy hunting shing $ yours starting August 15. Also, Apply for Drawn Hunts bighorn » Hunt desert white-tailed sheep, deer, pronghorn, turkey, mule deer, exotics, alligator and more. » Youth-Only hunt opportunities also available. » Apply online now! Find high-quality hunts across Texas. www.tpwd.texas.gov/pubhunt 28 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 For more information, call (512) 389-4505 or email hunt@tpwd.texas.gov considered a good crappie lake. We didn’t fish but did enjoy a good walk. While this lake is the closest fishing hole to this area, Lake O’ the Pines is not far to the north, and southern Gregg County has Lake Cherokee, another good crappie lake. We were in Gregg County in April when East Texas is always dressed in its spring best. But we discovered that we had just missed a special part of spring in this region of the state: the annual daffodil bloom at Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden. While only an oilman or his banker can see beauty in a working rig or tank farm, the money that comes from oil can be used to create universal beauty. During the East Texas boom, Gladewater newspaper and radio station owner T.W. Lee did very well in the oil business. With income flowing as freely as crude, Lee and his wife, Helen, bought a tract of land six miles south of Gladewater. Originally, they intended to mine their property for gravel, but that enterprise did not last long. Helen Lee fell in love with their timber- covered holding, and soon she bought adjoining land, bringing their farm to 918 acres. She converted two gravel pits into fish-filled ponds, and she and her husband saw that good conservation measures allowed white- tailed deer and wild turkeys to flourish on the ranch. To further beautify the property, Helen Lee ordered a boxcar full of daffodil bulbs from Holland. Forty workers planted the bulbs over a 28-acre tract, and the distinctive yellow flowers have been blooming every February and March since then. When she died in 1984, a foundation bearing her name took over management of the property. The daffodil garden is open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week from mid-February through March or until the daffodils are no longer blooming. Thousands of people visit every year. If you like walking, Longview offers more than 10 miles of trails, including trails at Cargill Long Park and along Grace Creek. Another way to get some walking in is to pick up a self-guided tour map of downtown historic sites from the Longview Chamber of Commerce. All that walking can build up an appetite. For lunch, we enjoyed great burgers at a locally owned eatery called the Butcher Shop. This place offers burgers and the fixings, as well as a breakfast menu. This time, we did succumb to some cookies for dessert, but Beverly mitigated that somewhat by eating her hamburger without the bun. We wrapped up our Gregg County trip at the R.G. LeTourneau Museum on the campus of LeTourneau University. The exhibits highlight the life of LeTourneau, another person who prospered during the 1930s East Texas oil boom. He did so by gaining various patents for oilfield and earth- moving equipment he invented. From daffodils to derricks to a private university founded by an oilfield innovator, the “Black Giant” left deep footprints in the red dirt of East Texas. AND WET WILD It’s wet and wild and wonderful here in Waco & the Heart of Texas. Take a lazy oat down the Brazos River, go for a dip in soothing Lake Waco, or tour the Waco Mammoth Site, set on 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. You'll nd even more beautiful habitats at Cameron Park, with 416 acres of hills, trees, and trails set along the Brazos and Bosque. Visit WacoheartofTexas.com for links on shing, swimming, and enjoying these natural aaractions throughout Waco & the Heart of Texas. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 29 With new parkland spread out before him, Superintendent John Ferguson looks over a map of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. PHOTO BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN / TPWD FIRST, YOU ACQUIRE 30 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 [ ] Birth Park OF A SOME ICONIC TEXAS LAND. THEN WHAT? by Rob McCorkle TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 31 opposite: Tucker Lake is at the heart of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, shown in this map of future plans. Camping and other facilities will be developed around the lake. n PHOTO BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN / TPWD; MAP BY TPWD a crisp November day, when the last vestiges of fall foliage cling tenuously to deciduous trees in the Cross Timbers region of North Texas, John Ferguson rattles uphill on a bumpy ranch road. His destination is a 1,200- foot mountaintop where one day campers will marvel at the stars and pedal along backcountry trails. Below him in the distance, the waters of Tucker Lake shimmer at the heart of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. 32 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Palo Pinto Mountains State Park The state park property was purchased in 2011 with money from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s sale of an undeveloped 400-acre Eagle Mountain Lake site near Fort Worth. The Palo Pinto acreage is composed of more than 4,000 acres of former ranch land straddling the Palo Pinto/Stephens county line plus 120 acres surrounding the lake, donated by the City of Strawn. The Eagle Mountain Lake proceeds allowed the state to buy the original 3,300 acres for the new state park and purchase additional nearby acreage as it came on the market. Having the land in place is just one step, though. The agency’s acquisition of property for a future state park or state natural area signals the commencement of a complex, arduous, time-consuming process that can take many years to complete before the gates swing open. The road to opening celebrations at a state park is a long and winding one. With lots of bumps. It’s not a big stretch to say that creating a state park out of a raw piece of property is akin to a woman giving birth, but instead of taking nine months, “delivering” a state park can sometimes take nine years. Camping Day Use Bathhouse RV Camping Day Use Fishing Pier Canoe Launch Pavilion Tent Camping Cabins Tu c k e r Lake Recreation Hall Recreation Hall Residence Astronomy Area PALO PINTO COUNTY STEPHENS COUNTY Tucker Lake Future campers will have scenic views from the hilltops at Palo Pinto Mountains. TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith takes the long view when it comes to acquiring land that will one day become a state park to welcome the public. “We need to think in terms of a longer-term framework — in generational terms,” Smith says. “Instead of a park opening being two years out, or four or six years, we need to see the land acquisitions as a way to preserve the resources for the opportunity to develop parks later. When we get a site opened, we want to make sure we have had the appropriate level of public participation in the process.” State funding drives the park acquisition and development train. The last significant spate of new state park development occurred in the 1970s and ’80s through $75 million in park bonds issued during Texas Gov. John Connally’s administration. Until recently, 34 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Government Canyon State Natural Area in Bexar County, purchased in 1993, was the last significant piece of property purchased by TPWD. Five properties in the state parks inventory are as yet unopened to the public: Davis Hill, Palo Pinto Mountains and three state natural areas — Chinati Mountains, Albert & Bessie Kronkosky and the Big Satan Unit of Devils River. “Our capacity to work on the myriad tasks that go into planning, designing, developing and opening a new state park is limited to only a couple of parks at any given time because of staffing limitations and funding challenges,” says State Parks Director Brent Leisure. Today, those two properties are Kronkosky and Palo Pinto Mountains. The Kronkosky Foundation donated the 3,800-acre 3K Ranch to TPWD in January 2011, just before the Palo Pinto purchase. PALO PINTO MOUNTAINS STATE PARK 4,000-plus acres EASTLAND COUNTY Why aren’t those two sites open to the public yet? The process of creating, funding and developing a new state park requires due diligence that takes time. “When we go in and construct a new state park away from everything, it’s like building a small town,” explains lead park planner Chris Beckcom. PARK PLANNING PROCESS Park planning follows a prescribed timeline and has many moving parts (see chart on next page). The process begins with a wide-ranging, thorough baseline inventory of the property’s existing conditions — physical attributes and biological and cultural resources — to help planners determine which places will be used for public recreation and which areas should be protected for endangered species and archeological and environmental concerns. Based on those findings and input from ‘BANKING’ PROPERTY FOR FUTURE PARKS With such a lengthy timeline and ongoing funding and staffing issues, why should the state even bother with acquiring more parkland? Buying land now is a matter of “land banking” to preserve significant natural areas of Texas, says parks administrator Kevin Good. These properties can be developed as financial resources become available. Of course, all the planning and adherence to the process that moves a project along are subject to the whims of disaster, such as Hurricane Ike and the wildfire at Bastrop State Park. Such is nature’s way. “There’s no voodoo, no witchcraft, no magic to the planning process,” says David Riskind, natural resources director for state parks. “There’s just a constant shuffling of priorities. There’s also the day-to-day dealing with our older parks, which we are continuously changing, upgrading, refining and adjusting.” Birth of a State Park PALO PINTO MOUNTAINS STATE PARK Located just north of Interstate 20 midway between Abilene and Fort Worth, Palo Pinto Mountains is projected to be one of Texas’ busiest state parks. Resources have been inventoried, site analysis completed and one of two planned public meetings held. TPWD will be receiving $2.7 million from the Texas Legislature in 2016-17 to underwrite the architectural design and engineering that will guide development at the park. Superintendent Ferguson, who lives with his family at a residence just inside the park, says Strawn’s civic leaders equate landing a new state park to “winning the lottery” since it will bring jobs and thousands of visitors to the small, sleepy former railroad and coal mining town. The new park has a historical tie to the state’s oil industry, as it’s the location of the first well drilled in the prolific Ranger Oil Field. The state park, which lies roughly 70 miles west of Fort Worth, one day will host scores of swimmers, paddlers, anglers and horseback riders. The rugged and ecologically diverse Cross Timbers property features two miles of frontage on the north fork of Palo Pinto Creek, 80-acre Tucker Lake, stunning hilltop vistas, canyons, meadows, streamside forests, pecan bottoms and upland woods. Ferguson has allowed limited use of the park, hosting astronomy groups, birders, equestrians and hikers. It is not unusual, he says, for more than 100 people to show up for the occasional organized horseback rides and stargazing parties. He envisions one day hosting mountain biking events and extreme adventure races. “We’re in a kind of transition in state parks,” Ferguson says. “Park users of Land acquisition for state park/ natural area finalized. Baseline inventory (site analysis) of property’s resources undertaken. Takes up to three years. Park planning begins. Public meetings held. Public use plan developed, which includes a written “narrative” of park project plans, list of proposed facilities, park map and project cost estimate. Takes 18 months to three years. Architecture and engineering work performed, once funding becomes available, to design the park and infrastructure. Development budget created. Takes up to two years. Construction phase underway. Takes up to two years. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 35 PHOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD; MAP ICON © WITTAYA1988; OTHER ICONS © IURII TIMASHOV / ALL DREAMSTIME.COM local community leaders and the public, park planners create a public use plan that will guide development of essential infrastructure like roads, utilities, structures, campgrounds and trails. Then, TPWD must secure adequate funding, typically through legislative appropriations, to pay for the design phase of the project. TPWD’s Infrastructure Division members survey and map the property (denoting such things as topography, soil conditions, existing pipelines or other structures) and prepare architectural plans and construction documents. Small- scale development is usually handled in-house, while larger-scale projects requiring construction of numerous buildings and multiple camping loops may require outsourcing. Park design can take up to two years to complete, followed by the construction phase, which can take another two years, depending on the exent of the facilities being built. Before the park opens, a comprehensive general management plan must be completed that includes the public use plan, a resource management plan, an interpretive plan and an operational plan that guide the actions, strategies and role of the specific park in the Texas state park system. today and tomorrow aren’t the users of yesterday. There are lots of people who respect and enjoy nature, but don’t want to sleep in a tent, so we need a comfortable place for them, too.” Cabins and cottages overlooking the lake are among the proposed facilities included in the park’s development, whose total cost is projected at $30 million. Two large campgrounds, an equestrian camping area, a recreation hall, park headquarters, a maintenance building, day-use picnicking areas and 32 miles of backcountry trails with primitive camping are planned. Ferguson believes the opening of Palo Pinto Mountains could still be up to six years away. In the meantime, he will be expanding public access and hoping that funding comes through. “It just makes sense to open the park because of where we are,” he says. “There are 8.8 million people within a 150-mile radius, and we’re right next to an interstate highway. You can’t get lost coming here!” ALBERT & BESSIE KRONKOSKY STATE NATURAL AREA James Rice, who spent eight years with TPWD as a wildlife biologist, arrived at Kronkosky in 2013 to oversee the property and begin the first steps toward an opening that could still be a decade away. On a recent visit, Rice was behind the wheel of a four-wheeler as he bumped and splashed along one of the few passable ranch roads of the sprawling former Kronkosky family retreat. After visiting bucolic Bessie’s Pond and covering another mile or so, he disembarked on a creek bank and slogged his way downstream to an idyllic spot marked by a monster live oak, where crystalline spring waters cascade over a 10-foot limestone ledge. Someday, visitors will be able to hike to such scenic spots and hike and mountain-bike along backcountry trails through cedar brakes and up into left: Diverse plant and animal life is found at Kronkosky State Natural Area. below: The state natural area boasts spring-fed creeks and a large pond. ALBERT & BESSIE KRONKOSKY STATE NATURAL AREA 3,757 acres 36 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 While money is the main stumbling block in the process, Rice also recognizes the delicate balance that must be struck between recreation and preservation at a place like Kronkosky. “The more a natural area or park offers, the more the public wants,” he says. “They want a place to go, a place to relax and get away to. We want to provide that, but not at the expense of the resource.” The process is long and complicated, but the payoff lasts for many lifetimes. Our children’s children will one day delightedly spot golden-cheeked warblers at Kronkosky or fish the shimmering waters of Palo Pinto’s Tucker Lake, thanks to the efforts of those who are starting the process now. W What’s the difference between a State Park and a State Natural Area? State parks (such as Palo Pinto Mountains) are areas of natural or scenic character developed to provide recreational opportunities. State natural areas (such as Kronkosky) preserve areas with outstanding natural attributes; their primary emphasis is on protecting those resources, not on recreation. BOTTOM PHOTOS BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN / TPWD; BUTTERFLY PHOTO © NANCYE DRUKKER; FALL COLORS BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD the higher elevations in the western reaches of this remarkable property. They will emerge from tents in a small campground to be built not far from a new park headquarters to hike, bike, fish and relax in a natural setting that will become increasingly cherished amid Boerne’s growth and San Antonio’s urban sprawl. Recreation, however, plays second fiddle to resource conservation at Kronkosky, which carries a “state natural area” versus “state park” designation. The donated Kronkosky property, located in the Edwards Aquifer contributing zone, epitomizes classic Texas Hill Country. The biologically rich property was never ranched and has been high-fenced since 1998, resulting in an unusually low population of white-tailed deer. As a result, the ranch hasn’t been overgrazed or overbrowsed and supports a remarkable diversity of plant species, including the rare sycamore leaf snowbell, silktassel, Texas madrone, palmetto, Texas wild mercury and endangered bigtooth maple. An amazing cast of critters, too, calls the area home. Rice, his small staff and a host of volunteers have documented the existence of endangered golden- cheeked warblers, a nesting pair of zone-tailed hawks, Texas spring salamanders, slimy salamanders, alligator lizards, monarch butterflies and more amid canyons, spring-fed creeks, maidenhair fern-draped seeps, mountains, a large pond, live oak-ashe juniper woods and grasslands. Sitting just seven miles south of Boerne and about 20 miles from San Antonio’s western city limits, the Kronkosky property is ideally situated to draw sizable crowds of urbanites seeking an outdoors retreat. Rice says early inventories and plans are nearly complete, but without funding to begin the design phase, progress will soon grind to a stop. “There are lots of hungry dogs at TPWD and only a few bones,” Rice concedes, noting it could cost $16 million for development and $500,000 a year to operate Kronkosky. ith trees such as bigtooth maple, Kronkosky puts on a show of fall colors. The new state natural area features classic Hill Country hills and canyons. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 37 PHOTO © ERICH SCHLEGEL Caddo Lake State Park 38 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 If the film industry had existed 150 years ago, Central Casting would have found an abundance of raw talent in the watery Northeast Texas enclave that encompasses historic Jefferson, meandering Cypress Bayou and mysterious Caddo Lake. By Preston Kirk TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 39 When Urquhart laid out the town site in 1842, Daniel Alley joined his 586-acre parcel to the survey for additional streets. Some ran at right angles with the bayou, some with points on the compass. A distinctive V-shaped city resulted that is now the Marion County seat located at the junction of U.S. Highway 59, Texas Highway 49 and Cypress Creek. But it was the watery byways, not roads and highways, that turned Jefferson into one of the state’s “Queen Cities” and its busiest inland port by the 1850s. As the westernmost outpost for navigation on the Red River, the burgeoning burg quickly developed into an important jumping-off point for westbound settlers. (The Kelly Blue Plow, “the plow that tamed the prairie,” was invented four miles away in 1860.) 40 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 LOUISIANA At Johnson's Ranch Marina, boats await their next journey on Caddo Lake. The first steamboat, the Llama, reached Jefferson in late 1843 or early 1844. With persistent efforts to improve navigation, steamboats soon traveled to Jefferson from New Orleans and Shreveport by way of the Mississippi and Red rivers, Caddo Lake and Cypress Bayou, bringing supplies and manufactured goods, fashion and fine furnishings to many of the early palatial homes and grand churches. The shallow-draft vessels and steamboats returned downstream, transporting hides, pickled beef, raw materials and other produce. Slaughterhouses, canneries, iron works and shoe and garment factories followed as antebellum Jefferson emerged and a Civil War economy flourished. As the leading commercial and distribution center of Northeast Texas, Jefferson became a cotton shipping hub for the region. By 1870, more than 75,000 bales of cotton were being shipped annually, with only coastal Galveston surpassing Jefferson in commercial volume. Progress and prosperity came at a cost. “The Cypress, whether you call it a creek, river or bayou, was not nearly as pretty as it is today,” contends Captain John Nance, who operates Turning Basin Riverboat Tours. “The timber had been stripped off the riverbanks to make the stream wider. All the mills, homes and steamboats were built from and fueled by PHOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD JEFFERSON AND CYPRESS BAYOU TEXAS PHOTO BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN / TPWD Over the decades, movie directors could have filled such diverse roles as Indians, settlers, riverboat captains, blacksmiths, pearl divers, oilmen and roustabouts, gamblers, fancy girls, merchants, slaves, soldiers, carpetbaggers, songwriters, butchers and plantation owners with no lack of drama, romance, chicanery and fortune-hunting to tell their stories. The location scouts would have salivated over the artistic array of cinematic possibilities, and they still do today. Here are some of Texas’ oldest structures. Lush woodlands, pastoral meadows, pristine and spectral bayous and lakes abound today, much as they did in the late 1830s when Allen Urquhart acquired a tract of land on a bend in Big Cypress Creek that would become Jefferson. “During daylight hours, the bayou and lakes have one personality; at night, another,” says Jefferson resident Ronald Hollomon, director of the Northeast Texas Regional Film Commission. “Around twilight, these areas change to a mostly mysterious mood. A grand chorus of tree frogs mixed with the bass note of the bullfrog joins the barred owls calling for their mates. All this nocturnal resonance layers with every other living insect, reptile and mammal that makes sound.” wood. Mule poop and slop jars were in the street.” Booming business brought no regard for the area’s abundant and beautiful natural resources. “The iron furnace with its slag heaps — hot, molten stuff — poured into the river. The tanneries, breweries and factories were dumping and polluting,” Nance says. “Cities back then were nasty places.” By 1873, Jefferson could boast street lighting and the first ice factory in the state. But two seminal events occurred that year that eventually spelled the end of Jefferson’s 19th century importance. The first was destruction of the Great Raft, a natural dam of tree trunks and roots on the Red River around Shreveport. Nitroglycerin charges helped remove the last portion of the raft, making the upper section of the river navigable but significantly lowering the water level of the surrounding lakes and streams. The trip to Jefferson became difficult, particularly in times of drought, and by the early 1900s, river commerce was dead. Even more central to the city’s decline was the completion of the Texas and Pacific Railway from Texarkana to Marshall, which bypassed Jefferson. Luckily, over the years the “nasty” state of affairs has turned back to “enchanting.” Guests on Nance’s 22-passenger boats enjoy towering bald cypress, sweet gum and holly trees, loblolly pines, dogwoods, cottonwoods, water oaks, pin oaks, overcup oaks and river birch. Seasonal wildflowers abound; purple-fruited American beautyberry and the medicinal and ornamental marsh mallows are late summer standouts. Wildlife includes white-tailed deer, bobcats, red foxes, coyotes, beavers, nutria, 30 varieties of snakes and the occasional alligator. And fish, so many fish, even though the bayou is typically 4 to 6 feet deep. “Cypress Bayou boasts the largest variety of fish of any river in Texas,” Nance claims. “More than 70 species, including big bluegill, catfish, crappie, largemouth and white bass, and a few specimen-sized alligator gar.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has designed and built an in-stream fish-spawning area using large, small and medium rocks within the streambed of the bayou to encourage spawning by the American paddlefish and by 34 other species of native fish that migrate upstream each year from Caddo Lake to Jefferson to spawn. A relatively new boat ramp on the east end of town was constructed with the help of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to improve access by anglers and boaters, and a paddling trail is under consideration as well. The Historic Jefferson Railway features a 36-inch narrow-gauge railroad with a 50-year-old reproduction of an 1870s American class 4-4-0 steam locomotive called the Robert E. Lee. Riders enjoy a scenic, narrated tour while rolling through five miles of history-laden Pineywoods wetlands and landscapes. Along with ruins of the Clark & Boice Sawmill and East Texas’ first iron foundry, passengers also get one of the best views of the only freestanding, Civil War-era powder magazine in Texas. The restored Jefferson Ordnance Magazine, The historic Jefferson Ordnance Magazine is the only Civil War gunpowder storage structure left in Texas. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 41 Clockwise from left: Moss-draped cypress trees line a boat trail; cypress trees thrive in the waters of Caddo Lake State Park; the "turning basin" on Cypress Bayou was once a bustling port. TOP PHOTO © ERICH SCHLEGEL; INSET PHOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD one of three originally, is located on a donated, 4-acre preserve, Baldwin Park, on the opposite riverbank. The structure, recognized by the National Park Service and the Texas Historical Commission, is owned and cared for by the Historic Jefferson Foundation, which opens it only for such special occasions as the Civil War Symposium (being held Aug. 15 this year). CADDO LAKE Fifteen miles east of Jefferson you’ll find Caddo Lake, Texas’ largest natural lake, which straddles the Texas-Louisiana border. Like the old town and the bayou, a sense of mystery and history imbues the lake, enhanced by the ghostly drapes of Spanish moss hanging thickly from the limbs of overhanging cypress trees and the seemingly endless twists and turns of the waterways. It looks like a place where you could be easily lost, stranded for eternity in the land of ghosts and fables. Even the formation of Caddo Lake is shrouded in myth and mystery. Legend has it that a Caddo chief disobeyed 42 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 HOTO BY EARL NOTTINGHAM / TPWD the Great Spirit, who then sent an earthquake to flood the chief’s village. For many years, people linked the formation of Caddo to the historic New Madrid, Mo., earthquake of 1811. More plausibly, the shifting Great Raft on the Red River, with logs piling up in the upper section and rotting away in the bottom section, reached a point in 1800 where it caused the Red to break out and flood Big Cypress Bayou. For centuries, Caddo Indians settled in the area. They hunted wild game with bows and arrows, fished, and farmed corn, beans and squash. They built ceremonial centers and maintained trade routes with remote areas. The Great Caddo Lake Pearl Rush began in 1909 when an oil rig cook, George Murata, found these natural gems while preparing Caddo’s freshwater mussels for the crew. Soon, as many as 500 tents were set up on the shore and hillsides of Potter’s Point, as fortune hunters, known as “pearl hogs,” joined in. Most hunters became discouraged after a few weeks and went back home to farm, but some “hogs” were successful. A 1913 U.S. Bureau of Fisheries bulletin reported that in 1912, the value of pearls taken from both the Louisiana and Texas sides of the lake was $99,200, or around $1.9 million in today’s dollars. In 1914, a crude earthen dam was built to help raise the water levels that had dropped with the dismantling of the Great Raft. As a result, the mussel beds were covered with deep water, bringing the pearl rush to a halt. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built rustic facilities at Caddo Lake State Park, many of which are still being used today. During that construction phase, the U.S. Army had 15 barracks and an Army mess hall that were converted into nine log cabins and a group recreation hall that are still in use. There is also a CCC pavilion and remnants of original picnic sites and a latrine along the trails. In 1970, the original earthen dam was rebuilt, and Caddo’s future as a lake was secured. In 1993, Caddo Lake became the 13th Ramsar site in the United States. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, initially signed in 1971, is a treaty to protect wetlands worldwide. There are now more than 1,900 designated Ramsar sites around the world and 29 sites in the United States. The original Ramsar area in East Texas included approximately 8,000 acres of public land — 500 acres in Caddo Lake State Park and 7,500 acres in the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area. It was expanded in 1998 to include approximately 11,700 additional acres. There are many reasons for the designation. Caddo Lake is one of the best examples of a mature flooded bald cypress forest in the United States. Another is the important population of plant and animal species dependent on the specialized habitat of Caddo Lake, including the peregrine falcon, the alligator snapping turtle and the eastern big-eared bat. The wetlands are critical for migrating birds and indigenous fish, and the area boasts one of the most diverse communities of plants in Texas, if not the country. For many years, Caddo Lake has been threatened by a number of non-native plants and animals, such as hydrilla, water hyacinth, Chinese tallow and nutria. In 2006, the latest invasive species — giant salvinia — was found in the lake, and it may pose the greatest threat because of its rapid growth. Giant salvinia can severely limit fishing and boating access as well as displace native beneficial plants that are used as habitat by fish. Once it becomes established, it is nearly impossible to completely remove. TPWD crews have been successful in eradicating giant salvinia in some areas when it was spotted early. The beautiful strands of Spanish moss draped over the bald cypress trees are not an invasive problem; in fact, that moss exists only in clean air, so it serves as an air-quality indicator. Not much has changed at Caddo Lake and Cypress Bayou from those early days of mystery and wonder. The eerie moss-draped trees and abundant wildlife are still a throwback to centuries gone by. Caddo is a place to be explored and experienced, preferably with a head filled with lore and a heart open to the ancient beauty that lies around every bend. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 43 B A S S F I PHOTO © ERICH SCHLEGEL If you’re not catching as many big bass as you’d like, perhaps the problem is not where you’re fishing, how you’re fishing or what bait you’re using. It could be when you’re fishing. Welcome to Night Bassin’ 101. Most fishing takes place in the daytime. So does most pleasure boating, water skiing, jet-skiing, sailing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking and paddle-boarding. Maybe those people are missing out. Fish live in water. Sound travels well through water. Fish hear everything that goes on for hundreds of yards around them. Daytime must be an auditory nightmare for fish. In summer, water temperatures at the surface can reach 90 degrees, and fish have no sweat glands. Is it any wonder that fish, especially big fish, retreat to quieter, deeper, cooler, 44 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 darker waters during the day and tend to come out to feed at night? “Bass move shallow and feed at night,” says professional angler Kelly Jordon. “I believe some bass feed early in the morning or at dusk, but a different population feeds only at night.” Research done on Texas lakes by fishing guide John Hope in the late 1980s and early 1990s supports Jordon’s belief. Hope implanted transmitters into more than 50 bass, including three ShareLunkers weighing 13 pounds or more, then spent days and nights on the water tracking their movements. His star subject was a fish named Wanda (no relation to the movie fish of the same name). Over the course of three years, Hope followed Wanda on her travels around Houston County Lake. She spent most of the day suspended in deep water S H I N G ’ S SIDE By Larry D. Hodge and would not bite. At night, she would cruise the shoreline feeding — and Hope and his son caught her six times. Need more proof that night fishing works? Look at the list of biggest bass caught in Texas on the TPWD website. No. 4 is a 17.63-pounder caught one late August night by Jerry New. No. 6, at 17.08 pounds, was caught off the bank at night by Troy Coates. Both were from Lake Fork. John Ward, with Texas Tournament Zone, helps run Wednesday night tournaments on Lake Austin and fishes them as well. His experience confirms that big bass are more catchable in the dark. “I have caught most of my big bass on Lake Austin — 8-, 9- and 10-pound bass — at night,” he says. “I do a lot of my night fishing in shallow water. Find a cypress tree in one or two feet of water where bass are looking for crawfish, bluegills or shad, and you will get a lot of bites.” Professional angler Tom Redington guides on Lake Fork when not on tour, and he’s well aware of the difficulties of fishing during the day on a lake that probably gets as much fishing pressure as any in the state. “Everything is quiet at night, and there are fewer boats running around,” he says. “I believe in being quiet in the boat. I’ll get on a point or the edge of some grass, anchor, and shut off all my graphs. I make sure not to drop my pliers in the bottom of the boat and sit still. I’ll use a 10- or 12-inch worm and drag it down the point really slowly, let it sit 30 seconds or a minute at a time, then move it slowly just a foot. Fish move along those contour lines very slowly.” And sometimes they bite. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 45 PHOTO BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN / TPWD; ICONS (L-R) ©JEHSOMWANG; DAVOODA; IHORZIGOR; JEHSOMWANG; SERNAK | ALL DREAMSTIME.COM “You will get lulls, and there are lots of times you will be ready to quit, when suddenly a herd of fish comes through,” Redington says. “The neat thing is that in the dark you’re not sure if you’ve hooked a 4-pound bass or a 15-pound bass or an alligator.” Jordon agrees that the action can be fast-paced at times, but if you are after big bass, you have to keep your eyes on the prize. “I took Alton Jones (2008 Bassmaster Classic champion) fishing on Lake Fork one night, and we were catching 4-pounders, one after another,” he says. “I told Alton, ‘We have to move.’ He laughed, but I told him we were in the wrong place to catch a big fish.” “A” big fish may be all you catch. “The numbers of fish you catch at night are better in May and June,” says Jordon. “July and August are better for big ones. One summer I went nine times in a row in July and August and had a 9-pounder or better on each trip.” Catching fish that size requires being ready to catch fish that 5 size. Fishing for big bass at night with light tackle and line is a recipe for heartbreak. “Plan for what you will be doing,” advises Ward. “You don’t want to catch a big fish and have your buddy scrambling for the net. Organize your tackle beforehand so you can find it in the dark. Use a good headlamp, but switch it off unless you need to see to retie, or you will attract a lot of bugs. At night the kind of line you use doesn’t matter as much since fish can’t see it, so use braided line if you want. You will be fishing around brush or docks and may get hung up.” Jordon is a fan of 50-pound braided line for night fishing. One particular trip still gives him nightmares. Using braided line, he caught a 10-pound, 3-ounce bass and immediately threw back to the same spot. “I hooked a bass that took off so fast and so hard it broke my rod and wrecked my reel,” he says. “People asked if maybe I’d caught a catfish. I have caught catfish up to 70 pounds, so I know what a catfish feels like. This was either a bass or a blue marlin.” TIPS 46 for better night bassin’ O J U LY 2 0 1 5 Fish shallow water with deep water nearby Use tackle that can land a big fish Sometimes you really will catch a big catfish on a lure, but that’s life. And lunch. Had Jordon landed that fish, he might well be the current state record holder. Anglers mostly agree on what should be at the end of that braided line. The lure should be big, dark-colored and capable of creating quite a ruckus as it moves through the water. “My go-to bait is a big 1-ounce spinner bait with some type of big trailer, perhaps pork rind,” Jordon says. “I fish it almost like a jig — move it super slow, stop and let it fall. I like a No. 6 or 7 Colorado or Indiana-style round blade.” These big blades are shaped like a fat teardrop and beat their way through the water. That’s another reason Jordon favors braided line. “It lets me fish by feel,” he says. “I fish so slowly that with monofilament or fluorocarbon line I can’t tell if the blade is turning. With braided line, I can feel the blade just go flop, flop, flop right on the bottom.” Redington also favors spinner baits with a big profile, especially around the edge of grass. And he agrees with Jordon and Ward on bait color, whether it be a spinner bait, worm or jig. “I traditionally use black if the night is dark or overcast,” he says. “But if there is a lot of ambient light or I’m at a lighted boat dock, I may use traditional colors such as watermelon.” Jordon wants his lures to be “bulky and black or junebug. If I’m using a worm, I want one 10 or 12 inches.” Ward agrees in general but often uses Power Worms in black and red or black and blue. “It just needs to be dark, since fish are used to seeing dark silhouettes,” he says. “Using a worm or other lure that does not have to be worked fast and has bottom contact, like a shaky- head, will help you get bit.” The basic idea with all the lures is that in low-light conditions bass may locate lures more by use of their lateral line than by sight, so the more water the lure moves and the bigger the commotion it causes in doing so the better. That’s why Jordon often has a big chatterbait, buzzbait or crankbait tied on ready to throw. Nighttime bass fishing on Lake Austin. Use big, dark- colored baits that can be worked slowly Be patient Be safe Wait for the fish to come to you rather than burning a lot of expensive gas running all over the lake. Falling out of the boat while fishing is a lot more fun if you live to tell about it. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 47 “Since you will be fishing in the dark, it’s a good idea to have your rods already rigged before you head out,” he says. “I don’t like to have too much light in the boat. You have to keep your back light on while anchored and use all your lights while running, but too much light while fishing can keep you from seeing your line.” There’s one thing to keep in mind when fishing topwater baits, especially if you are fishing with a partner — and you should, for safety reasons. A missed hook-set can send a nasty tangle of razor-sharp treble hooks flying toward the boat in the dark, and it could be your partner’s scream that tells you where the flight ended. Some night anglers swear by the full moon, others swear at it and others just go fishing whenever they can. But everyone has an opinion about the effect of the moon on fishing. “It’s easier to fish during the full moon because you can see,” Jordon says, “but I think the big fish bite better when it’s dark. I prefer to fish half-moon or less.” Boat docks that are lighted all night draw bugs, which draw bluegills, which draw bass. Anchoring outside the rim of light and casting toward the dock can put a lot of fish in the boat. Jordon scouts for docks that are lighted all night while he’s fishing in the daytime. How? By observing the amount of bug splatter on the dock. He’s especially fond of docks with underwater green lights. “Giant bass come to green light at night,” he says. Perhaps because of wisdom gained with age and experience, both Jordon and Redington tend to forgo the all- nighters that lead to drowsy days fumbling through work. “I’ve learned the best fishing is from dark until midnight or 1 a.m., then there’s a lull until an hour before daylight,” Jordon says. “You don’t have to kill yourself by staying up all night and then paying for it all week.” But then, since he was once a gung- ho all-night bass fisher himself, he adds: “Take a jacket. It will get cool toward morning.” And that pre-dawn bite just may make up for a slow night. O 48 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 PHOTOS © ERICH SCHLEGEL Fishing at Night Night Moves The one thing you want to bring back from a night fishing trip besides pictures of and a story about the biggest bass you ever caught is yourself. Things do go bump in the night, and you don’t want to be one of them. Look Smart. Scout for fishing areas in the daytime and mark them on your GPS. If you can, run to your fishing spot before dark. Then move as little as possible. Take it Slow. When moving at night, resist the temptation to put the boat on plane and let your hair blow in the wind. There may be stumps, logs floating in the water, an angler fishing without a white light showing or a stray boat that broke loose from its mooring. People have run under docks at night, with fatal results. Go slower and live longer. Cover Your Eyes. Wear clear safety glasses at night to protect your eyes. Sometimes you get your lure snagged and when you tug on it to get it loose, it comes flying back at you, but you won’t see it. It may lodge in some other part of your body, which is usually removable without too much misfortune — but your eyes, that’s another story. Wear a Life Jacket. Always. All the time. An inflatable makes wearing a life jacket more bearable while fishing; falling out of the boat while fishing by yourself at night (not advised) is a lot more fun if you live to tell about it. Be Seen. And Heard. Take a good spotlight and a cellphone, and tell someone where you will be and when to expect your return. You’ll be glad you did when your boat dies and you don’t have to wait until someone happens by. Left: Bass fishing from a kayak on Lake Austin with an underwater green light. Above: Boats at dusk on Caddo Lake. Dress for Success. Take jackets and rain gear. Unless you just like being cold and miserable. But then if you did, you’d be ice fishing in Minnesota instead of bass fishing in Texas. Booyah! Check the Weather. Check the weather before you go, and keep a sharp eye out for lightning and changes in conditions. Have a weather app with lightning alerts and storm tracking on your phone. Don’t be an Idiot. It can’t happen to you, right? That’s what the folks in these tales [http://bit.ly/1FiBijQ • http://bit.ly/1ICzbu2] thought, too. Every one of them. TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 49 Legend, Lore & Legacy Story by Melissa Gaskill Photos by Seth Patterson Meet Scarlet Colley, patron saint of the Laguna Madre dolphins. A round Port Isabel, many people call Scarlet Colley “the dolphin whisperer” for her uncanny ability to communicate with a pod of about 250 bottlenose dolphins that live year-round in the nearby Laguna Madre. Anyone who has been out on the Laguna Skimmer with her knows that the name fits. Scarlet has closely observed these dolphins for 20 years. She calls them a “tribe” rather than the scientific term “pod,” and believes each dolphin tribe is unique. “I know this one, but I don’t know and can’t speak for dolphins out in the Gulf or in Florida,” she says. “If I lived with aborigines in Australia for 20 years, I couldn’t tell you about people in the rainforest. It’s the same with dolphins.” On tours — which are limited to six 50 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 people — Scarlet’s husband, George, often turns off the engine and dolphins come to the boat. But only if they’re not busy, Scarlet says. “Maybe they’re sleeping or feeding their babies,” she points out. “We don’t chase them or get in close. If we don’t back off when they’re feeding, it’s like if you had someone tap dance on your dinner table. I would love to see more tourists understand that dolphins need their space and to speak up when boats run right up on top of them.” In the past 10 years or so, Scarlet has noticed mother dolphins teaching their babies to stay under longer, which she attributes to people operating watercraft close to the animals. Scarlet’s son Seth Patterson has watched her hold people accountable for such behavior. “If she sees someone doing something that is unsafe for dolphins, she’ll call them out on it,” he says. “She’ll wave down a Waverunner going right up on dolphins and explain why that’s a problem.” Fortunately, he adds, she is a great educator with an endearing personality, good at explaining her reasons. The law requires boats to keep a distance from marine mammals, including dolphins, but Scarlet goes beyond that. “Dolphin watch captains should have training,” she says. “It would be a better experience for everyone. If the dolphins are sleeping or have a baby, we leave, and people accept that. It’s about them, not us. No grouches allowed on my boat. Dolphins are very sensitive and can feel the people on the boat. They don’t have time for grouchy.” Originally from Germany, Scarlet attended high school and college in Texas. She moved to Austin as an adult, but a few years later a shopping mall went up in the fields behind her house where her children played. That was 1994. When she asked the kids where they wanted their next playground to be, they said the beach, so she moved to Port Isabel. She had grown up showing and jumping horses, but left her horse life behind in Austin. In Port Isabel, dolphins would fill the void. Scarlet started volunteering at the University of Texas–Pan American Coastal Studies Laboratory on South Padre Island. In 1995, an Elderhostel group came there for a dolphin tour, but the teacher didn’t show up. She filled in, and saw her first dolphins. “I called them and they came to me, just like calling a horse,” Scarlet recalls. “I was raised by horse- Dolphin Tours Based at 110 N. Garcia St. in Port Isabel, Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center offers boat tours year-round for groups of up to six. Call (956) 299-1957; spinaturecenter.com. whisperer parents and had spent my life talking to horses. You can’t take a five-foot jump with a horse if you aren’t feeling right. So it was easy to talk to dolphins.” Scarlet and George met, appropriately enough, on a dolphin watch boat he had piloted since retiring as a fishing boat captain. The couple bought the first Laguna Skimmer in 1997 and began offering bird, dolphin and photography tours. “Everyone said we couldn’t make a living taking just six people, that we were destined to fail,” George says. “We just said we’d never know if we didn’t go for it.” Eight years ago, the Colleys opened a small nature center across from the Port Isabel Lighthouse, displaying Encounter the Dolphins of South Padre Island Clockwise from left: Scarlet Colley on her boat; Rozzi the dolphin watcher; and a bottlenose dolphin. rescued sea life and offering touch tanks for educational purposes. “We opened it because we felt there was no voice for the sea creatures,” Scarlet says. “One of our important messages is that we don’t want sea life to die for a souvenir. Once you hold a live starfish in your hand, you won’t buy a dead one.” The Colleys don’t feed, touch or swim with wild dolphins. “I tell people that we feed them joy, touch them with our hearts and swim with them in our dreams,” Scarlet says. Dolphins use a technique called echolocation, bouncing clicks and whistles off their prey — or dolphin watch boats — and that is their way of touching us, she says. Patterson, who was about 12 when the family moved to the coast, recalls that his mother immediately took to the ocean. “Every chance we got, we were out at the jetties snorkeling or out in the bay with a net looking for critters,” he says. “She really embraced the marine ecosystem. The first time she got out on a boat and saw the dolphins, she was captivated.” Patterson, now manager at Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville, shares his mother’s love of nature. He is perhaps a bit less enamored of the dolphins. “There were always more pictures of dolphins around the house than there were of me. All she talked about was dolphins, and I felt a kind of sibling rivalry. Even today she calls and tells TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE O 51 me all about them. I have to admit she has a special relationship with them. They behave differently around her. I joke that she calls herself the dolphin whisperer, but there’s no whispering,” he says, referring to her way of calling out to the animals. “She should be ‘the dolphin hollerer.’” In addition to Seth, Scarlet has three other children — Shane, Heather and Gabriel — and George has a daughter, Mary Ann. The couple live in a cozy, eclectic house they’ve mostly built themselves. Two dogs, three cats and a potbellied pig roam the colorful tile floors, fish aquariums line a wall, and an injured hummingbird recuperates in a box in the bathroom. With two grandchildren now in college, Scarlet thinks about retiring. “I hope the next generation will care,” she says. “I need someone to come in and take my place.” Patterson expresses skepticism about that happening. “She’s one of a kind. No one could fill those shoes. The problem with looking for a successor is that anyone else will look at this as a business, and for her, it is olley and customers keep an eye out for bottlenose dolphins. a complete and utter passion.” Scarlet agrees any successor would need the right enthusiasm. “In the movie Avatar there is a beautiful line, ‘I see you.’ That’s how I feel with dolphins. They know I’ve been there for them. For someone to take over for me, they have to come in and learn the dolphins’ ways.” Grouches need not apply. Boat Smart. Swim Safe. C Wear a life jacket Supervise children closely at all times Every year, children and adults drown unnecessarily on Texas waters. Learn to swim Keep your family safe by planning ahead and knowing your limits. And if you’re a boater, take a Boater Education course — it’s required for anyone born on or after Sept. 1, 1993: www.tpwd.texas.gov/boatered KEEP YOUR DAY ON THE WATER FUN AND SAFE. LEARN MORE: 52 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 www.tpwd.texas.gov/swimsafe Urgent: Special Summer Driving Notice To some, sunglasses are a fashion accessory… But When Driving, These Sunglasses May Save Your Life! Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that most (74%) of the crashes occurred on clear, sunny days Drivers’ Alert: Driving can expose you to more dangerous glare than any sunny day at the beach can… do you know how to protect yourself? T he sun rises and sets at peak travel periods, during the early morning and afternoon rush hours and many drivers find themselves temporarily blinded while driving directly into the glare of the sun. Deadly accidents are regularly caused by such blinding glare with danger arising from reflected light off another vehicle, the pavement, or even from waxed and oily windshields that can make matters worse. Early morning dew can exacerbate this situation. Yet, motorists struggle on despite being blinded by the sun’s glare that can cause countless accidents every year. Not all sunglasses are created equal. Protecting your eyes is serious business. With all the fancy fashion frames out there it can be easy to overlook what really matters––the lenses. So we did our research and looked to the very best in optic innova- tion and technology. Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist. A NASA rocket scientist. Some ordinary sunglasses can obscure your vision by exposing your eyes to harmful UV rays, blue light, and reflective glare. They can also darken useful vision-enhancing light. But now, independent research conducted by scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has brought forth ground-breaking technology to help protect human eyesight from the harmful effects of Eagle Eyes ® Lens solar radiation light. This superior lens technology was Navigator™ first discovered when Black Stainless NASA scientists looked to nature for Steel Sunglasses a means to superior eye protection— specifically, by studying the eyes of eagles, known for their extreme visual acuity. This Receive the Navigator™ Gold discovery resulted in what is now known as Sunglasses (a $99 value) FREE! ® . Eagle Eyes just for trying the Navigator™ Black The Only Sunglass Technology Certified by the Space Foundation for UV and Blue-Light Eye Protection. Eagle Eyes ® features the most advanced eye protection technology ever created. 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Eagle Eyes ® breakthrough technology that we will give you a second pair of Eagle Eagle Eyes ® Navigator™ Sunglasses $99 † Eyes ® Navigator ™ Sunglasses FREE––a Offer Code Price $49 + S&P Save $50 $99 value! PLUS receive the Navigator™ Gold That’s two pairs to protect your eyes absolutely FREE! — 2 pairs for the with the best technology available for price of one! less than the price of one pair of traditional sunglasses. You get a pair of Navigators with stainless steel black frames and the other with stainless steel gold, plus two Your Insider Offer Code: EEN140-01 micro-fiber drawstring cleaning pouches You must use this insider offer code to are included. Keep one pair in your get our special price. pocket and one in your car at all times. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. ® 14101 Southcross Drive W., If you are not astounded with the Eagle Dept. EEN140-01 Eyes ® technology, enjoying clearer, sharper Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 and more glare-free vision, simply return www.stauer.com Rating of A+ one pair within 60 days for a full refund of the purchase price. The other pair is yours † Special price only for customers using the offer code to keep. No one else has such confidence versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code. in their optic technology. Smart Luxuries—Surprising Prices ™ 1-800-333-2045 simulation Slip on a pair of Eagle Eyes and everything instantly appears more vivid and sharp. You’ll immediately notice that your eyes are more comfortable and relaxed and you’ll feel no need to squint. The scientifically designed sunglasses are not just fashion accessories—they are necessary to protect your eyes from those harmful rays produced by the sun during peak driving times. ® Stauer PA I D A D V E RT I S E M E N T GOODS AND SERVICES FOR THE OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST M A R K E T P L A C C a l l f or mor e i nfor mati on & m ec ha nic a l spec ific a tions:   ( 5 1 2 ) FISHING & HUNTING Rockport RedRunner Captain Chad Verburgt E 799-1045 PRODUCTS & SERVICES Specializing in shallow water flats fishing for redfish, trout & • Full Day / Half Day flounder. • Baffin trips • Kayak Rentals • Kayaks Shuttle Drop off / pick up • Nature Boat Trips for Photography and Private Whooping Crane Tours Call (361) 463-6545 ro ck p o rtre d ru nner @y ahoo.c om w w w . ro ck p o r tr edr u nner .c om C rawford & C ompany Hand Crafted, Personalized Boot Jacks and Coaster Sets. P.O. Box 126, Uvalde, TX 78802 Visa/Mastercard. Call to order a Free Brochure Toll Free (888) 301-1967 www.crawjacks.com Grind Away ANY Size Stump FAST! LOWEST PRICE EVER! THE LODGE & CATTAILS The DR ® STUMP GRINDER uses carbide-tipped cutting teeth (taking 360 “bites” per second) to reduce any stump to a pile of woodchips. Grinds stumps below ground level so they are gone forever! • Quickly eliminate any stump without digging, burning, or chemicals. • New, more powerful and lower-priced models. • Now towable with your riding mower or ATV. FREE SHIPPING 0% 36 MO. FINANCING Call for FREE DVD and Catalog! TOLL-FREE Matagorda, TX • (979) 863-7737 karankawavillage.com 54 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 888-213-1250 DRstumpgrinder.com 88178X © 2015 The ambience is casual at The Lodge, but the amenities are luxurious. Each of the eight rooms are uniquely styled, featuring the finest organic bedding, large bathrooms and original artwork. Gourmet coffees and flat screen televi- sions are found in each room and two outdoor living rooms with fireplaces are yours during your visit. Our popular mercantile shop, Cattails, is part of the Karankawa Village just across the boardwalk. Here you will find more of the finest coffees, wines, cigars, gourmet foods, artwork, clothing and homewares. This Is How To Walk the Walk The must-have men’s accessory once carried by kings, presidents, barons and billionaires is back—and can be yours for ONLY $49! T hey call walking the “perfect exercise.” It gets your heart pumping, clears your head and fills your lungs with fresh air. Not bad, but we found a way to make it even better. Before you take your next 10,000 steps, add a little strut to your stroll. Take the Stauer Gentleman’s Walking Stick anywhere and I promise that you’ll feel like a conquering hero. Heads will turn. Doors will open. Its powers will astound you. What’s the secret? Pure class. Our Stauer Gentleman’s Walking Stick is a tip of the top hat to turn-of-the-century tradition. Today, serious collectors gladly pay thousands for rare and hand- crafted sticks from the 19th century. But only Stauer can deliver a modern version of this vintage classic—that looks and feels as good as the original—for ONLY $49! Sticks that make a statement. For centuries, no respectable man was seen in public without a walking stick by his side. They were as indispensable as a fine tailored suit or fancy moustache. Well-heeled men “wore” them as symbols of power and prestige, using elaborately decorated staffs to help navigate trails, dispatch opponents or conceal gadgets and contraband. Simply put, they were the must-have accessory for any sharp-dressed man on the move. The ultimate travel companion. Hold it once and you can feel that it’s not some hollow imitation. Our Gentleman’s Walking Stick is crafted from a solid shaft of imported Sheesham (Indian Rosewood) and finished with layers of black lacquer. The rounded, knob-style head has serious weight and the silver-finished brass features an elegant engraved design that adds flair while improving your grip. And a black rubber tip steadies your stance on all sorts of surfaces from dirt and asphalt walkways to marble floors and Persian rugs. Hand-carved detail for easy grip! Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Try the Stauer Gentleman’s Walking Stick risk-free for two months. If you’re not convinced that it adds sophistication to your stride, simply send it back within 60 days for a complete refund of your purchase price. But we’re betting that after your first step with this stick, you’ll never walk alone again! Stauer Gentleman’s Walking Stick $79 * $49 + s&p Save $30 You must use the insider offer code to get our special price. Offer Code Price— 1-800-859-1736 Offer Code SWS234-01 Please use this code when you order to receive your discount. TAKE 38% OFF INSTANTLY! When you use your INSIDER OFFER CODE Image not actual size. Stauer 14101 Southcross Drive W., Dept. SWS234-01, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com Rating of A+ * Discount for customers who use the offer code versus the listed original Stauer.com price. • 36" long • Solid silver-finished brass handle • Supports up to 250 lbs. • Imported Sheesham wood Smar t Luxuries—Surprising Prices ™ ® PRODUCTS & SERVICES FREDERICKSBURG H Palo Alto Creek Farm. Landmark historic German-Texas farmstead on the creek. Ancient oaks, abundant wildlife, Hill Country tranquility. Beautifully renovated log cabin, barn, farmhouse, all with private spa therapy rooms. Explore every State Park for one low price. www.paloaltocreekfarm.com (800) 997-0089 H Settler’s Crossing Bed and Breakfast. Private historic log cabins and cottages spread over 35 park-like acres, just minutes from town. Unlimited visits to 90+ State Parks for you and a carload of guests — with your Texas State Parks Pass. www.settlerscrossing.com (800) 874-1020 ­ N E W B R A U N F E L S www.TexasStateParks.org H Historic Kuebler Waldrip Haus Bed and Breakfast. Country elegance on 43 acres 2-6 minutes to New Braunfels, Gruene, music, shopping, fishing, golf, tennis. Perfect for vaca- tions, weddings, reunions. 10 rooms, Jacuzzis, delicious hot breakfast. ONLY 70 $ www.kueblerwaldrip.com PER ANNUAL CARD MEMBERSHIP (830) 625-8300 COMFORT H Meyer B&B. On Cypress Creek, Hill Country, mid-1800s stage stop, Texas landmark. Pool, hot tub, fireplaces, golf. www.meyerbedandbreakfast.com (888) 995-6100 ROCKPORT TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE MAGAZINE APP. AVAILABLE NOW IN THE APPLE APP STORE. More info at www.tpwmagazine.com/app H oopes ’ H ouse R ockport , T exas (800) 924-1008 www.hoopeshouse.com Nationally historic victorian home. Eight rooms each with private bath. Full breakfast included. Call for brochure. GRUENE H The Lamb’s Rest Inn. Located on the Guadalupe River. Featuring garden with fountain, pool, and hot tub, private ­balconies and fireplaces. Delightful breakfasts often served al fresco. www.lambsrestinn.com 56 O J U LY 2 0 1 5 (888) 609-3932 This 4-carat stunner was created from the aftermath of Mount St. Helens eruption! What our clients are saying about Stauer Helenite jewelry: “My wife received more compliments on this stone on the first day she wore it than any other piece of jewelry I’ve ever given her.” – J. from Orlando, FL Stauer Client Famous Volcano Has Strange Effect On Women Man and nature collaborate to create a glamorous green ring guaranteed to rock her world! Own it today for ONLY $99 plus FREE studs with ring purchase! O n May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, sending a column of ash and smoke 80,000 feet into the atmosphere. From that chaos, something beautiful emerged—our spectacular Spirit Lake Helenite Ring. spectacular large carat weight jewelry. “It’s just recently that luxury jewelers have fallen in love with helenite,” says James Fent, GIA certified gemologist. “Clear green color in a stone this size is rarely found in emeralds but helenite has come to the rescue.” Created from the superheated volcanic rock dust of the historic Mount St. Helens eruption, helenite has become the green stone of choice for jewelry and fashion designers worldwide. Helenite’s vivid color and immaculate clarity rivals mined emeralds that can sell for as much as $3,000 per carat. Today you can wear this 4-carat stunner for only $ 99! Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Bring home the Spirit Lake Helenite Ring and see for yourself. If you are not completely blown away by the exceptional beauty of this rare American stone, simply return the ring within 60 days for a full refund of your purchase price. It’s that simple. But we’re betting that once you slide this gorgeous green beauty on your finger, it will take a force of nature to get you two apart! EXCLUSIVE FREE Helenite Studs - a $129 value- with purchase of Spirit Lake Ring Our exclusive design highlights the visually stunning stone with a concave cut set in .925 sterling silver loaded with brilliant white, lab- created DiamondAura ® . The classic pairing of colors in a vintage- inspired setting makes for a state- ment ring that’s simply impossible to ignore! Beauty from the beast. Also known as “America’s Emerald,” helenite is not an emerald at all, but a brighter and clearer green stone that gem cutters can facet into Spirit Lake Helenite Ring Total value with FREE studs $478* Now, Offer Code Price Only $99 + S&P Save $379! 1-888-324-6514 Your Offer Code: SLR245-02 You must use this insider offer code to get our special price. Stauer ® 14101 Southcross Drive W., Dept. SLR245-02, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com * Special price only for customers using the offer code versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code. Rating of A+ 4 carat Helenite center stone • Lab-created white DiamondAura accents • .925 sterling silver setting • Whole ring sizes 5–10 Smart Luxuries—Surprising Prices ™ IMAGE SPECS: Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with 16-35mm f/2.8 lens. Shot at 23mm, f/4.5 at 1/80th of a second. ISO 200. Texas Parks & Wildlife photographer Earl Nottingham and onlookers braved the rain as a loggerhead turtle was released May 27 in Galveston. The turtle was one of 56 loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles that were sent back to the sea. They were among the more than 1,200 sea turtles that were cold-stunned during the winter in Cape Cod and sent to rehabilitation centers around the U.S. O J U LY 2 0 1 5 58 SAVE TODAY. S’MORES 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. The GEICO Gecko © 1999-2015. © 2015 GEICO WHO NEEDS WILD PLACES & WILD THINGS IN TEXAS? TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION BELIEVES WE ALL DO. IF YOU SHARE THIS BELIEF, WE INVITE YOU TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH US. Please consider remembering Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in your estate plan. For more information, contact us at 214.720.1478. tpwf.org | info@tpwf.org Photo by 1138Studios.com | Garner State Park | Concan, TX