Audubon Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife congratulate Austin and Cedar Hill for their years of community conservation and stewardship Audubon Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) are excited to announce Austin and Cedar Hill as the newest additions to the Bird City Texas flock. This certification program recognizes cities efforts to ensure birds, wildlife and people thrive in their communities. Austin and Cedar Hill have displayed leadership as Bird Friendly Cities by […]
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Texas Oyster Season Opens Nov. 1 With Multiple Bay Closures
The Texas commercial and recreational oyster season opens Tuesday, Nov. 1 and closes April 30, 2023. In an effort to protect and restore oyster reefs showing signs of environmental stress, many shellfish harvest areas will be closed to oyster fishing at the beginning of this season. “Oysters are the bedrock for the vitality of our bays along the mid and upper Texas coast,” said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director. “They are […]
TPW Commission Implements Two Year Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Zone in Four Counties
A surveillance zone covering almost 200,000 acres in Duval, Jim Wells, Live Oak and McMullen counties will be implemented for two years after feedback was received in the August meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission. This zone will take effect prior to the 2022-2023 hunting season and TPW commissioners will consider the resulting data presented by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff to assess the need for continued surveillance in the […]
Lake Walter E. Long “Fully Infested” with Zebra Mussels
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has designated Lake Walter E. Long in Travis County as “infested” with zebra mussels, signifying an established, reproducing population in the lake. Walter E. Long had already received a “positive” designation following the repeated detection of zebra mussel larvae in October 2018 and May 2019. However, subsequent searches for settled mussels conducted as recently as 2021 did not detect any juveniles or adults. In early August of this […]
Retired Florida Largemouth Bass Broodfish Headed to Rio Grande Valley Community Fishing Lakes
CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division will stock several retired Florida largemouth bass broodfish into three Rio Grande Valley community fishing lakes in June. Dean Porter Park Resaca in Brownsville, Town Lake at Fireman’s Park in McAllen and the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Channel in Hidalgo will receive these special fish. The broodfish, adult bass that average more than four pounds, are coming from their former home at the […]
Free Fishing Day Arrives in Texas June 4
AUSTIN – Anglers across Texas are marking their calendars and packing their tackle boxes for Free Fishing Day June 4. Each year on the first Saturday in June, Texans can fish on any public waterbody in the state without a fishing license. “Free Fishing Day is a wonderful opportunity for anglers to share their knowledge, skills, equipment, and love for fishing with a new participant, yet it’s also more than that,” said Craig Bonds, Texas […]
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and Rosewood Ranches Receives Texas Leopold Conservation Award
AUSTIN – John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and Rosewood Ranches, in Seagoville, will be awarded the state’s highest honor for private land conservation at the Lone Star Steward Awards Banquet on May 25. John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and Rosewood Ranches were named a Lone Star Land Steward ecoregion award winner in 1996 and continued to be an exemplary land steward by employing outstanding habitat management to their almost 2,000-acre property. Past and current wildlife […]
Brazos Bend State Park Hosts Inaugural Expo May 14
NEEDVILLE— Get outside this weekend at the Brazos Bend Expo from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Saturday, May 14 at Brazos Bend State Park. The Expo will have activities and programs all day for families to enjoy, as well as food trucks and a special visit from Smokey Bear. During the day, attendees will be able to learn about resources around the Houston-area from state parks staff, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department career recruiters, state law enforcement […]
Gulf Shrimp Season Closing on Sunday, May 15, 2022
AUSTIN- The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters will close 30 minutes after sunset on Sunday, May 15, 2022 until a still-to-be determined date in July. While the statutory opening date for the gulf season is July 15, the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be sampling shrimp populations this summer to determine the optimum opening date. In order to allow brown shrimp […]
Catfish Stocking Returns to Neighborhood Fishin’ Lakes in Texas
Springtime and catfish angling are back at Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Neighborhood Fishin’ Lakes across the state. The program provides friends and families the opportunity to participate in the Texas traditions of outdoor recreation and reeling in catfish close to home. Starting the week of April 15, TPWD will begin stocking thousands of catfish at 18 Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes, including five in Dallas-Fort Worth, four in the Houston area, two each in Austin and San […]