Texas Wildlife October 2018 - What's Happened to All the Pintails

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

What’s Happened to

All the Pintails?

OCTOBER 2018

CHOOSE YOUR RIDE

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS J O H N D AV I D A N D E R S O N

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all is upon us, and I hope your early dove season was successful. My family spends a lot of time in South Texas during this part of the hunting season.

This is our favorite time to enjoy our friends, family, grandchildren and to meet their friends. It doesn’t get much better for me than being outdoors and watching all of the wildlife, enjoying the native habitat and witnessing beautiful sunsets, which is something that we rarely see in Houston.

The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) offers a great program for all hunters. The Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA) is a free, certificate-based awards program which recognizes hunters, landowners, first-time hunters and youth hunters. Celebrating its 28th year, the TBGA is a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and your TWA. TBGA’s purpose TBGA is making everyone aware of the important role ethical hunting and habitat management play in the lives of our young people and the ecosystem we must responsibly steward. Annual awards banquets are held across Texas each summer to recognize and showcase the trophy animals being harvested. If you want to know more about this program, contact TWA Director of Public Relations David Brimager at the TWA office in San Antonio at (800) 839-9453.

Our staff has been very involved and working on finalizing our legislative priorities for the upcoming Session in January. Eminent domain will be a very important issue for us this session. We want to change the statute to allow for a more open and transparent process.

As I mentioned during the Convention in July, we have teamed up with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Farm Bureau to help craft bill language that all three organizations can get behind. I am hopeful that we can move the ball this session on eminent domain. Stay tuned as we will need some of our members to attend hearings at the State Capitol to show support for change.

Now for an update on the new TWA Headquarters building: we are still on schedule to break ground in January 2019. The final design is something that all TWA members can take great pride in.

This beautiful new facility would not have been possible without the generous outpouring of gifts during our capital campaign. Raising the necessary funds to complete this project will leave us with NO DEBT. This is nothing short of miraculous to raise the funds required in such a short period of time. Never underestimate our TWA membership! If you have not seen the rendition of the building, you can view it on the TWA website at www.texas-wildlife.org.

On another front, TWA is holding three regional meetings at various locations around the state. We are asking members who live in these areas to attend to discuss the issues they are dealing with on a local level. The first regional meeting was held last month in Kingsville.

Texas wildlife and habitat health depends on us to do the right things. I am excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for TWA.

Texas Wildlife Association Mission Statement Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

OFFICERS J. David Anderson, President, Houston Tom Vandivier, Vice President, Dripping Springs Dr. Louis Harveson, Second Vice President for Programs, Alpine Dr. Neal Wilkins, Secretary/Treasurer, San Antonio For a complete list of TWA Directors, go to www.texas-wildlife.org

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES Administration & Operation David Yeates, Chief Executive Officer Quita Hill, Director of Finance and Operations

Outreach & Member Services David Brimager, CWB®, Director of Public Relations Luke Sammons, Communications Consultant Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator Mimi Sams, Engagement Coordinator

Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs Kassi Scheffer, Director of Education – L.A.N.D.S. Outreach Program Elanor Dean, Education Program Specialist Gwen Eishen, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Adrienne Paquette, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Jo Picken, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Phil Salonek, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Elisa Velador, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Marla Wolf, Curriculum Writer Leslie Wittenburg, Director of Education – L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program Brian Robert, Education Program Specialist Iliana Peña, Director of Conservation Programs Laura Calhoun, Women of the Land Program Coordinator Courtney Brittain, Website Consultant COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bryan Jones, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Miles, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Kara Starr, Texas Big Game Awards Program Coordinator

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

Texas Wildlife Association TEXAS WILDLIFE is published monthly by the Texas Wildlife Association, 3660 Thousand Oaks Dr., Suite 126, San Antonio, Texas 78247. E-mail address: twa@texas-wildlife.org.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Wildlife Association, 3660 Thousand Oaks Dr., Suite 126, San Antonio, Texas 78247. The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) was organized in 1985 for the purpose of serving as an advocate for the benefit of wildlife and for the rights of wildlife managers, landowners and hunters in educational, scientific, political, regulatory and legislative arenas. TEXAS WILDLIFE is the official TWA publication and has widespread circulation throughout Texas and the United States. All rights reserved. No parts of these magazines may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the publisher. Copyrighted 2018 Texas Wildlife Association.

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Texas Wildlife Association. Similarities between the name Texas Wildlife Association and those of advertisers or state agencies are coincidental, and do not indicate mutual affiliation, unless clearly noted. TWA reserves the right to refuse advertising.

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OCTOBER 2018

3660 Thousand Oaks Dr., Suite 126 San Antonio, TX 78247 www.texas-wildlife.org (210) 826-2904 FAX (210) 826-4933 (800) 839-9453 (TEX-WILD)

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

OCTOBER VOLUME 34

8 What's Happened to All the Pintails?

by TODD J. STEELE

16 Hunting Heritage Safety On

by BRIANA MILES

18 Conservation Legacy

Successful Impacts of L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program

by SARAH GRELLA AND LESLIE WITTENBURG

20 Harper WMA Remembers

by JOHN JEFFERSON

28 Caesar Kleberg News

Migratory Birds and Climate Change

by BART M. BALLARD

32 Plant Profile

Pink Smartweed

★

NUMBER 6

★

2018

34 Euphemisms

by DALE ROLLINS, PH.D.

36 Shoot Like a Pro

Putting It All Together

by WADE GRASSEDONIO

38 Wings Over Texas

by NATE SKINNER

46 Book Review The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas

by HENRY CHAPPELL

48 Coastal Prairie Restoration

by HENRY CHAPPELL

54 Back at the Ranch

Tips for Hosting a First-Time Hunter

by WHITNEY KLENZENDORF

by RICKY LINEX

Photo by Todd Steele

Magazine Staff MAGAZINE CORPS David Yeates, Executive Editor Kim Rothe, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor David Brimager, CWB®, Advertising Director Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

On the Cover Whether one is hunting pintails along the Texas Gulf Coast or photographing their courtship flights in the Rainwater Basin there is no denying they are one of North America’s most spectacular ducks, worthy of all efforts to understand their complex ways and to restore their dwindling population. More in What’s Happened to All The Pintails? starting on page 8.

Photo by Todd Steele

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2018-2019 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

OCTOBER 20

DECEMBER 8

Texas Brigades Experience: Kids’ Conservation & Wildlife. For youths ages 9-17. Houston, TX. For more information, email info@texasbrigades.org.

OCTOBER 26-28

Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting, Georgetown, TX. October 26, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. TWA Pre-Session, Make Your TMN Chapter Wild!

For more information, visit txmn.org/2018-annual-meeting/.

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 12

TWA Regional Round Up, Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, College Station. Visit www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/ events to learn more.

NOVEMBER 13

The Future of Rural Texas: A Texas Tribune Symposium, Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, College Station. For more information, visit www.texastribune.org.

NOVEMBER 16-18

TWA Sporting Clays Shoot, National Shooting Sports Complex, San Antonio. To register, please visit texas-wildlife.org/resources/events/ twa-sporting-clays-shoot-sanantonio or email David Brimager at dbrimager@texas-wildlife.org.

DECEMBER 17

TWA Sporting Clays Shoot, Greater Houston Gun Club, Houston. To register, please visit www.texaswildlife.org/resources/events/ twa-sporting-clays-shoot-houston or email David Brimager at dbrimager@texas-wildlife.org.

Online texas-wildlife.org

Visit the TWA website for the latest news, statewide and local leadership contacts, calendar of events, Texas Wildlife magazine, membership – join, renew or upgrade – Conservation Legacy, Texas Youth Hunting Program, Texas Big Game Awards and much more.

JANUARY 2019 JANUARY 27

Kids Gone WILD Event, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. For more information, visit www.fwssr.com.

FEBRUARY

Twitter @texaswildlife

Become a follower of TWA on Twitter. Join the over 4,000 followers and receive periodic communication from TWA about headlines, news of interest, calendar reminders, and more.

FEBRUAR Y 7-24

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, featuring the Texas Wildlife Expo.

For more information, visit www.sarodeo.com.

Women of the Land, Welder Wildlife Refuge, Sinton. Registration is limited to the first 36 women. For more information and to register, visit www.texas-wildlife.org or contact Iliana Pena at ipena@texas-wildlife.org.

Facebook® search Texas Wildlife Association

Enjoy TWA information and postings, discussion boards, photos, videos and other items of interest using the world’s most popular social network. Communicate with TWA members, supporters and other who share similar interests.

DECEMBER DECEMBER 6-7

Texas Children in Nature Annual Summit and Champions Luncheon, Corpus Christi, TX. For more information, visit texaschildreninnature.org/tcinsummit.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

OCTOBER 2018

Instagram @TexasWildlifeAssociation

Follow TWA on Instagram at @TexasWildlifeAssociation.

T WA M E M B E R S H I P INCENTIVE PROGRAM JOIN OR RENEW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A BLASER F16 SHOTGUN JOIN AT WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

Join or Renew between September 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 to be eligible to win.

W H AT ' S H A P P E N E D T O A L L T H E P I N TA I L S ?

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

OCTOBER 2018

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ALL THE PINTAILS? Article and Photos by TODD J. STEELE

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hey came in endless goose-like waves from Matagorda Bay that one-bluebird-morning in the late 1970s. Flock after flock riding light southeast winds, all beelining for a single flooded field west of the obscure town of Francitas. At least 5,000, perhaps upwards of 10,000 strong seeking recently harvested second-cropped rice, a morning spectacle unmatched in all my years of pursuing ducks along the Texas coast.

I met my future wife Nancy that same morning, while lying on a muddied levee looking skyward at mind-boggling flights of sleek pintails spiraling tornado-like out of the heights above. The bag limit on pintails that day was 10 per hunter with close to one million birds wintering in Texas.

Fast-forward 40 years to this past year’s duck season: Nancy and our two teenaged sons, Hunter and Forrest, watched in awe. A tableau for the first 30 minutes of rust-colored light as thousands of descending pintails fluttered 360 degrees around our blind, smothering our paltry decoy spread. Guns were idle that first 30 minutes of light, we just sat…and marveled. The bag limit on pintails this day was one per hunter with the mid-winter waterfowl survey counting only 176,871 birds, well below the 22-year Texas average of 600,000 birds.

Today any Texas waterfowler fortunate enough to be in the midst of thousands of pintails will often retort the same, “No shortage of pintails here, what’s the problem?” My boys did that morning.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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But waterfowl managers across the nation know there is a big problem with the Northern Pintail. Starting in the mid-1990s, precipitation returned to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of southern Canada and the northern plains of America. Populations of all puddle ducks species escalated to some of their highest numbers since the 1950s, but pintails languished well below their long-term average, disappointing sportsmen with reduced bag limits and perplexing biologists with a population that should have rebounded with conditions.

Pintails are one of the earliest nesting ducks in North America.

In the past decade pintails have not rebounded with good nesting habitat like other puddle duck species.

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PROBLEMS ON THE NESTING GROUNDS These are troubling times for the Northern Pintail, the only dabbling duck that has been unsuccessful in responding positively to improvements to nesting conditions in the PPR. In the 1970s, western Canada had more than 20 million acres of fallow fields, but in 2017 there were just 1.77 million acres, a dramatic drop in nesting habitat for pintails.

Many wildlife species adapt to changes in the habitat and environment. Mid-continental Snow Geese, for example, have taken advantage of milder winters and abundant rice in Arkansas for wintering as opposed to coming to their historic wintering grounds of coastal Texas. Pintails, on the other hand, appear to not be as adaptable, especially hens that have very specific needs when it comes to nesting.

Pintail hens exercise a “nomadic” strategy, seeking early ephemeral wetlands often associated with fall harvested grain stubble. To a nesting hen, a sparse and short grain stubble field resembles the once abundant native short grass prairie, perfect nesting habitat in her eyes. Her preference to nest in the stubble creates two problems: First, the nest is more readily found by predators with the insufficient cover found in stubble; and second, farmers are tilling their stubble for spring crops about the same time early arriving pintails are nesting. Over the past couple of decades farmers have shifted tilling crops from immediately after harvest—to stop soil erosion—to leaving stubble in place until the spring, a deadly nesting trap for pintails by way of disc and predator.

Lack of adequate nesting cover and pintails choosing poor stubble nesting cover in Canada are the biggest factors impacting nesting success. Of course, adequate shallow wetlands are needed as well, but they have had those conditions for more than a decade. Studies are also revealing that ongoing changes in wintering habitat and migrating stopovers are adversely impacting pintail populations.

PROBLEMS ON THE WINTERING GROUNDS In years past, the Texas Gulf Coast has wintered upwards of 78 percent of the pintails in the Central Flyway. And as with the nesting grounds of the Canadian PPR, there have been intensive changes in agriculture along the Texas coast. Texas rice farmers have found, and still are finding, it increasingly difficult to maintain profitable operations with a surplus of world rice, depressed long-grain prices, increased costs of production and interruptions in water supplies due to drought conditions.

W H AT ' S H A P P E N E D T O A L L T H E P I N TA I L S ?

Up to 78 percent of the Central Flyways pintails winter in Texas.

Many farmers have had to convert from rice farming to row crops to remain viable. The decline of rice, especially along the Texas Mid-Coast, has reduced an extremely important food source for wintering pintails. In the 1960s, an annual average of 486,500 acres of rice was planted in Texas. The yearly average from 2010 to 2017 was only 162,750 acres, a 67 percent decrease.

Adding to the problem is a sprawling Houston with accelerated westward expansion swallowing rice farmlands such as the Katy prairie that were once waterfowl meccas.

Pintails love rice and for good reason. It is a high-energy, carbpacked source of energy that produces crucial fat reserves for sheer survival during the winter as well as fuel for migration to spring nesting grounds. Pintails exhibit high winter site fidelity, but as flooded rice fields have disappeared across the Texas landscape, they’ve had to rely more on coastal bays for food sources. While there is an abundance of coastal food sources such as shoalgrass rhizomes, wigeon grass seeds and various marine invertebrates, their coastal bay diet is more of a “weight-watchers” diet than a calorie packed, high-lipid (fat) diet essential for their spring “marathon” migration north.

Dr. Bart Ballard, professor and noted waterfowl scientist for Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and his colleagues have

Mid-coast inland wintering habitat is becoming fragmented for pintails.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Female pintails pick their mate often during elaborate courtship flights.

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Bag limits on pintails have increased to two birds in Texas for the 2018 season.

conducted numerous studies on Northern Pintails. One research study on 253 pintails feeding along the lower Texas coast showed that the metabolized energy from the coastal waters was half of the energy value obtained on inland wetlands. According to another Ballard study, Pintail hens were actually losing as much as 20 percent of their fall arrival weight while wintering on the coast. Lowered fat reserves from poor wintering habitat has been linked to a reduction in spring brood size and at other times no nesting attempt.

Additional research from Ballard shows evidence of significant physiologic stress on pintails from extracted blood metabolites from a third of the birds sampled on the wintering grounds.

And yet another study showed alarmingly low survival rates of wintering hen pintails along the Texas coast as compared with other wintering areas across North America. All results are of great conservation concern.

With the loss of rice in Texas came the loss of geese and subsequent loss of sanctuary roost ponds established by hunting guides up and down the entire upper and middle coasts. These roosts, financed by outfitters, played a large role in giving pintails refuge. Dr. Todd Merendino, manager of conservation projects for Ducks Unlimited, observed that pintails often mimic geese not only in feeding but in roosting habitats as well, preferring shallow flooded fields and rice.

Populations of pintails did not rebound favorability with optimum nesting conditions of the past decade as did other species of ducks.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Merendino said, “At one time when rice was prevalent across Texas, the habitat was widespread and there was an abundance of food supporting a large population of waterfowl.”

The Gulf Coast Joint Venture, a bird conservation partnership with numerous conservation and government groups, has calculated that for every 10,000 acres of rice agriculture not planted, the Texas coast loses the ability to support 120,000 waterfowl.

“With a drop in recent times of 58,000 acres of rice production in 1981 to less than 13,300 in 2015, we have lost the ability to support hundreds of thousands of waterfowl. DU is scrambling to make as much wintering habitat along the coast as possible,” Merendino said. “It is costly to make wetlands compared to blocking drainage in a rice field and flooding it.”

And as farmers were driven by economics to convert rice fields into row crops, the ability to effortlessly flood a rice field was lost.

Merendino also noted, “The landscape has changed across the Texas Mid-Coast. In just a short period of time, waterfowl habitat has become fragmented. There are still good pockets on the landscape, but now they’re not all interconnected.”

As high-quality food sources became less abundant on the Texas coast, pintails started to migrate out later, most likely trying to further build their fat reserves.

“As pintails stay longer in Texas during the spring, they are more likely to miss the shallow sheet waters of the PPR they are hardwired to nest near,” Ballard said.

Pintails are also lousy re-nesters and will abandon nesting when conditions are not ideal. Added to the problem of pintails struggling to gain winter fat reserves is the drainage of many duck ponds immediately after duck season ends in late January. If there was a most crucial time for pintails in Texas, it’s February and March, prior to their northern migration. Food sources late in the season are becoming scarce, and the drainage of ponds at the end of duck season only amplifies the problem.

PROBLEMS ON THE MIGRATING CORRIDORS Unlike many other duck species, Northern Pintails rely on fat reserves gained not only on the wintering grounds, but on migration stopovers as well—refueling stops on their marathon flight to the north. Unfortunately, like their nesting and wintering habitat, the pintail’s migration corridor has undergone wideranging changes as well.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Waterfowl Program Leader Kevin Kraai coins the stopovers “Hourglass Bottlenecks.” The Rainwater Basin in Nebraska, which hosts 30 percent of the continent’s pintail population during migration, has gone from 11,400 basins to 400

At one time numbering close to 10 million birds in the 1950s, pintails have plummeted to recent lows of 2.6 million birds in 2016.

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basins today. These small migration “bottlenecks” are playing an ever disproportionately large role as refueling stops for pintails.

Although playa lakes or basins in the Central Flyway stretch from the Texas Panhandle through the Rainwater Basin and beyond, Kraai noted that the playa lakes of the Texas Panhandle have undergone a massive hydrology change. Playa lakes are filling in from erosion and are no longer effective clay “saucers” capable of holding shallow water as in the past.

During the ’60s and through the ’80s, farmers in the region artificially flooded playas for irrigation of crops resulting in great wintering and migrating habitat for waterfowl. However, with groundwater now becoming more limited and valuable, farmers are going to more efficient sub-surface irrigation to save water— meaning no more artificial flooding of playas as in the past. What’s good for the aquifer is bad for waterfowl.

SOLUTIONS ON THE HORIZON Merendino noted that problems for pintails have occurred because of quantum changes and in all likelihood it will take grand scale solutions to return the much-needed balance. Part of the answer can be found in the conservation practices in North Dakota, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), where farmers are paid yearly in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and the planting of species that will improve environmental quality for wildlife.

In 2016, North Dakota supported 378,000 breeding pintails, more than southern Alberta and Saskatchewan combined.

“The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has greatly aided nesting pintails in our state,” said Mike Szymanski, North Dakota Game and Fish migratory game bird supervisor. “While we currently have only 1.5 million acres enrolled in the program as opposed to 3.4 million in 2007, it is still a substantial amount of acreage, and efforts are ongoing to be more selective in finding marginal farmland to enroll, specific to nesting waterfowl.”

Studies have shown that large-scale issues are impacting pintail populations.

Programs like the Conservation Reserve Program are saving critical nesting habitat for pintails in the United States.

Canada does not have a CRP but there is a relatively new program called Greencover Canada that compensates farmers for conserving wetlands and grasslands under the nation’s Agricultural Policy.

For years, Ducks Unlimited has recognized the importance of working with farmers to save ducks and has been focusing on fall-seeded cereal grains—winter wheat and rye—to provide higher-quality nesting habitat for pintails along with converting marginal land into optimum grass cover for ducks and cattle. DU’s “Rescue Our Wetlands” is a $2 billion conservation campaign that includes conserving habitat up and down the flyways including their flagship Texas Prairies Wetlands Program that cost-shares with landowners in making crucial wintering habitat for wildlife.

Also being discussed is setting up a network of sanctuaries for pintails much like goose roosts of the past.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is on fast track to build a new water storage reservoir north of Bay City designed to capture and store up to 90,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River as an additional source of irrigation water for rice and ducks.

One of the brightest spots in all the landscape is what Kraai called, “The largest wildlife refuge in the United States: the rolling plains and oak prairies of Texas where an unbelievable number of ponds now exist.” Inconspicuously, one farm pond after another has been built over the past 40 to 60 years in the central part of the state and now number in the hundreds of thousands.

Ducks are wintering more and more in these areas per the midwinter waterfowl surveys. Although these are not purposely built for waterfowl habitat, each pond dotted across a vast landscape represents a mini-oasis of food and shelter for ducks—including pintails. Kraai and other research biologists are currently conducting studies to further understand the impact these ponds are having on wintering waterfowl in Texas.

Whether one is hunting pintails along the Texas Gulf Coast or photographing their courtship flights in the Rainwater Basin, there is no denying they are one of North America’s most spectacular ducks, worthy of all efforts to understand their complex ways and to restore their dwindling population.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Saftey On Article by BRIANA MILES Photos courtesy of TYHP

TYHP Huntmaster Workshop attendees at Hunter’s field medicine course.

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olunteers with the Texas Youth Hunting Program provide knowledge, time and skills necessary to implement the program. Program staff works to ensure they’re prepared and ready for all situations on a hunt.

As volunteers go through Huntmaster Training, they learn to run a safe, administratively correct, fun and educational hunt.

Resources and tools are provided to recruit youths, volunteers and landowners for the program and to promote the Texas Youth Hunting Program and assist with volunteer trainings.

Once certified, Huntmasters have the opportunity to attend Huntmaster Workshops held regionally around the state. At these workshops Huntmasters are equipped with program updates and advanced training. These workshops allow Huntmastersto network with one another and staff, stay current on all TYHP matters and exchange ideas with other participants.

This summer, TYHP conducted two Huntmaster Workshops that trained volunteers in varying levels of First Aid including field medicine, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage. Youth hunts are often held in remote locations, far from medical facilities.

Providing our volunteers with the knowledge, resources and training to provide aid should a situation arise reinforces our commitment to safe hunts. While no major incident has ever been reported in the program’s history, it is always better to be prepared.

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TYHP Huntmasters practice CPR.

The first workshop was a Hunter’s Field Medicine first aid course taught by Lone Star Medics. This class focused on first aid for serious injuries such as severe bleeding and fractures. They looked at how to best prepare for these situations, recognize and assess injuries and illness and how to deal with emergencies that might arise due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

The second was a CPR, First Aid and AED certification through the American Red Cross. Participants practiced CPR and using an AED while ensuring the scene is safe and delegating tasks as needed to other individuals. Similar to the first, they also learned to recognize and treat common injuries and illness. In both Huntmaster Workshops, practical discussions and scenarios allowed participants to become confident in what was being taught.

Not only did TYHP Huntmasters increase their knowledge and skills in First Aid, they also were able to have time to come together and discuss the upcoming hunting season. At TYHP, our volunteers are our “boots on the ground, because they are closely involved with all other program participants and often see things that staff may not. Their insights and opinions are valuable for the program’s growth.

TYHP is committed to its volunteers’ increased knowledge and improved skills through Huntmaster Workshops so that safe and fun youth hunts can continue to be conducted across the state of Texas and beyond.

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Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is raising awareness and encouraging all Texans to get involved in conserving the wild things and wild places of our state. We Will Not Be Tamed calls you to appreciate the wildness of Texas, the vastness of our Texas spirit and why we should be inspired to conserve it.

Successful Impacts of L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program Article and photos by SARAH GRELLA and LESLIE WITTENBURG passion for science with them does not even feel like work. I get to play all day.

What about the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program piqued your interest and inspired you to attend a training?

I learned about the training while attending Hamline University’s “Rivers to the Sea” training. Leslie and Sarah were there and demonstrated the rainfall simulator, and I could not wait to see what else they could teach me because the simulator is amazing. I was not disappointed.

Two hundred Mansfield ISD students participated in a L.A.N.D.S. Intensive field investigation day.

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e could express the impressive impact of TWA’s L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program by simply reporting our 2017 numbers: how we took nearly 10,000 students outside to learn about their local ecosystems or how we engaged nearly 700 community volunteers to help us reach our mission. While the quantity of engagements is impressive, the best way to communicate our incredible impact is through the direct perspective of the educators who are implementing our programs every day in classrooms across Texas.

TWA has created many amazing programs, but it is truly the statewide community members who make our organization the influential powerhouse that it is!

In North Texas, Mansfield ISD’s Asa Low Intermediate School has been involved with TWA’s L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program for two years. In those two years, Patricia

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Londono, a L.A.N.D.S. trained teacher, has used this program to increase her students’ engagement in science and to deepen her community’s engagement in their local ecosystem and open spaces.

Please enjoy getting to know Patricia Londono.

How long have you been an educator, why did you get into the education field, and what keeps you coming back every year?

I just completed my 13th year of teaching.

I became a teacher when I realized how much I enjoyed watching my own children learn and how much I loved creating those learning experiences for them.

The students keep me coming back year to year. The excitement they show when they finally master a concept or feel successful at something they are learning gives me so much pleasure. Sharing my

OCTOBER 2018

Did you enjoy the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program Teacher training and why? How did it compare to previous trainings you have attended?

I loved the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Teacher training. My time was not wasted. Every minute was utilized to enhance my learning experience and those of my fellow teachers. Quality lessons and discussions took place throughout the training.

What were some of the most important or impactful elements to the training?

The most impactful part of the training besides the amazing lessons were the individuals brought in to teach the lessons.

Having people come who are experts, and very knowledgeable about the content makes a huge difference in the quality of instruction given to the teachers.

The lessons are TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, standardized by the state) based and hands on so they keep you busy and constantly learning. The location my training took place, Falcon

SUCCESSFUL IMPACTS OF L.A.N.D.S. INTENSIVE PROGRAM

Point Ranch, was so beautiful, and it was great to experience the lessons in a natural habitat for the animals, birds, etc. that we were learning about.

How did it compare to previous trainings you have attended?

I consider myself to be a lifelong learner.

I think as educators it is in our best interest, and that of our students to continue to grow and learn. Science is an ever-changing field of study; new things are being discovered all the time. In my 13 years of teaching I have been to many trainings around the state and a few outside of Texas. The L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Teacher training is by far one of the best science trainings I have attended.

If you have a favorite memory from a L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Field Investigation Day, please share it.

The pure joy on the face of a student who caught a fish. Absolutely priceless!

Describe the benefits you see that the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program provides to individual students and your school as a whole.

Students enjoy being outside. Some have never been that close to farm animals. Any experience that can be given outside with skilled and knowledgeable individuals (volunteers) helps them make a bond with the outdoors some have never experienced before.

I want them to have a better understanding of what it means to Does implementing the L.A.N.D.S. be stewards of the land and animal Intensive Program lessons in the classroom populations we are responsible for as the engage students to a high degree? If so, humans living on the land. please describe how you have seen

this occur.

How do you think participating in the Using the L.A.N.D.S. lessons in my L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program will affect classroom keeps my students engaged and your student population on a long-term focused on the concept being presented. time scale?

1. They love the L.A.N.D.S. Outreach I honestly cannot say for certain, but Distance Learning life cycle videos my hope would be that some of them because they show the real life cycles. join 4-H or FFA when they get into high 2. The students continue to sing the school to investigate agricultural careers. water cycle song long after Field It only takes sparking the interest of one Investigation Day. student to find someone who will help 3. The activities pique their interests the environment. and gives them an opportunity to ask higher level questions.

Based from your previous experiences with the L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Program, how have you attempted or successfully engaged your community further into our program and/or your outdoor community?

I have encouraged other campuses to send teachers to the training; now you have two Mansfield schools involved in the program!

I invited the curriculum coordinator for the district to the Field Investigation Day so she could see what we were doing and to help encourage principals to send more Mansfield teachers to trainings. We will hopefully have a grant written for the fall Mansfield’s Ron Whitson Agriculture Science to fund more teachers’ attendance of the Center provided an amazing venue for L.A.N.D.S. Intensive teacher trainings.

L.A.N.D.S. Intensive events, while also offering I am always encouraging students to an incredible school program for the students. visit the nature trails and parks in our city.

The Rainfall Simulator helps take complex concepts, such as how differing ground surface types effect ground water, and makes them exciting and easy to understand.

For a summary, would you encourage other teachers to become a L.A.N.D.S. Intensive trained teacher?

Why or why not?

I would absolutely encourage other teachers to be trained. This is an amazing opportunity for their students. We have only been doing the program for two years and have already given these awesome experiences to almost 800 students.

The stream trailer and rainfall simulator are real life examples that help reinforce vocabulary by giving them a direct link to a visual. Students learn science by doing science. The L.A.N.D.S. program allows students to “do” science.

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19

Photo by John Jefferson

The late Jacob Krebs.

As the sun sadly set on the promising life of a fine young man, a new day dawned for the Harper Wildlife Management Association in his honor.

Harper WMA Remembers Article by JOHN JEFFERSON

S

ome Wildlife Management Associations (WMAs) are known for the educational activities they provide for their landowner-members. The Lee County WMA is a fine example. Others work through the school system to instill a conservation ethic in kids while teaching hunting and game processing skills, like Washington County WMA does so well.

Some employ a successful combination of the two.

The Harper WMA is known, distinguished and respected for a couple of things. One is that it is not strictly a single county outfit. The Harper

20 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

community—a population numbering about 1,192 residentssits in the western part of Gillespie County at the intersection of Highway 290 (22 miles west of Fredericksburg) and Farm-to-Market Road 783 that runs north to the even smaller community of Doss and south through typically picturesque Texas Hill Country ranching country to Kerrville. The entire area is known for having one of the highest deer densities in Americaan intriguing blessing to many, although a problem due to an ongoing overpopulation. That’s an overpopulation of deernot people. And that’s something to like about Harper.

OCTOBER 2018

That the Harper WMA isn’t a single county association stems from the fact that there were already three other WMAs in Gillespie County: Cave Creek, Doss and Cherry Springs. Couple that with the fact that Harper sits just a little over 3.5 miles from the Kimble County line to the west and almost 10 times that far to the eastern side of Gillespie County, suggesting that some Kimble County ranches would be logical members of a new co-op. That also distinguishes it from the three earlierformed WMAs. But Kimble County people aren’t the only ones eligible for membership in the

HARPER WMA REMEMBERS

Harper WMA. This WMA’s boundaries are the same as the Harper ISD boundaries, which extend into Mason County to the north and even into Kerr County to the south. That explains why my friend Harold Schmidt was present at the first WMA meeting in 2000.The minutes show he even seconded a motion. I shot my firstever deer on Harold Schmidt’s Mason County ranch. The last I heard, he still lives in Mason.

The second paragraph, above, says the Harper WMA is respected for two things, the first being that it isn’t a single county association. We’ll get to the second one later.

Formation of the WMA took place at the Harper Fire Station on June 26, 2000.

From the minutes, supplied by current Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

county agent Brad Roeder, it appears that at least 16 local residents and ranches were present. The meeting was presided over by then County Agent Bill Botard. State Game Warden Max Hartmann presented a report on prospects for the forthcoming deer season. Eileen Meyer was elected president.

According to Botard, Henry Welge, Dr. Bob Dittmar, DVM, (now State Veterinarian with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department [TPWD]) and TPWD Game Biologist Bill Armstrong, were instrumental in organizing the WMA. Botard says that the motivation for starting the association was to control the everexpanding deer population and provide a way for kids to hunt. A secondary purpose was the benefit of a lower hunting preserve license fee for members of the co-op. There

were no details in the minutes about how the association was going to help kids get to hunt. That came later.

Dr. Dittmar, who also ranches in Gillespie County, championed starting the WMA and quoted Dr. Dale Rollins, renowned game biologist with the Texas A&M Extension Service at the time, as saying that the WMAs were “the poor man’s high fence.” The Dittmar corollary to Rollins’ take was that the WMAs were “a thinking man’s high fence.”

In this writer’s humble opinion, they were both right. By pooling acreage, agreeing to harvest older class bucks and an adequate number of does to control population throughout the combined area while protecting and improving wildlife habitat, smaller landowners can reap the advantages of larger, well-managed, high-

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HARPER WMA REMEMBERS

TPWD State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Bob Dittmar, a former president of the Harper WMA, performs a necropsy on a deer for youth hunters at the Harper WMA Youth Hunt for Wounded Warriors in Memory of Jacob Krebs, a valuable experience for all attendees including the adults. (Photo by Michelle Brangenberg)

fenced ranches…and do it without the sky-high cost of a high fence.

Gary Guenthner, a past-president of the WMA, became a member early-on.

He and his wife live on the First Falls Ranch, so named since the first falls on the Pedernales River below the headwaters are on the ranch. He says one factor motivating participation in the WMA was that there were a number of small, lowfenced ranches in the areaeach between 200 and 500 acres.

He agrees that it is impossible to manage that size acreage for wildlife unless ranches band together in a WMA. As also a former president of the Harper WMA, Dittmar further pointed 22 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

out that the principles of the WMAs were in line with the North American Model of Wildlife Management. The model is a set of principles that has guided wildlife management and conservation decisions in the U.S and Canada for many years and has led to recovery of endangered species.

It also has made North American wildlife the envy of many nations. In essence, the North American Model provides that wildlife will be managed as a public trust for the benefit of all the people.

Dittmar said, “Small tract landowners have an excellent opportunity to improve the quality of the deer on their ranches through the WMAs. Habitat improvement occurs through the WMAs, and when

OCTOBER 2018

the habitat is improved, quality deer follow.” The goal on his ranches is to provide quality deer, but not necessarily trophy bucks. He was a member of the Harper WMA when it was formed and has held numerous offices within it. He feels the social aspect of the WMAs often gets overlooked. It allows neighboring ranchers to become friends and builds trust that contributes to the success of the WMAs. Annual barbecues are the prime social event.

Michelle Brangenberg is the current WMA president. She has been involved since it was established. It has grown from the 16 people at the fire station in 2000 to 93 members this year. The co-op’s

HARPER WMA REMEMBERS

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23

HARPER WMA REMEMBERS

doesn’t mean stretching the gun barrel; it means shoot long spiked-antlered bucks. Short spikes often are the result of no more than a bad drought year and degraded habitat.

But their work for the WMA doesn’t stop there. They make it personal. Brangenberg says she attends as many related events as possiblelike the annual Harper turkey shoot, the Volunteer Fire Department’s fish fry and the AgriLife workshop for new landowners. At most of these, she is allowed to display posters for the WMA and she gets to talk to people. Personal interaction seems to be a special talent of hers. She says if she can reach just one person, the jaunt has been successful.

Moore says the two ladies are some of the

best “worker bees” at the WMA’s annual memorial youth hunt, now in its fifth year.

More on that further down.

I never met him, but Jacob Krebs sounds like the kind of kid you’d hope your own would resembleand that’s not a slam of my kids, by any means. They are all my favorite people, and I’m very proud of them. Jacob embodied many of their best traits and came up with a slew of his own.

The one similarity that sticks out was that he was somebody you’d want to sit down and talk to…and listen to. The things he didactions speaking louder than mere wordssay a lot about him. He loved his country. From the first grade on, he wanted to become a Navy SEALand was on his way to becoming one. He was disciplined,

Photo by Michelle Brangenberg

activities have included annual spotlight census counts, having speakers like TPWD Technical Guidance Biologist Joyce Moore at annual meetings providing landowners with information such as aging deer on the hoof and aging by jawbone extraction and molar analysis.

Brangenburg’s thrust is educating landowners and hunters about deer and habitat management. She and Claudia Parker manage their family ranch, the Parker Ranch, in Kimble County near Noxville. All their hunting blinds have posters so their lease hunters can see which deer are legal, and which aren’t. There are also posters on aging on the hoof. They drill the hunters on shooting does and spikes, telling them to “shoot long.” That

WMA member, Claudia Parker staffs a display at a Harper Volunteer Firefighters’ Fish Fry on Opening Day of deer season, one of the events the WMA attends to recruit members.

24 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

OCTOBER 2018

HARPER WMA REMEMBERS

and had done the tiring, heavy lifting– physically and mentallyto become an Eagle Scout.

He liked people and did what he could to make their lives enjoyableeven to dressing in an oftenuncomfortable costume as the Harper football team’s mascot, a longhorn. Referring to girls that Jacob knew in high school, his best friend, Lance Meier, jokingly said “What girl wouldn’t like a guy dressed up like a longhorn steer!” And, he was a team player; he played in the band and ran track.

Moore spoke of his being able to run eight miles without stopping. Raise your hand if you can do that. Or could even do it in high school!

Jacob grew up with respect for members of the military. It’s said that when he saw anyone in the uniform, he would approach, extend his hand, and thank the serviceperson for his or her service.

He participated in re-enactments at the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg and got to hang out with veterans. As soon as he could, he began looking into a career as a SEAL. You’ve all heard of SEALs, but for some who might not understand what SEAL stands for, it’s Sea, Air and Land. That about covers where they work. They are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Becoming one is a strenuous process, to say the least. Their motto is "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday." It’s a special calling.

Jacob had to wait until he graduated from high school before he could enter training and testing. He had, however, been tentatively accepted, subject to “delayed entry.” He already had taken his physical and been assigned a Military Occupation as “Corpsman.”

To work on his underwater proficiency, he was practicing holding his breath longer under water. In April 2013, coming up from the water, Jacob blacked out and collapsed from loss of oxygen. He never regained consciousness. He died chasing his dream.

Devasting. To his family. To his friends.

To the entire Harper community.

Sometime later, an idea began to form in his father, Will Krebs. And that gets us

to the second distinguishing factor about the Harper WMA. Like a multitude of Hill Country kids, Jacob had grown up as a hunter. He hunted once on a Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) turkey hunt, and served as a volunteer a number of times at the Cave Creek WMA Super Hunt in January, assisting the members of the Austin Woods and Waters Club who staff the hunt and helping kids learn about safe hunting and proper handling of harvested game. Will Krebs’ idea was to memorialize his son with a youth hunt and sought help from Moore. She suggested that this was something the Harper WMA could help with. The wheels of Will Kreb’s idea caught traction. The Harper WMA bought into the idea lock, stock and barrel.

It became a hunt to memorialize Jacob and his affinity for wounded veterans. When he got his first vehicle, the first bumper sticker he put on it was the Wounded Warriors patch. Kids of wounded veterans are given preference in the TYHP drawing for the 25 slots on this hunt, which is known as “The Harper Wildlife Management Association Youth Hunt for Wounded Warriors in Memory of Jacob Krebs.”

“That’s a long name,” said Julie Krebs, Jacob’s younger sister, who described him as a “role model.” She said, “He showed me a lot of things about doing your best at all times.” Julie, like most of the Harper residents, does her best by helping at the hunt in honor of her brother.

About 75 volunteers help with the hunt.

Some are from the area, some from the Austin Woods and Waters Club, and some from the Texas Wildlife Association/ TPWD Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP). An excellent eight-minute video about Jacob, the Krebs family and the youth hunt they initiated, produced by TPWD’s talented videographer and producer, Karen Loke, is available at https://youtu. be/TXvx1v7rcR4. Loke’s video has a line in the narration that says, “Jacob Krebs brought a community together for a common causeto serve others who have served us.”

TWA’s Col. Chris Mitchell, (R) is director of TYHP. He applauds the Harper hunt by saying: “This hunt is very special for a number of reasons: First, it is a

shining example of what a community can do when it comes together, and the Harper community came together for the Krebs when they really needed it. The effort continues due to the tireless efforts of William, Mary and Julie Krebs, all to honor Jacob. Secondly, the hunt offers some of the best education you will find on a TYHP hunt. And finally, even though it is a large effort (25 hunters when the average TYHP hunt is seven), participants have a family-like experience because of the closeness of the Krebs, their volunteers and the Harper community. TWA and TYHP are proud to be a small part of this event and especially proud of the example that William, his family and the volunteers in Harper put on display every year.

The Jacob Krebs Memorial Hunt showcases what the hunting heritage is all about--it’s more than just hunting!”

TWA CEO David Yeates, expressed his appreciation for the hunt, as well: “The Harper WMA embodies what community is all about. To see a group of landowners come together to organize and run a youth hunt weekend of this quality and scale, especially as a memorial to one of their own community members, is nothing short of inspirational. It is an honor for us at TWA to partner with such a remarkable group of Texans.”

Jacob’s service to humanity didn’t end that day in 2013. Through organ donations, four lives were saved that week. Since then, almost 100 others have benefitted.

As the service for Jacob ended, his friend, Lance, said they took turns with a shovel, covering a casket hand-built by Jacob’s father and inscribed with Matthew 3:13: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Jacob Krebs, a wounded warrior-intraining, himself, was laid to rest in precious ground that he would have fought to protect on the ranch where he grew up.

The loss of a fallen soldier who was close to you remains for a long time.

Sometimes forever.

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Migratory Birds and Climate Change Article by BART M. BALLARD

A flock of Snow and Greater White-fronted Geese staging in a Texas coast rice field during spring migration. (Photo by Jay VonBank)

T

he term climate change causes an array of different reactions depending on your understanding of the topic. Climate change is a major topic in the scientific community and migratory birds are the exemplar for understanding recent changes in climate. Birds are highly mobile species and many have evolved to be able to capitalize on changing resources, thus they are able to acclimate quickly to changing local conditions. Because of these characteristics, migratory birds can be valuable indicators of changing climatic conditions.

There have been many large changes in distributions of birds in North America that are related to changes in climate conditions.

For example, as recently as 20 years ago, the Texas coast wintered over a million white geese (including the Snow Goose and Ross’ Goose). In recent years, our numbers of wintering white geese are only about a quarter of that.

Currently, states like Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas winter the lion’s share of white geese, and these states historically wintered few to none. Warmer winters allowing lakes to stay unfrozen and provide reliable roost sites, as well as less snow cover enabling geese to access abundant waste corn in agricultural fields have allowed this shift in winter distribution northward.

Similarly, during my goose surveys as a master’s degree candidate almost 30 years ago, the Canada Goose was the most abundant species of goose encountered in South Texas. Over the last 20 years, Canada Geese do not migrate as far south in winter, have become uncommon visitors to South Texas and are a rare occurrence in the hunter’s bag in this region.

Other evidence that birds are shifting their distribution in response to climate change can be found in the Mallard Duck.

Recent analyses show that the centroid of band returns from the Mallard harvest in North America has been gradually shifting northward each of the last three decades.

Additionally, the breeding distribution of tropical species such as the Great Kiskadee and Green Jay have also moved northward.

There is plenty of information from migratory and resident birds to suggest that climate change is real, and birds are responding with noticeable shifts in their distributions.

Another result of climate change has been an earlier onset of spring. In other words, warmer temperatures, spring green-up and availability of resources are occurring earlier. Not all species of migratory birds have shifted their winter ranges north, but many have responded to climate change by migrating earlier in response to the earlier onset of spring.

Birds breeding in northern latitudes where the breeding season is compressed due to a short growing season typically time their arrival as early as possible to capitalize on the resources that become super-abundant for a short period of time. Thus, timing their arrival for their offspring to have access to these resources is paramount because resources are not available very long.

Missing the flush of resources by arriving late often results in failed reproduction for that year.

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Short and medium-distance migratory birds that winter relatively close to breeding areas have the advantage to respond to changing spring weather as the onset of spring progresses northward. For these species, an earlier onset of spring can be sensed, and they are able to leave wintering areas earlier to match the earlier spring conditions.

For long-distance migrants that breed in northern latitudes and winter south of the equator, they are unable to sense the changing spring conditions. These species usually use changing day length as the indicator to initiate migration north. Thus, they cannot sense the changes in the onset of spring and are not matching their arrival on northern breeding areas with the availability of resources.

We are now noticing a mismatch with timing of some longdistance migratory birds with optimal arrival on breeding areas.

Because the changing climate is occurring at a much faster rate than would occur naturally, the birds are not able to respond through evolutionary processes at the same rate. Therefore, the ability of migratory birds to respond to climate change is based on their migration strategy with some species being able to respond and others not having indicators available to enable them to respond.

As climate change proceeds, we will likely see some species respond with changes in their winter distribution and/or earlier timing of migration, whereas others will not be able to respond and may become reduced in abundances due to a mismatch in timing of arrival and availability of resources on breeding areas.

Short-distance migrants winter relatively close to breeding grounds where they can detect changes in the onset of spring and are able to respond by leaving earlier. Long-distance migrants winter too far from breeding areas to be able to detect changes in spring phenology.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

PLANT PROFILE

Pink Smartweed A Waterfowl Magnet

Article and photos by RICKY LINEX

Pink smartweed is part of the great diversity of plants adapted to growing in wet conditions.

A

ccording to the USDA PLANTS Database, pink smartweed, also known as Pennsylvania smartweed, is one of 28 species of smartweed and one of 10 varieties within these species to be found within Texas. So, it is pretty much assured that one or more species of this waterfowl magnet grows in a wet ditch, slough, pond or lake in your county.

Pink smartweed, Polygonum pensylvanicum is an erect annual that grows from a taproot with many branched stems. These stems will grow up to 3 to 4 feet in height, are completely smooth

32 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

and will have swollen nodes that are red.

Older stems turn almost entirely red, while younger stems are green with less red at the nodes.

The smooth, narrow lance-shaped leaves alternate up the stems and are slightly folded from the mid-rib resembling the leaves of Maximilian sunflower though not as rough to the touch. The lower leaves can be up to 8 inches in length often with a wavy margin. The newer leaves are shorter and do not show the wavy margin.

Flowers are actually five-parted sepals that are pinkish-white to pink, forming in ½ inch thick cigar-shaped clusters on the

OCTOBER 2018

terminal end of branches. Some flower heads also form on axillary stems. Fruit is a shiny black, flat seed with one side strongly convex, resembling a round lens, being 1/8 to 3/16 inch diameter.

The scientific name is very descriptive of the plants in this genus, Polygonum. From the Greek language poly, means many while gonu, refers to the knee or joint and the swollen nodes of the stem.

The common name of smartweed is also descriptive in that several species in this family have been reported to cause dermatitis in those with sensitive skin. Early research shows that the name

PLANT PROFILE

smartweed might come from the tendency of the sap to cause “smarting” when in contact with the skin.

All smartweed species have the ability to grow in conditions ranging from dry soil to standing water. Wetlands that are managed for waterfowl often have the capability to be drained and filled as needed to grow plants utilized by many species of waterfowl.

These wetlands are often slowly drained after hunting season ends, and if smartweed is not currently present, the seeds are scattered across the moist mud.

No additional farm work is needed since the seeds will germinate on the moist soil and begin growth. As the plants reach up to a foot in height, water is added to flood the wetlands.

The smartweeds will then continue to grow through the water and develop mature seeds in time for use by migrating waterfowl. If the draining is completed slowly over a couple of months and the

smartweed seed is scattered in the newly emerging moist mud every couple of weeks, the maturing of the plants is stretched over a longer period of time ensuring a reliable source of food throughout early fall.

While pink smartweed is not considered palatable by livestock, deer will eat the leaves. Seeds are eaten by doves, quail, turkeys, songbirds and many species of waterfowl.

Seed is commercially available for planting on moist to wet areas. Once established, pink smartweed will normally return from seed for many years. Smartweed can form large colonies becoming weedy and taking over shallow water areas.

All it takes to successfully grow smartweeds is shallow wet areas that go from wet to dry and back to wet. Over much of Texas the dry part is easy to come by, it’s getting the water to flood the wetlands that can be a problem. With a state as large as Texas, some areas are

Pink smartweed growing in a playa lake in West Texas with a stem from last year’s plants visible in upper left.

begging for water while other areas are recovering from floods, sounds like the perfect place to grow pink smartweed.

Mid-summer growth of pink smartweed reveals the young green stems beginning to turn bright reddish-pink.

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EUPHEMISMS Article and photo by DALE ROLLINS, PH.D. “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” ~Aldo Leopold

A

euphemism is the substitution of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt. Euphemism depends largely on the social context of the speakers and writers, where they feel the need to replace certain words that may prove embarrassing for particular listeners or readers in a particular situation. In the hunting world, we often substitute words like “harvest” or “bag” for “kill” or “shoot.” Euphemism helps writers convey those ideas that have become a social taboo and may be too embarrassing to mention directly.

We don’t kill our aging pets, we “put them to sleep.” Our recentlydeceased uncle didn’t die, he “passed away.” We disdain slob hunters

34 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

OCTOBER 2018

but tone it down in the media by referring to them as “poachers.”

In doing so, we seek to distance “us” (responsible hunters) from “them.”

FOUR-LETTER WORDS? One of the words that we natural resource professionals (at least in Texas) try to soft-talk is “overgrazed.” It’s often regarded as a four-letter word. Shhhh! Can’t you say the pasture is “a little short,” “grass-challenged,” or something more politically correct?

Perhaps say “overstocked,” but leave out the “graze.”

Our motive is pure with such euphemisms—cattle ranchers are a key stakeholder group and manage millions of acres of wildlife habitat in Texas. As partners and/or beneficiaries of their stewardship, we seek to build on relationships, not chide them with “do-better talks” (a euphemism for a “butt-chewing”) handed down to me by TWA icon (and my boss for many years) Dr. Don Steinbach.

Recently, I posted the photo in this article on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch’s Facebook page, then asked viewers to describe the scene in no more than two words. Now, we have

EUPHEMISMS

7,200 followers and surely they are an eclectic group but linked by a common denominator: quail. The responses included euphemisms like “lizard-licked,” “cattle-bombed,” “leased grazing,” “just sad,” “poor stewardship,” “fire guard” and “quail hell” to list a few. Others were more sympathetic in their phraseology, with responses like “needs rain,” “dry weather,” and “bone dry.” One side casts aspersion that the landowner is personally responsible; the other that the landowner is a victim of circumstances that are beyond his control.

What two words would you use to describe the scene? Odds are it would depend on your vocation (occupation) and your avocation (hobby). One of my favorite “silver bullets” was scribbled on the back of the men’s room door at a burger shop in Grape Creek, Texas. It reckoned “where you stand on an issue usually depends upon where you sit.” Don’t most value judgements conform to this maxim? Perhaps you can discern where the respondent is along the “cattle continuum” by their respective posts. Some are sympathetic to this grazier’s plight; others more harsh with their criticism.

Back in 2000, my colleague Dr. Jason Johnson, an economist, and I surveyed two stakeholder groups regarding quail management.

We surveyed 250 members of Quail Unlimited in Texas and also a group of landowners in the 13 counties where we deemed quail hunting to be economically important and who managed 1,000 acres or more.

One of the questions asked for each group’s opinion on what they considered to be the major factors involved in “quail decline” in their part of the state. The list of responses included things like weather, fire ants, predators and the like. Interestingly, 37 percent of the quail hunters listed overgrazing as the key factor, while only 1 percent of landowners saw it that way. Hmmm, echoes of Cool Hand Luke resonated, “What we have here is failure to communicate!” Indeed, where you stand on an issue does depend on where you sit.

A SERMON ON THE PRAIRIE Over my 35-year career with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, I’ve given many educational programs, perhaps a thousand or more. One was on a range tour in Jack County back in the summer of 1991. It fell on the heels of a dry winter and spring (much like this last year) and range conditions were poor in many areas.

I had been asked to speak on quail management. As I began my “sermon on the prairie,” I preceded my comments with two of Preacher Paul’s Precautionary Professions: (1) I want y’all to know that I’m not mad at any of you; and (2) you’re free to choose your actions, but you’re not free to choose the consequences. Can I have an “amen?”

Preacher Paul is my preacher in San Angelo; I write about and cite him frequently, especially about what I call his “precautionary professions.” Whenever he precedes his sermon with the former, he’s telling the congregation that today’s lesson speaks more of fire and brimstone than of grace and salvation. It’s his way of saying, “Heed the message, but don’t shoot the messenger.”

The air that day reeked of sulfur. I asked the crowd who among them was mad at quail. Nary a hand was raised and several grins begged, “Are you serious?” After all, the bobwhite is as iconic as motherhood and apple pie. Then I asked them how many of their pastures looked like the pulpit from which I preached that day.

Their eyes looked down at the ground and toes of boots began digging in the dirt. I had pricked their hearts and their conscience.

Most were guilty of “overstocking” and the resulting landscape had become a “quail hell.” Few would dispute the obvious…yes, I had shamed them.

Perhaps I was too blunt with them; I didn’t call a spade a “hand implement for excavating soil.” I laid it on the line, and when I reiterated the latter of Preacher Paul’s maxims (“you’re free to choose your actions but you’re not free to choose the consequences”), a good many of them got my message clearly.

I didn’t ask for anyone to come forward or confess their reason d’être.

THE UPSHOT So why is natural resource abuse, in this case overgrazing, so common? I still wince when I recall my teenager years in southwestern Oklahoma and seeing shelterbelts bulldozed for a few more acres of $2/bushel wheat. I feel like Iron Eyes Cody in the 1970s Make America Beautiful television where he sheds a lone tear when I fly across much of the Southern Plains and see the scars from soil erosion.

I reckon there’s three underlying themes: ignorance, apathy and greed. As an educator, I can combat ignorance (“I just didn’t know.”), but apathy (“I just don’t care.”) and greed (what one friend of mine calls “subsistence grazing”) are tough nuts to crack.

In my context here, the last two groups are “conservation atheists.”

As I grow older, and inevitably tend to become more cynical, I tell myself not to be too judgmental. But at the same time I question whether ignorance is indeed bliss.

Hurray to Texas Wildlife Association and its members—in large part I’m indeed preaching to the choir with this message. Hurray to my fellow co-author Steve (“Moses”) Nelle for spreading Leopold’s gospel and the land ethic. Hallelujah to the cattle ranchers who can rightfully proclaim they are friends of quail and not only talk the talk but also walk the walk by their attention to stocking rates and dynamic environments.

“There is as yet no social stigma in the possession of a gullied farm, a wrecked forest, or a polluted stream, provided the dividends suffice to send the youngsters to college. Whatever ails the land, the government will fix it.” ~A. Leopold Does such a sermon fall on deaf ears? Does Leopold’s chiding, written over 80 years ago, still have meaning today? Is natural resource illiteracy as rampant today as it was during the 1930s?

Look around, then you make the call.

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SHOOT LIKE A PRO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY MADE SIMPLE

Putting it all Together Article and photos by WADE GRASSEDONIO

O

ver the last three issues, we have discussed the tools; shutter speed, aperture and ISO. While each one is important in itself, the magic really happens when they are put together to form one powerful toolbox of creativity.

Shutter speed, aperture and ISO all control exposure by governing by how much light reaches the camera’s sensor.

However, they each do it in different ways.

Shutter speed does what its name implies, it governs how long the shutter stays open.

Aperture regulates the size of the hole that allows light to enter the camera through the lens and ISO regulates how quickly the sensor can capture the light that hits it.

Just as life requires balance to be enjoyed, these three elements of photography must

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be balanced to achieve correct exposure and great results. It is important to note that as one of these features is adjusted, the other two will need to be altered to bring things back into balance. For example: Let’s say the shutter speed is changed from 100th of a second to 1000th of a second.

That means the shutter is letting in far less light. To compensate for this and maintain good exposure, one of the following will need to happen: the ISO will need to be increased, the aperture will need to be widened, or both.

Here is a method of how to approach making an image. It also happens to be the method I use. I call it, “Pick, set, adjust.”

The very first thing I do is think through the shot. I decide what I want to shoot and

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how I want the end results to look. Then, I ask myself what is most important to achieve the desired results; shutter speed, ISO or aperture. I then pick the most important of the three available tools and set it how I want it. Then, I set the second most important tool so that it complements the first one, and then I adjust the third however I need to so that the exposure is correct. If this game plan is followed carefully and thoughtfully, the images you take should come out very good.

This is a lot to consider in a short amount of space. Please don’t be intimidated. Have fun with it. Take your time and proceed though the steps. It will work out for you.

Enjoy nature, and shoot it when you can.

WINGS OVER TEXAS Ducks and Geese

T

Article and photos by NATE SKINNER

he cool breeze sent a shiver down my spine as I laid amongst the cold stubble of a cut rice field.

Tucked under a ghillie blanket covered with a pile of stalks that had been raked up earlier that morning, I blended in with the ground quite well. Using my shell bag as a pillow, I was pretty comfortable as the scene began to unfold.

A cacophony of calls filled the air as snows and specks lifted from their roosts.

The geese began to head our direction in droves, and clouds of them were getting closer with each second.

It was clear we were set up smack dab in the middle of their dining room, and it was breakfast time. We hunkered down with anticipation, concealed by

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our camouflage covers in the middle of a massive spread of goose silhouette look-alikes.

The honks from our goose calls brought them floating down for a better look at our decoys, which from their perspective seemed to have beat them to the breakfast table. Immediately, the swirling action commenced.

Right before our eyes groups of birds came from all directions, piling into what looked like one giant, synchronized tornado of geese spiraling down on top of us. It was breathtaking, and without a doubt, everyone had a finger resting on the safety their shotguns.

As we waited for the right moment to send out our first volley of steel, I

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couldn’t help but think how this scene was just a mere taste of what used to be an everyday occurrence during the winter on this patch of rice along the Garwood Prairie, just west of Houston.

Things had definitely changed over the years and were continuing to morph with every new season. Before I could ponder these thoughts much further, s omeone signaled.

“Get ‘em!”

A squad of wing shooters erupted from their hidden positions among the decoys as shots rang out in threes and steel BBs whizzed through the air. Another waterfowl hunt had begun.

Waterfowl hunting is a tradition that many Texas sportsmen hold dear. There’s

WINGS OVER TEXAS: DUCKS AND GEESE

something about watching ducks and geese respond to a call before cupping their wings to come soaring down for an in-your-face show that almost makes time stand still. This act is is a driving force fueling the obsession of today’s waterfowl hunters, especially when combined with their love for loyal, hardworking retrievers and the countless opportunities to make memories.

In Texas waterfowl hunting can be enjoyed on a variety of diverse terrains, each of which presents hunters with unique scenarios and challenges. These geographic features are scattered across the state’s many different eco-regions.

The distribution of ducks and geese in these areas have been changing in recent years.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Waterfowl Program Leader, Kevin Kraai, attributes the changes in distribution of waterfowl in Texas to certain specific dynamics. Key areas where some of these changes are occurring include the Playa Lakes in both the High and Rolling Plains, the forest and bottomland hardwoods of East Texas, Gulf Coast prairies, marshes

and bays, and stock ponds within interior portions of the state.

PLAYA LAKES Playa lakes are a natural chain of wetlands that rely on rainfall to maintain enough water levels to provide substantial roost habitat for waterfowl. According to Kraai, many average a little over 15 acres in size, although some can be larger.

TPWD data indicates that at one time the High Plains area of Texas contained approximately 19,300 playas, which gave the Lone Star State the highest density of playa lakes in North America. Playa lakes are arguably the most significant ecological feature within the High Plains when it comes to waterfowl, even though they only cover roughly two percent of the region’s landscape.

Kraai said that changing ag practices playa lakes are playing a role in the degradation of these vital waterfowl habitat features.

“About 30 years ago, agricultural practices within the High Plains incorporated the use of runoff irrigation, which virtually drought-proofed playas,”

said Kraai. “A shift in these practices has now left playas completely dependent on rainfall and has also led to sedimentation and siltation, processes in which some playas have been filled in with dirt and suspended sediments.”

With playa lakes completely reliant on precipitation, they are at the mercy of recurring droughts. While droughts are out of Texans’ hands, there are certain practices landowners can employ to help preserve the current state and future of our playas.

The largest threat to playas is the indirect effect of poor farming and grazing practices. Playas near croplands can suffer severe sedimentation and siltation from soil erosion on adjacent farmland, which makes them shallower and reduces their water quality. This in turn reduces their capacity to hold clean water, eliminating their ability to provide a roost habitat for waterfowl.

Playas near rangeland can suffer the effects of over grazing, as cattle herds can wipe out surrounding vegetation which also contributes to erosion, sedimentation and siltation. Grazing near playas also

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WINGS OVER TEXAS: DUCKS AND GEESE

eliminates vegetation and seeds that are a waterfowl food source.

Conservation practices can highly benefit playa lakes. One of the most common is establishing native prairie buffers around their basins. Grassland buffers slow down the siltation process by mitigating water flow rate across the land and decreasing erosion.

When it comes to rangeland near playas, the Dixon Water Foundation is working to promote healthy watersheds through sustainable land management on ranches in north Texas. According to their president and CEO Robert Potts, the key is keeping vegetation in the soil and minimizing the disturbance of cattle in riparian areas near playa lakes.

“Keeping vegetation in the soil allows for the natural percolation of water as it flows across the land,” said Potts. “This promotes a filtration process which means healthier, cleaner water is flowing into playa wetland areas, plus it decreases erosion. Rotational grazing is at the root of this solution on rangelands, as it prevents a cattle herd from wiping out all the vegetation in a given area, leaving a buffer around a nearby playa lake.”

The land management practices described by Potts and promoted by the Dixon Water Foundation will help create

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healthier playa wetlands, allowing them to absorb water like a sponge.

“Overall, these practices will allow for healthy watersheds that can mitigate the effects of drought, conserving water and our playa lakes,” said Potts.

Kraai said Lesser Canada Geese largely depend on playas for wintering habitat.

“To compensate for the loss of playas over the years, these birds have adapted to roosting on water bodies within urban areas,” he said. “The ponds and lakes of parks inside the city limits of Lubbock, Amarillo and Plainview are becoming popular roost sites for small Canada Geese.”

THE HIGH AND ROLLING PLAINS Intense agriculture makes areas of the High and Rolling Plains some of the state’s best goose hunting grounds. In recent years it seems the large agricultural fields within these regions have become the stopping grounds for large portions of the geese that migrate to our state each winter.

Agricultural production in the High Plains revolves mostly around corn.

“The corn industry is the major player within the High Plains that attracts hordes ds of geese” Kraai said. “Milo and winter wheat are also predominant crops

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that are farmed here and provide food for waterfowl.”

Kraai pointed out that wintering Snow Geese populations in the High Plains have remained steady.

“There has not been a significant increase or reduction of Snow Goose numbers in this area,” he said.

The Western Panhandle portion of the High Plains also has a stable population of Snow Geese that Kraai calls “pure whites.”

“These birds migrate from the Arctic and Alaska, and there are very few blue phased snows mixed in with them,” he said. “Nearly all of them are completely white.”

In the Rolling Plains portion of Texas, the peanut industry drives agricultural production, especially within Haskell and Knox counties. Acres of vast peanut fields provide food and a source of energy for large numbers of White-fronted Geese, commonly known as Specklebellies, along with both Greater and Lesser Canada Geese.

“The vast majority of birds in this area used to be small Canada Geese,” Kraai said. “Now these birds only make up about 25-30 percent of the goose population in the rolling plains.”

Greater White-fronted Geese make up the majority of the total population of

WINGS OVER TEXAS: DUCKS AND GEESE

geese in the Rolling Plains. They account for about 75 percent of the population in the region.

“The numbers of big White-fronted Geese in the Rolling Plains have reached record levels in recent years,” Kraai said.

“These birds migrate from the northern slope of Alaska, and there is no end to their increasing population levels in sight.”

EAST TEXAS FORESTS AND BOTTOMLAND HARDWOODS East Texas has always had a longstanding tradition of waterfowl hunting.

Kraai said this has attributed to the decrease in ducks wintering in this portion of the state over the years.

“At one time, the majority of our duck hunters were located in East Texas,” he added. “As years passed, this equated into a ton of pressure on the birds.”

Kraai indicated that the combination of immense hunting pressure and a decrease in habitat quality has been the region’s downfall.

“Many of the flood plains that held water and attracted ducks within east Texas forests and bottomlands no longer exist,” he said. “This is mainly due to increasing human populations and urban expansion.”

GULF COAST PRAIRIES, MARSHES, AND BAYS Gulf coast prairies, marshes and bays in Texas are known for historically being a key habitat feature to both ducks and geese every winter. These areas still attract plenty of birds each year, but wintering populations seem to be wavering and rather inconsistent.

“Two years ago, we had record high numbers of wintering ducks along our coastal bays and marshes,” Kraai said. “Then all of a sudden last year, we experienced a record low.”

Kraai attributed the inconsistency of waterfowl populations along the Texas Gulf coast to significant changes in habitat.

“Coastal bays and marshes primarily fall into the category of public land, which means they undergo massive amounts of hunting pressure,” he said. “These areas are also experiencing the effects of saltwater

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WINGS OVER TEXAS: DUCKS AND GEESE

intrusion which is producing a decline in waterfowl habitat.”

When it comes to coastal rice prairies, habitat changes are mostly due to urban expansion and improved agricultural practices.

“Cities like Houston continue to expand, which is decreasing the size of rice prairie complexes,” Kraai said. “Farming equipment and techniques have also improved, which means rice farmers can yield necessary levels of grain on much smaller acreages than they used to be able to. This has ultimately resulted in less waste grain being available as a food source for ducks and geese and a smaller amount of acreage for waterfowl to winter on.”

STOCK PONDS AND CATTLE TANKS OF INTERIOR TEXAS The stock ponds and cattle tanks within interior portions of the Lone Star State are rapidly becoming the largest freshwater feature in Texas and the largest waterfowl refuge in North America.

“Each year, more and more ducks are choosing to winter on small bodies of

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water scattered across the inland regions of the state,” said Kraai. “They can access these small ponds and escape hunting pressure while finding plenty food and habitat to send them back to their breeding grounds extremely healthy.”

Kraai said as an individual pond, none of these bodies of water hold significant amounts of waterfowl. The key to these tanks is that there are hundreds of them across the landscape. Collectively they compose vast amounts of habitat and offer waterfowl large acreages void of human activity.

“More of these small features are created every year, which is further increasing their impact on ducks each winter,” Kraai said. “Farmers and ranchers are constantly constructing tanks and ponds for cattle, and in the process, they are unintentionally helping large populations of waterfowl.”

WHAT LIES AHEAD? According to Kraai, TPWD is partnering with Ducks Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others to turn areas along the Gulf Coast into habitat regions

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that are similar to the stock ponds and cattle tanks of interior Texas.

“Our plan is to work with private landowners along Gulf coast prairies, marshes and bays to provide refuges for ducks,” Kraai said. “This would include roost ponds, areas void of disturbances with minimal human interaction and places that are closed to hunting so the birds have access to locations where they can escape hunting pressure.”

Kraai indicated that part of these projects will include financially compensating landowners to give them an incentive to be a part of their vision.

“Over time, projects like these will increase the carrying capacity for waterfowl on the Gulf Coast, as well as increase the hunting opportunities in the region,” he said.

Diverse waterfowl hunting opportunities continue to exist across the state, and luckily, ducks and geese are still spreading their wings over Texas. It just so happens that some are choosing to winter in different areas.

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DOVE

FIELDS, ABUNDANT YIELDS

Photo courtesy of Texas Brigades Bobwhites are the most widely studied wildlife species in the world. Surprisingly, there is still much to learn about this iconic bird.

THE UPLAND AND WEBLESS MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS OF TEXAS

by Leonard A. Brennan, Damon L. Willliford, Bart M. Ballard, William P. Kuvlesky Jr., Eric D. Grahmann, and Stephen J. DeMaso, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas, 2017, 253 pages, $40 Book Review by HENRY CHAPPELL Photos by LARRY DITTO

I

ntroducing a book that discusses the basics of the evolutionary development of birds seems to call for a much shorter look at the evolution of serious hunters.

I’ve known a few.

Most of us start young and simply want to bag game to prove ourselves and, perhaps, to hold something wild. These yearnings stem from deep in our human past. The next stage in our hunter’s development can be characterized by a desire to hunt with great skill, using the best available technology. Unfortunately, this seems to be the terminal stage for most hunters. Those who progress further become students of not only their quarry but of the other creatures and plants that make up and share the

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quarry’s habitat. Many of these folks are also birders or amateur naturalists more broadly.

These are the hunters who will wear out the cover and markup and thumb the pages of The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas. This guide was written by some of the country’s most respected wildlife biologists, so a bit of elitism seems justified.

Nearly all hunters are familiar with popular upland game birds like bobwhite quail and pheasants. Likewise, waterfowl.

But what about webless migratory game birds such as the Wilson’s Snipe, Purple Gallinule or, my favorite, the American Woodcock? So, you’re a puddle duck specialist. Wouldn’t you

T H E U P L A N D A N D W E B L E S S M I G R AT O RY GA M E B I R D S O F T E XA S

Though it is frequently heard, because of its wary and secretive behavior and the thick brush it inhabits, the Plain Chachalaca is difficult to observe in the wild. Nevertheless, it is a valued member of Texas’s bird community to both birders and hunters because it is such a challenging species to pursue with either binoculars or shotgun.

like to know that those strange birds that flutter like bats over your pond blind and into the woods are woodcock. Or that your Panhandle quail lease once held Lesser Prairie-Chickens?

The guide opens by defining game birds—birds hunted for food that have never been domesticated—and their long relationship with humans, from pre-Columbian times through settlement to the present. Next it presents an accessible discussion of evolutionary and taxonomic relationships. A few readers may be intimidated by section headings like “Higherlevel phylogenetics and taxonomy of birds,” but the discussions and accompanying diagrams (cladograms) are quite readable and put the lie to the old stereotype of scientists as incapable of communicating with the public. Of course, most readers will choose to jump right into the chapters on individual species, and that’s okay. Any of these chapters stands alone nicely, and the more challenging discussions are there when you’re ready for them.

The authors cover 21 species of upland and migratory bird species. Excellent photos of the birds and their habitat accompany the discussions as do maps showing geographic range and migration patterns. For example, the chapter on the American Woodcock opens with a detailed description of the bird: plumage, bill lengths, weight and male-female difference.

Here’s a passage on the woodcock’s sporting qualities:

“The American Woodcock is one of the most challenging game birds to hunt in the United States. A combination of dense, brushy, forested habitats and explosive zigzag flight behavior make them almost impossible to bag with a shotgun.”

(Message: Leave woodcock to maniacs with wild-eyed, briar-scarred bird dogs.)

A discussion of distribution includes not only a migration/ distribution map, but details on routes and timing, breeding, behavior, incubation and clutch sizes, nest losses, phenology, population trends, diet and foraging habits, specific habitat requirements, and anything else one of those maniacs with wild-eyed, briar-scarred dogs might need.

The Texas-specific approach is one of the books many strengths. For example, I’m delighted to note that the frequency and range of woodcock nesting in East Texas—the subject of a long running argument between biologists in East Texas and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—is covered responsibly with calls for further research.

Readers will find the same attention to detail in every chapter.

The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas belongs on the shelf of every serious hunter and birder who follows their passion in Texas.

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COASTAL PRAIRIE RESTORATION Article by HENRY CHAPPELL Photos by LAURIE HALL

Unlike inland prairies, where aridity is the central ecological reality, coastal prairies formed as a result of heavy soils and disturbance by fire and bison and, later, cattle.

A

n alligator forced me to confront my provincialism. I had long considered myself a well-traveled Texan and something of a plainsman. I knew a “prairie” when I saw one, having hunted bobwhites on the mixed prairie of the eastern Panhandle, Blue Quail on the shortgrass prairie, and Pheasants and Greater Prairie-Chickens in the Kansas tallgrass.

Furthermore, I’ve lived for some 35 years in the Dallas area, within Texas’s Blackland Prairie ecological region.

Although these prairies differ ecologically, all can be characterized as semi-arid. Precipitation west of the 98th Meridian isn’t sufficient to support the vast forests that dominate the eastern third of the United States.

Yet, on a high summer morning, at the peak of a fine coffee buzz, while looking for a patch of grassland known as Nash Prairie, I rounded a curve and met a three-foot gator strolling across the oncoming lane and into the bar ditch.

Of course, I knew that gators thrived in the Columbia Bottomlands of Brazoria and Fort Bend Counties, as they

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do over most of Texas’s coastal marshes and prairies. But that knowledge, in the abstract, didn’t prevent a moment of cognitive dissonance when I couldn’t quite reconcile alligator and tallgrass.

Indeed, from the road, Nash Prairie, looks flat, like the prairie of popular imagination, but a close look through its big and little bluestem, Indian grass, gay feather and coneflower reveals a layered landscape in which plant life varies with a few inches of rise or fall in elevation, like the understory, midstory and canopy of an old-growth forest. Here and there, “pimple mounds,” sandy, waist-high bumps shaped over the eons by wind and water, form grassy islands.

In a sense, Nash Prairie is old growth, if not quite virgin.

Like an ancient forest spared the ax and chainsaw, it has never been plowed or heavily grazed by livestock. Though its grasses are only head-high at their most impressive, its biomass likely exceeds that of any similar-sized patch of North American forest. The tiny fraction of native prairie that you can see is

C OA S TA L P R A I R I E R E S T O R AT I O N

A gulf fritillary butterfly on gay feather. Insects and bacteria are critical parts of a healthy coastal prairie.

anchored and fed by long, dense, tough rootage evolved to survive fire and the severest drought.

Long known by locals as “The Hay Meadow,” Nash Prairie has benefited from occasional mowing, which, like fire and grazing by bison in pre-frontier times, rejuvenates the grass and keeps encroaching brush at bay. Regular haying with modern equipment is impossible, however. Nash Prairie has always yielded only such hay as can be cut according to natural dictates of elevation and rainfall just as it was burned and grazed according to natural limits in pre-Columbian times. Often, swales hold enough water to provide resting and feeding habitat for puddle ducks—and alligators, perhaps—while other spots could be ignited by hot muffler.

This 409-acre parcel, the largest and most intact coastal prairie left in Texas, survived into the 21st century because of the conservative haying practices of early German and Czech immigrants and the resourcefulness of Kittie Nash Groce, a rancher and philanthropist who sped up and down CR 25 in a Cadillac and appalled Brazoria County matrons by hosting raucous parties at which she danced scandalously close with local husbands.

Kittie grew up in Houston, the only daughter of William and Ina Nash. In 1909, she married Browning Groce, a Galveston banker, who committed suicide two years later. After her father’s death in 1930, she and her mother moved to a 12,000-acre family ranch near West Columbia. By 1940, despite the ravages of the Great Depression and a complete lack of agricultural experience, she’d pulled the ranch out of serious debt.

Kittie died in 1957 after funding much of the construction of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Parish Hall. She left her KNG Ranch to St. Mary’s, several heirs and a group she named the West Columbia Hospital District Trustees.

The last heir died in 2006 leaving the KNG in joint ownership

by St. Mary’s and the hospital trustees. Per Kittie’s will, the

ranch, which contains Nash Prairie, and the smaller but ecologically significant Mowotony Prairie, was to be sold to fund construction of the hospital.

Although Nash Prairie had long been known to professional ecologists, the public had taken little notice. In 2005, upon being named priest at St. Mary’s, Reverend Peter Conaty, and his wife, Susan, moved to West Columbia. A presentation at a local Master Naturalist meeting convinced Susan that Nash Prairie should be protected forever. She got right to work as chief advocate. I met the Conatys for a tour of Nash Prairie a few minutes after making the alligator’s acquaintance on the road.

The Conatys and other local conservationists worried that a developer would make an offer the trustees or Episcopal diocese couldn’t refuse. Potential deals with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service fell through. Then, in 2011, after long negotiations and worries on both sides of the tables, The Nature Conservancy purchased Nash and Mowotony prairies as part of its Columbia Bottomlands Project.

“Botanically, it [Nash Prairie] is one of the most diverse prairies anywhere,” said Dan Snodgrass, The Nature Conservancy’s director of land and agriculture. “It’s about as pristine as they

A yellow garden spider serves as an important strand in the coastal prairie’s web of life.

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come. It has never been plowed. It’s virtually untouched.” The Conservancy continues its program of prescribed burning and seed harvesting for restoration elsewhere.

Rev. Conaty died in 2017. Susan continues her work at Nash Prairie and other conservation initiatives in the lower reaches of the Brazos River. I can’t think of the Upper Coast without recalling that morning in 2010 with the Conatys: Susan walking through Nash Prairie, cracking jokes and calling out Latin names of wildflowers faster than I could scribble them down, and Peter quietly taking in this blessing that had come into his care.

The gulf coastal prairie runs along the western gulf coast from about Lafayette Louisiana to South Texas, just inland from the coastal marsh. Prior to settlement, the coastal prairie encompassed some 9million acres-about 2.5 million in Louisiana and 6.5 million in Texas. Today, less than one percent of the region remains in pristine condition. As of 1999 in Louisiana, only about 100 acres—mostly tiny patches along railroad tracks—remain of the original “Cajun Prairie.”

In Texas, where cattle ranching left more prairie unplowed, remnant patches total about 65,000 acres. The rest has been lost to urban and suburban development, conversion of native pasture to “improved” domestic pasture, overgrazing and cultivation, especially rice farming.

Ecologists divide Texas’s coastal prairie into the Upper Coastal

Blooming partridge pea provides a splash of color. Aptly named, its seeds are favored by quail and other birds.

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In a sense, healthy coastal prairie is like an old growth forest with an understory, midstory and canopy.

Prairie, which runs from the Louisiana border, southwest through Houston to the vicinity of Victoria and Matagorda Bay and the drier Lower Coastal Prairie which extends into the Kingsville area.

Abundant rainfall along the upper coast favors tallgrasses such as big bluestem, Indian grass and eastern gama. Unlike prairies of the Great Plains, where aridity is central, a combination of poorly drained soil, susceptibility to wildfire and disturbance by bison, restricted trees and other woody vegetation to watercourses. Southwestward, as rainfall decreases, the tall grasses of the upper coast give way to midgrasses and thornscrub of the Lower Coastal Prairie.

In pre-settlement times, Karankawa Indians hunted the upper coastal prairie. Bison, red wolves and prairie chickens abounded. The wolves and bison are long gone. The Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken is all but gone--the most endangered bird in North America.

Just prior to World War II, during his undergraduate days at Rice, Texas writer John Graves spent fall and winter nights following coon hounds across the prairie west of Houston, and dawns sneaking up to shallow ponds covered with puddle ducks.

His description in “Self Portrait, With Birds,” makes clear the scale and rapidity of the transformation: “Suburban spraddle these days, that prairie was then a fertile, flatness dissected by wandering wooded bayous and dotted with shallow ponds. It was grazed by Brahman cattle and lightly inhabited by white people who ran ranches and scattered farms, and black ones who lived in clusters of shacks near wells and garden patches and did much of the farms’ and ranches’ work, as their families had done back into the days of slavery … “… It was an anciently prodigal place, part of the belt of level, mild, humid richness where the continent played out against warm Gulf waters and hundreds on hundreds of thousands of geese and ducks and cranes and raptors and smaller birds brought their autumn migrations to a stop and spent the winter months.”

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A few small patches of intact coastal prairie remain, thanks in large part to the conservative haying practices of Czech and German settlers.

Why should we care? Beyond the disastrous loss of wildlife habitat and our natural heritage more generally, and all nostalgia aside, one issue looms: flood control. Healthy coastal prairie serves as sponge during and after heavy rainfall. Studies

by Katy Prairie Conservancy and Harris County Flood Control show that native prairie absorbs and holds about four times as much water as ordinary pasture and sixteen times as much as lawn turf.

“We’re never going to stop flooding completely, said Mary Anne Piacentini, President and CEO of Katy Prairie Conservancy. “It’s just too flat and, at times, there’s just too much rain. But we can slow down the flooding and absorb some of the water in our tallgrass and pot holes. This buys us time, and that’s critical. Time for the sun to come out and evaporation and draining to occur. Plus, coastal prairie does so much more than flood mitigation. It also provides wildlife habitat and recreation, and the wetlands improve water quality. Carbon sequestration improves air quality. And the prairies are simply valuable in and of themselves.”

Covering some 1000 square miles, Katy Prairie is the largest and best-known prairie on the upper coast. Bounded by the Brazos River on the southwest, pinelands on the north and Houston in the east, it exists today as a patchwork of small remnants, some protected, most not, amid an ocean of sprawl and agriculture. Its thousands of potholes and marshes make it holy ground for waterfowl hunters. During the rice farming boom of the past 70 years the area’s snow goose population exploded as the birds moved inland to take advantage of waste rice and the vast increase in surface water.

Today, Katy Prairie contains thousands of overgrazed and otherwise imperfect patches that nevertheless contain indicator species and other basic components that could in time serve as the foundation for restoration.

“Anything that’s pasture has the capability to be restored to prairie, either through management or reseeding or some combination,” said Wesley Newman, Katy Prairie Conservancy’s conservation manager. “But once it’s paved over, it’s gone for good.”

Nearly all of Katy Prairie is private property, so its long-term health depends of landowner stewardship.

TWA member Harvey Laas runs a cow-calf operation on 1,500-acres of family land in Waller County. Five years ago, he and his mother and an aunt set aside 900 acres through an easement with Natural Resources Conservation Service. Per the agreement, the land can be used for ranching and recreational purposes but cannot be farmed or developed. They hope to eventually protect another 300 acres.

“My family bought the first part of our land in 1896, so we’ve been here a long time. We’re not big fans of urban sprawl, and we just wanted to make sure we protect as much of this as possible,” Harvey said.

Like most prairie patches, the Laas’s land isn’t pristine, but contains most of the tallgrasses needed to begin restoration.

Controlled burning is the primary management tool. Reseeding is expensive, and the required soil preparation could actually cause a setback.

Harvey stresses the long-term nature of the commitment.

Prairie built up over thousands of years can’t be restored in a decade or two. “People need to think of this in terms of their legacy,” he said. “These easements and other arrangements ensure that after we’re gone, the land won’t be converted to asphalt, cement and rooftops.”

No doubt, future generations will benefit from the sacrifice and commitment of this generation of land stewards.

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Ten Tips for Hosting a First-Time Hunter Article by WHITNEY KLENZENDORF

TWA Director Jenny Sanders and her son Nate. (Photo by Robert Sanders)

A

person’s first hunt is always a memorable experience, no matter what age they are in life. I was 14 when I got my first buck, and the memory is as crystal clear as if it happened yesterday.

I’m grateful to the people who took me hunting that day and encouraged my love of the sport. I’ve since found it can be incredibly rewarding to take people on their first hunts, and I hope you have the opportunity to share this pastime with new hunters this season. Here are a few tips to ensure the hunt is a success.

1. Stay positive. Your role is making the hunter feel calm and confident. I have a friend who took his wife on hunting trips but never pressured her to hunt. Over time, she became more and more interested. Today she’s an avid hunter, and they share great hunting adventures together.

2. Bring entertainment. Sometimes it can be hard for new young hunters to adjust to the idea of sitting still for hours. While they will come to appreciate this eventually, it helps if you bring along reading material or silent toys.

3. Communicate ahead of time. Tell them what the experience will be like in advance. While out hunting, tell them about the wildlife they are seeing, what age the deer are and what is appropriate to shoot. Talk them through the shot. If you know you won’t be able to communicate verbally, come up with hand signals.

4. Provide the equipment. New hunters will likely not be equipped, so it is important for you to bring the right gun, ammunition, ear plugs, attire and a camera to document their first harvests.

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5. Educate them about game laws. New hunters need to know about bag limits, seasons, tagging requirements and other regulations. Before they go afield with you, ensure they have a license and have taken Hunter Education. Provide them with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Outdoor Annual.

6. Educate them about safety. Many new hunters are uncomfortable with firearms, and this can dampen their hunting experience. Do plenty of target practice in advance while sitting or standing in the same way they will be positioned during the hunt.

7. Be patient and don’t dwell on mistakes. Never pressure a person to shoot if they aren’t ready, even if the shot would be perfect. “Nothing can spoil a new hunter’s experience more quickly than getting irritated that they are not performing as desired,” said Bryan Jones, Field Operations Coordinator with the Texas Youth Hunting Program.

8. Lead by example. “When you take someone hunting, you are their mentor and guide. You need to act how you would want any future hunter to act—responsibly, ethically and humbly,” said Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator at TWA. Jones added, “Ask them to think about hunting in the following way: ‘Is it safe, is it legal and is it ethical?’” Talk about the importance of showing the rest of the non-hunting world a good face for hunters on social media and elsewhere.”

9. Help clean the animal. It’s important for them to learn how to field dress the animal once it has been harvested, so patiently lead them through the cleaning process. Some new hunters might not be eager, so don’t pressure them to do it entirely by themselves.

10. Remind them to breathe. Taking a first shot can be stressful, so don’t forget to help calm their nerves.

Hunting demonstrates in vivid color the relationship we have with the land as both its caretaker and its beneficiary. It is a tradition worth sharing, and I hope you get to impart your love of hunting to someone this hunting season.

Happy hunting!

Whitney is a 6th generation Texan and outdoorswoman from Austin, Texas. She shares guidance for hiking, hunting and camping on her blog, www.WhitsWilderness.com. Follow her adventures on social media @whitswilderness.

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