January/February 2012

New! Digital Replica Edition A new year means new things. Beginning with this issue, we'll be producing a digital replica of each print edition. The edition can be viewed online or downloaded. Next month, we'll introduce a digital-only Spring Fishing Guide. Enjoy!

 

This Month's Features

Red River Recollections

Texas’ northern boundary river weaves through history, culture and geography.

By Russell A. Graves

From meager headwaters, the Red River flows easterly for 640 miles through Texas, cutting through an impressive swath of land, culture and history. Along the way, it serves as a boundary — between nations, between states and between cultures.

This country is wild and wide open. As the sun rises, it is so quiet that all I can hear is the sound of the wind sifting through the junipers. Facing east, the journey before me is a daunting one that will help me see the river in a new light.

(read more)

Bayou Beasts

Alligators survive and thrive in Texas wetlands.

By E. Dan Klepper

Find out more about alligators in Texas in this TPWD video. Video clips from Texas Parks and Wildlife accompany some of the stories on our website — to see even more videos, visit TPWD’s YouTube channel

Fog trails the dark waters of Big Hill Bayou, rising in banderoles of smoke before dissipating against the bow of the small airboat. Petrochemical flare stacks ignite the horizon, casting a soiled glow across the cattails thriving in the shallows. Biologist Amos Cooper sweeps the wetland night with a high, bright spotlight. Two red embers pop to the surface, then blink, along the water’s edge. Cooper fixes the beam on them as fellow biologist Monique Slaughter maneuvers the airboat slowly forward. Biochemist Mark Merchant, outfitted head-to-toe in camo except for the black flip-flops on his bare feet, readies the pole snare.

(read more)

Racing the Rock

Up for a challenge? This event takes racers around and through and up Enchanted Rock.

By Kathryn Hunter

Enchanted Rock, rising 425 feet above the surrounding landscape like the smooth, partly submerged shell of a giant turtle, is a place that inspires the imagination. For roughly 11,000 years, people have been drawn to its granite slopes, leaving behind legends of spirits, visions, battles and gold.

Since 2009, the Enchanted Rock Extreme Duathlon has been held in Enchanted Rock State Natural Area the last weekend of March. A run-bike-run event, it consists of a 5-mile run on the Loop Trail, 16-mile bike on FM 965 and 1.2-mile scramble straight up the Summit Trail to the top of the Big Rock.

(read more)

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Photo Contest Winners Check out the top picks from our 2011 photo contest plus more photography resources on our photography page.

Keep Texas Wild It's not just for kids. If you like nature-related topics in an easy-to-read format, you can find three years of our popular Keep Texas Wild issues and the teacher resources to go along with them.

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