Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

Background

Regan Templeton of KUT News researched and reported this article.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas. TPWD seeks to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

TPWD regulates and provides licenses for fishing, hunting, and boating. The department has authority to manage fish and wildlife resources under the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1983. The department also manages state parks.

TPWD is headquartered in Austin. Carter Smith has been the executive director of TPWD since 2008.

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February 27, 2015

Looking for a Silver Lining in Falling Oil Prices in Texas

Economists and state officials are reaching for their calculators as to predict how the Texas economy will respond to lower oil prices. We’re already seeing falling oil and natural gas revenues pinch incomes and constrain spending, including layoffs at some energy companies. But is there also a silver lining? Could the downturn in the energy […]

November 21, 2014

Listening For The Call Of The Quail

Helped by $6 million from the State of Texas, prairies west of Houston are being restored with native grasses to increase the population of Bob White Quail. There’s something missing these days around ranches and farms just west of Houston: the unmistakable call of the Bob White Quail. “Everybody knows that sound, “said Robert Perez, […]

October 10, 2014

KRTS: Public Access to Chinati Mountains State Natural Area Secured

The Chinati Mountains State Natural Area in south Presidio County finally has public access, according to Corky Kulhmann, senior project manager for land conservation for Texas Parks and Wildlife. This is news given exclusively to KRTS. For eight years, Kulhmann and his team have been working to gain public access to 39,000 acres donated to […]

August 20, 2014

How Illegal Fishing Costs Texas And Mexico Millions Each Year

From Houston Public Media: Most of the fisheries are managed in federal waters and represent a $14 billion dollar industry. But pirate fishing hurts commercial fishers, like Scott Hickman of the Charter Fisherman’s Association. He told the Gulf Coast Leadership conference that it’s getting hard to make a living competing with those who skirt around […]

July 1, 2014

Don’t Pick Up Aquatic Hitchhikers: New Texas Boating Rules Start Today

Zebra mussels have been stealthily hitching rides between Texas rivers and lakes for several years, but new rules to combat their spread take effect today. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is requiring that boats be drained and checked for mussels and prohibiting transfer of personally-caught live bait between water bodies. Zebra mussels, invasive […]

June 27, 2014

Here Are 5 Challenges to Texas Water That Might Surprise You

With nearly 70 percent of the state still stuck in a drought that has dragged on for years, there’s been plenty of talk about how to strengthen water supplies in Texas. A multi-billion-dollar water fund (the passage of Proposition 6 last election) is in the works that will help fund projects like reservoirs, desalination and conservation. And there’s ongoing […]

May 26, 2014

Drought Possible Culprit in Massive Fish Kill on Gulf Coast

Researchers suspect drought is the cause of a massive fish die off in the Galveston Bay where millions of shad, also known as skipjack, have washed ashore there in recent days. They’ve been found primarily around the communities of Kemah and Seabrook. “We’ve never seen one to this scale in this location,” Texas Parks and […]

May 22, 2014

As Zebra Mussels Spread in Texas, Boating Rules Will Apply Statewide

Update: Fishing and boating enthusiasts take note: you’re probably going to need a little extra time as you head out on the lake this year. Rules to prevent the spread of the invasive zebra mussel will be going into effect statewide. “All boats operating on public fresh water anywhere in Texas be drained before leaving or approaching […]

May 20, 2014

In Texas, Less a Duck Dynasty than a Duck Dilemma

It can be tough being a duck these days in Texas. Next door in Louisiana, they’ve got cable TV’s big reality hit, Duck Dynasty. But in Texas, there’s less a dynasty and more of a dilemma, at least for one breed called the Mottled Duck. “If you look at the composite of things they all […]

April 11, 2014

Experts Fear Impacts of Oil Cleanup on Texas Gulf Coast

MATAGORDA ISLAND, TX — Recovery efforts continue weeks after a barge accident in the Houston Ship Channel dumped tens of thousands of barrels of oil into Galveston Bay. That oil kills wildlife and damages the environment. But some are worried the cleanup itself could also disturb the ecosystem along the Texas Gulf Coast. Nowhere is […]

What is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department?