Texas Parks and Wildlife Hiring 200 New Employees

For anybody who has ever dreamed of becoming a park ranger, now is your chance.

Thanks to an infusion of cash from the Texas Legislature, the state Parks and Wildlife Department is hiring about 200 new employees, from custodians to project managers, for the 600,000-acre system.

It's the first big expansion in years for a department that lately has been more accustomed to laying off employees.

"We're looking for people who are really excited about helping take care of some of the most special places in our state, folks who are interested in a long-term career with Texas state parks," state Parks Director Walt Dabney said this week in a statement.

Dabney said the Parks and Wildlife Department is "looking for a broad spectrum of skills for different kinds of jobs, ranging from people with strong maintenance skills to help repair facilities, folks with the ability to explain and interpret park natural resources and history for visitors, and experienced professionals who can help manage and administer these sites."

Specifically, the department wants custodians, cooks, park superintendents, natural resource specialists, utility plant operators and maintenance technicians. The agency wants new employees in Bastrop, Rockport, Galveston, Port Aransas, La Porte, Austin, Fort Davis, Laredo and parks in many other locations.

Some of the job openings had already been announced, and new ones will open in coming weeks, according to the parks department.

The jobs are posted on the agency's Web site, www.tpwd.state.tx.us. Some of the openings are for new jobs, others are to fill previous vacancies. The agency notes that many of the positions require special skills; others require no previous experience.

A superintendent position at the Franklin Mountains State Park and Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park in El Paso, for example, pays $3,545.26 per month. Butch Farabee, the interim director over the joint operation, said the management position has been open for some time and would have been filled even without the new money from the Legislature.

But he also said rangers are being hired for both parks. Although the job includes a lot of maintenance, it can also be rewarding to work outdoors in the beautiful desert setting, he said.

"You've got the best of both worlds -- you've got the wilderness park, right next to the city of El Paso, as well as the aerial tramway," he said.

In May, the Legislature increased the agency's operating budget from about $50 million over the two-year budget cycle to nearly $157 million.

The budget increase came after media reports showed that the cash-starved agency had survived for years with aging and inoperable equipment, mass layoffs and a long repair backlog.

Park jobs

Several jobs are available at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department within 100 miles of the Metroplex:

Parks peace officer at Ray Roberts Lake State Park at Pilot Point in Denton County. Monthly pay: $2,658.37. Duties include: Conducting patrols, performing enforcement actions in the park and providing public safety coverage as a commissioned park police officer.

Maintenance technician at the state's regional office in Waco. Monthly pay: $3,305.19. Duties include: Skilled construction in carpentry, millwork, electrical, plumbing and welding. Also responsible for directing and training others.

Program supervisor at Fort Richardson State Park in Jacksboro. Monthly pay: $3,665.65. Duties include: Cultural and natural resource stewardship, financial management, budget planning, human resources management, maintenance and repair of facilities, customer service and marketing.

Office clerk at Lake Whitney State Park in Whitney. Hourly pay: $8.49.

Custodian at Bonham State Park in Bonham, in Fannin County northeast of Dallas. Monthly pay: $1,409.

Maintenance assistant at Ray Roberts Lake State Park in Valley View, in Cooke County, north of Denton. Hourly pay: $9.58. Duties include: Custodial work and maintenance to park grounds, vehicles and equipment. Must also operate mowers, trimmers, power tools, tractors, vehicles and other types of equipment.

Park ranger at Purtis Creek State Park in Eustace, southeast of Dallas. Monthly pay: $2,250.08. Duties include: Maintaining park trails, custodial work, collecting revenue, issuing permits and customer service.

Park specialist at Lake Tawakoni State Park in Hunt County, northeast of Dallas. Monthly pay: $2,711.54. Duties include: Assisting visitors, enforcing regulations, protecting park property and patrol duty.

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The Rockport/Fulton Hummer/Bird Celebration 2007 Is Almost Here!

For a very long time now the Ruby-throated Hummingbird has graced this area by stopping here each fall, spending some time storing energy for their continued migration south and thoroughly delighting everyone who sees them.

What's the HUMMER/BIRD Celebration?
The HUMMER/BIRD Celebration is an annual event held each September in the charming and friendly coastal towns of Rockport and Fulton. The purpose is to celebrate the spectacular fall migration of the Ruby-throated hummingbird through the area, first documented by Connie Hagar in 1938, and to expand one's knowledge of all birds, and associated wildlife.

The Celebration is fun, educational and inspiring. There is something for everyone and it's designed for those who just enjoy birds to the more experienced birder. If you enjoy nature, or some aspect of it, then this event is for you.

Imagine over 80 hummers in one yard, a dozen swarming around each feeder, more perched, waiting their turn in the trees and bushes. Multiply this by the number of gardens and hummer-friendly backyards in the Texas coastal towns of Rockport and Fulton, and you have the unbelievable scene of the annual Hummer/Bird Celebration!

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, in the process of migrating from North America, usess this area of Texas as a staging area. Hummers worn out from their journey to Rockport/Fulton get to rest their little weary wings a bit and fatten up on the nectar from flowers and feeders. Then they will be gone, flying non-stop 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Pennisula in Central America where they will spend the winter.

How did the name of the celebration come about?
When Betty Baker (enthused birder and volunteer) and Jesse Grantham (National Audubon Sanctuaries Manager) began developing this event, their intent was to bring attention to this great phenomena of the fall migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds. They wanted everyone to not just focus on hummingbirds but all birds during the tremendously beautiful fall migration. Hence came the name Hummer/Bird Celebration. A Celebration, not a festival with tents and carnivals, but a learning experience.

Hummer Home Tours
Local homes and businesses plant and maintain their yards year round to attract hummingbirds. During the event, you are invited to visit their yards to see the plants that lure the birds and to see them feeding in preparation for their incredible journey south. It is possible to see over 100 hummingbirds in one yard. A self-guided tour map is available at any information booth. You’ll find a sign red in color and made in the shape of a hummingbird placed in front of the Hummer Home. Walk quietly to the residence.

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Rockport Trees Protected

The dense live oak forest that envelops Rockport is one of the bustling coastal town's big draws.

Of course, to make room for new people, builders need land. And that land often is covered by the trees, presenting a bit of a dilemma.

"The thing that's particularly distinctive about the trees that grow down to the waterline here, (is) the windswept oaks," Mayor Todd Pearson said during a drive around the seaside town. "The salt spray and prevailing winds have affected those trees, and they lean, with vegetation on one side stunted and gnarled."

A year ago, Rockport enacted an ordinance protecting the trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. It requires a permit to remove trees, along with a plan to preserve as many as possible and replace those that are cut.

Pearson said the city is especially protective of its signature windswept oaks, which largely sit within a block of the waterfront. He expects developers to have a very good excuse for cutting any down.

But all the protections in the world could be moot if the dreaded tree disease known as live oak decline gets a foothold here. That's why the city also encourages planting of other species in the mix, just in case a natural die-off ever occurs along the 3-mile-wide greenbelt that crosses the aptly named Live Oak Peninsula.

Pearson also encourages land reuse, such as an abandoned downtown supermarket site that will be replaced by a mixed-use development. The more that new construction takes place on top of old, his reasoning goes, the less need there will be to topple trees in a city that sets new building permit records every year.

"Not only is the preservation of trees important in Rockport, but the habitat in general," he said.

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Barge Hotel Shows Passengers a Whooping Good Time

Standing on the top deck of the River Explorer, a floating hotel built on two connected barges and pushed by a towboat, Tinnin had just counted 60 whooping cranes as we cruised the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a man-made canal that runs along the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coastline.

Tinnin is director of marine education at the University of Texas at Austin, and has been following the plight of the whooping crane, North America's most endangered bird, for most of his 60 years. That plight has improved since 1941, when there were 15 whooping cranes in the world.

Cranes Restful Home
A 35-mile stretch of Texas coastline that encompasses the refuge is the wintering grounds for the only wild flock of the majestic white crane with black wingtips, which at 5 feet is North America's tallest bird. This winter, a record 237 birds showed up at the refuge, including seven sets of twins among 45 yearlings. The cranes fly back each April to Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada to nest.

"The amazing thing about the chicks is they're born in May, and they migrate 2,500 miles to Texas in October," said Tinnin, who has a doctorate in marine science education. "The focus to save the whooping crane led to the fight to save a lot of other bird species."

The River Explorer was launched in 1998, with a sleek interior, art deco touches and 99 outside staterooms, 50 with small balconies.

The barge has one restaurant, one theater where the nighttime entertainment might be a mariachi band or ragtime show, two bars with a well-attended happy hour and a lobby with a well-stocked cookie jar.

One thing is similar to ocean cruising -- there's ample opportunity to eat well. I admit to one day's consumption of an omelet and sticky cinnamon roll for breakfast, fried turkey breast and a slice of pecan pie for lunch, then prime rib and Bananas Foster for dinner.

The River Explorer caters to an older clientele, although there were some intergenerational groups of grandparents with kids and grandkids on our trip.

Industrial scenery
Although most of the River Explorer's excursions are chosen for the scenery and river cities along the way, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is an industrial route lined by oil refineries, chemical plants, blue-collar fishing communities and the occasional wildlife preserve. The line calls the trip "The Route of Jean Lafitte" because rumor has it that the gentleman pirate buried treasure along the way. The cost of the eight-day trip was $2,635 a person, based on double occupancy.

But this trip was for the birds, literally, especially the whooping cranes.

"We're in the Central Flyway for the migration of waterfowl," said Tinnin, the university researcher who was escorting an Elderhostel group of birdwatchers. "There is lots of open bay water, shoreline and small islands for these birds to overwinter. You may see anywhere from 135 to 150 species on this trip."

Because of their perilous perch near extinction, whooping cranes were among the first to come under protection of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Although not nearly as successful as bald eagles and peregrine falcons, the species is making a modest comeback.

While a light drizzle fell on the covered top deck of the River Explorer, Tinnin puffed on a stogie and discussed the pairs of large white cranes, many with chicks, that were spread out in territorial ranges of up to a mile on the marshes of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

The plight of the whooping crane inspired one of man's most unusual endeavors to aid an endangered species. After perfecting their methods with Canada geese and sandhill cranes, a group of biologists led by Bill Lishman used two ultralight planes in 2001 to guide a flock of eight whooping cranes hatched in captivity in Wisconsin on an inaugural winter migration route to Florida. Lishman and partner Joe Duff wore white hoods to emulate the birds as they flew their flimsy craft just ahead of the V formation of cranes.

One bird died on the 41-day journey and one pooped out and had to be driven in the backup van. Bobcats, the crane's top predator, killed two of the birds in Florida. But the next spring, the five cranes that wintered in Florida surprised everybody by disappearing -- and showing up back in Wisconsin on their own.

The idea for the project was to create a second "insurance" flock of migrating whooping cranes in case the original in Texas met a catastrophic fate. After being led by plane to Florida, the birds learn the route and migrate on their own.

The ongoing project, dubbed Operation Migration, garnered world-wide attention that led to the making of the 1996 movie, "Fly Away Home" starring Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin.

The program suffered a setback in early February when a storm that hit south Florida, killing 20 people, also killed 17 young whooping cranes that had made the flight from Wisconsin. One crane survived.

Bad day, take a break
The barge trip began on Galveston Island, where bad weather delayed the start. The River Explorer crew saved the day by arranging bus trips to Houston for a visit to the Johnson Space Center, where we saw Mission Control, touched a piece of the moon and watched as space shuttles thundered off in an IMAX movie. Among the artifacts on display was the lectern from where JFK announced the race to the moon, and the Apollo 17 command module, scorched from its return to Earth. In the tally so far, 12 Americans have walked on the moon.

Once the barge got underway the next morning, the lobby became the center of the action as the birders used spotting scopes and binoculars to search the skies, shores and tidal basins. Gulls circled the ship, Northern harriers swooped low over the marshes and white pelicans floated on the brown canal waters, like fluffy marshmallows on hot chocolate.

When not spotting roseate spoonbills, black-necked stilts and double-crested cormorants, the passengers read, strolled the top deck and watched the water surface for the occasional bottle-nosed dolphin.

In a stop at Corpus Christi, we visited the art museum, history museum and U.S.S. Lexington. At Padre Island, we toured the multimillion-dollar homes along Ocean Drive. At Port Isabel, we climbed the lighthouse. At the spring break hot spot of South Padre Island, we marveled at the winter sale on bikinis, boogie boards and body piercings.

Our last day was spent in Nuevo Progresso, across the border from Brownsville. The Mexican town featured several blocks of shopping, with a multitude of pharmacies where the barge passengers bought Lipitor, Cipro, Viagra and every other drug imaginable at bargain-basement prices.

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source: alicedonahue.com

Cove Harbor South Gets a Facelift

Aransas County Navigation District commissioners and staff members, as well as representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) were on hand for the grand opening of the new boat ramp and restrooms at Cove Harbor South (CHS).

Representatives from the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce conducted an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the event.

The improvements at CHS were made possible by a 75/25 grant funded by TPWD, explained Harbormaster Keith Barrett. The project was completed by LL&F Construction out of El Campo.

The parking area was completely paved with concrete to provide many years of maintenance-free service. The restroom was built with long-term service in mind and complies with ADA requirements. Barrett also pointed out a new septic system was installed to meet with environmental code requirements.

Barrett said the project included the addition of 25 feet of bulkhead on each side of the boat ramp. The walkways and docks on each side of the remp were built wide, to meet ADA requirements, and with low-sloping grades for easy access for all boaters.

The fish cleaning station is another amenity for boaters.

Safety and security were taken into consideration and thus the entire facility, including the parking lot, ramp, docks, and fish cleaning station, are well lighted.

Barrett said ACND officials hope everyone will appreciate the design, craftsmanship and quality of the materials used on this project.

He said they improved CHS in order to alleviate some of the pressure from the high amount of boat traffic at CHN.

He said they expect the CHS facility to be utilized by residents of Aransas County as well as by visitors.

He added, “From what I have seen this may be one of the best facilities of this type on the coast.”

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source: alicedonahue.com