After six years of bold plans, big talk and fierce pushback, the Texas Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the Trans-Texas Corridor is dead, burying with it Gov. Rick Perry's visionary but controversial idea to string the state together with some 4,000 miles of highways, toll roads and rail lines.

After six years of bold plans, big talk and fierce pushback, the Texas Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the Trans-Texas Corridor is dead, burying with it Gov. Rick Perry's visionary but controversial idea to string the state together with some 4,000 miles of highways, toll roads and rail lines.

The staff of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has released its report following a review of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The 12-member commission, made up of 10 legislators and two public members, reviews the policies and programs of more than 150 government agencies every 12 years.

Per the following posted notice, the Legislative Interim Study on Deer Breeding is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2008 at 10:00 A.M. in Austin.  The notice states the testimony will be provided by invited witnesses and to-date, we don’t have any more details than this on expected topics or invited witnesses. It is a public hearing, and for those of you who may want to attend, you may want to make your arrangements now. 

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo continues to add new activities while sticking to a hands-on, expert-assisted formula that has made it the largest free event of its kind in the nation. Last year approximately 42,000 people visited Expo at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department headquarters in Austin.

The Texas Department of State Health Services today advised limiting consumption of spotted seatrout (commonly called "speckled trout") and all species of catfish from Galveston Bay because of concerns about chemicals known as PCBs and dioxins. This marks the first time the state health department has issued an advisory for an inshore  gamefish species from an entire major bay system.

Winning teams in the 2008 Great Texas Birding Classic have awarded their conservation prize money to fund seven habitat projects totaling $73,000 along the Texas coast. Touted as the world’s longest birding competition, the Birding Classic has funded a total of $651,000 for avian habitat conservation since it began 12 years ago.