The trumpeting sound of cranes overhead is a cherished sound of spring in Texas, but as endangered whooping cranes depart Texas this spring en route for breeding grounds in Canada, fewer birds will be making the trip.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission today approved $4.3 million in competitive grants for community parks, nature trails and recreation centers throughout the state. Nine projects from among 37 eligible applications submitted for recreation grant matching funds were selected by commissioners for funding.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on Jan. 21 authorized the department to seek public comment on a suite of proposed wildlife and hunting related regulations that would expand special buck antler restrictions and liberalize antlerless harvest opportunities in dozens of counties, part of a broader move to transition away from political boundaries and toward biologically-based communities for managing deer populations.

The one-hour video documentary Texas the State of Flowing Water will air at 8 p.m. central time, Thursday, Feb. 12 on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations in Texas. It is the fourth in an award-winning series of water resource documentaries produced by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and broadcast in partnership with PBS stations.

"Back to nature" seems to be the common theme among 17 recipients of Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) grants offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. TPWD this month awarded grants totaling more than $500,000 to school districts, cities, museums, youth groups, foundations and other groups in cities across Texas.

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.

The Nature Conservancy of Texas has purchased the 7,000-acre Fresno Ranch in far West Texas and plans to transfer it to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the purchase price of about $2.6 million. The deal culminates 20 years of work to remove the largest remaining in-holding inside Texas’ biggest state park, expands hiking and public access, and protects desert springs, Rio Grande river frontage, diverse wildlife and rich cultural resources.