The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is inviting public participation in a major revision of its 2005 Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan.

The Texas Master Naturalist program has reached 1 million volunteer service hours. This major milestone marks the 10th anniversary of the program, which began in Texas but has since given rise to a growing national movement.

The Fall/Winter issue of the Staying Afloat Newsletter on Boater Education is now available on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Website.

"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.

Expanded conservation efforts are in the offing for the desert bighorn sheep, an iconic symbol of wilderness in West Texas, with plans to extend bighorn restocking efforts into Big Bend Ranch State Park and elsewhere in the region as part of a comprehensive Desert Bighorn Sheep Restoration Plan.

Five Texans will receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award Oct. 25 for donating more than 5,000 hours of service to the Texas Master Naturalist Program, a partnership effort between Texas AgriLife Extension and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The 2008 awards nearly double the number of volunteers who have previously reached the milestone in the 10-year-old program.