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.

What if you led a horse to water and it didn’t know how to drink? That odd challenge faces state parks trying to help an increasingly urban public understand nature and history. The good news is, this fall a rich array of new interpretive exhibits and facilities is available for families seeking holiday excursions close to home, thanks to increased funding from the Texas Legislature.

State officials are reminding hunters and meat processors in South Texas that additional precautions are required when handling deer carcasses due to concerns about spread of fever ticks in the region.

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.

While Texas hunters were dusting off shotguns and stocking up on ammunition in advance of the Sept. 1 dove season opener in most of Texas, a research team was out two days prior to the season collecting bird specimens for a research study on the effectiveness of various shotshells, including non-lead shot.

The views from inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the United States’ second largest canyon, will remain grand thanks to the addition of a 2,912-acre property known as Fortress Cliffs Ranch. The tract has been purchased by a coalition that includes The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), protecting almost six miles of scenic cliffs along the park’s northeastern edge.

The views from inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the United States’ second largest canyon, will remain grand thanks to the addition of a 2,912-acre property known as Fortress Cliffs Ranch. The tract has been purchased by a coalition that includes The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), protecting almost six miles of scenic cliffs along the park’s northeastern edge.

Steve Whiston is retiring from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Aug. 31, after a 30-year career with TPWD in which he was involved in or supported the development of more than 24 new state parks and natural areas.