Central Market and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) have joined forces to bring wild game Cooking Specialist Chef Lisa Freeman into Central Market Cooking Schools to lead five February classes showcasing wild fish and game with award-winning olive oils. The classes will feature TPWD experts on hand to answer questions about game, conservation and the great outdoors.

The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

The slogan of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is “Life’s Better Outside,” and department staff will show visitors to the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in Conroe October 28—30 why that’s so.

With cooler weather just around the corner and cabin fever taking its toll on those of the outdoor persuasion, people are ready to start enjoying the outdoors again. In North Texas, Meridian and Cleburne State Parks offer fishing opportunities close to home with excellent hiking and camping opportunities as well.

The Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC), the world championship of professional bass fishing, announced its final field of competitors today. The three-day event, to be held on Lake Conroe, combines the top Professional Anglers Association members from the Walmart FLW Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series and Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series.

Chris Bird, a state game warden based in Wharton County, has been named Officer of the Year by the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers.

At the very tip of South Texas in Estero Llano Grande State Park, Christopher Sandoval stands at a trail head waiting for visitors. Sandoval is interning this summer with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Anh Thu Do of Liberty is the 2010 winner of the Art of Conservation Stamp Award in the 12th annual Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, it was announced Saturday at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, site of this year’s contest expo.

The hotter the weather, the more difficult it is to keep bass in livewells healthy, especially during tournaments, when heavy limits of fish may be held for several hours until weigh-in.

Get your kids hooked on the outdoors this summer with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Go Fish! summer event series. Free fishing lessons for the young and young at heart will be hosted around the state at selected state parks throughout May, June and July.