Student artists across Texas in grades K — 12 take notice: It’s time to start preparing your entries for the 2012 Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest.  The contest is open to all students in public, private or home schools. Entry deadline is March 31 each year.

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

Hunters who need to take the mandatory hunter education course are urged to start looking for courses in their area now as classes are expected to fill up quickly leading up to dove season Sept. 1.

Fishing and hunting licenses go on sale in Texas August 15, and hunters and anglers will be lining up to buy. Many will also pick up a copy of the latest Texas and Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) publication summarizing Texas hunting and fishing regulations, the Outdoor Annual.

The 78th Federal Duck Stamp goes on sale June 24 with an official ceremony held at 9 a.m. at Bass Pro’s Outdoor World located in the Katy Mills Shopping Center in Katy. Artists of this year’s stamps will be on hand to sign copies of their work. Texas Parks and Wildlife Director Carter Smith will also attend the event.

Officials at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center have announced the winners of the Texas division of the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest.

Aquatic plants offer both beauty and functionality in landscaping and aquaria, and the use of algae to produce biofuels has recently received increased attention. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to ensure the introduction of any non-native aquatic plants, including algae will not harm the state’s natural resources.

As summer winds down and fall starts to approach, so too does the beginning of hunting season, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging hunters who need to take the mandatory hunter education course to start looking for courses in their area.