Friday

Join the City Nature Challenge!


This weekend marks the fifth annual City Nature Challenge. Texas Parks and Wildlife, through the Texas Nature Trackers program, is inviting all Texans to participate.

Beginning Friday, April 24th citizen scientists of any age can submit pictures of wild plants, animals and fungi through the iNaturalist mobile app.

And it's easy to do. Share observations of the natural world with an online community. You can identify what you've found or others can help you if you don't know.

Start by downloading iNaturalist for iOS or Android and setup your profile. Then all you have to do is get outside!

Step 1: Find something that fits the bill and take a picture of it using the iNaturalist app.

College student Brycen Anderson photographs an interesting flower in his backyard.

Step 2: The iNaturalist app walks you through the steps to upload your picture. 

You can identify what you've photographed or select from potential species matches if you aren't quite sure what you have.


Step 3: Once the upload is complete your Observation is listed under your profile.


Congratulations! You are now a citizen scientist. And you have all weekend to participate. The City Nature Challenge ends April 27th.

If you enjoyed learning about the City Nature Challenge, share this post and invite your friends to subscribe to Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. For a limited time enjoy three months of unlimited digital access to more than 600 articles, plus our expanded 2020 Summer Issue – all for just $1.99!

International Day of the Book

It doesn't precisely roll off the tongue, which is why it's likely you've heard it referred to more often as World Book Day.

And it's an actual thing. No. Really! UNESCO has recognized it every April 23rd since 1995 to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

So in honor of the 25th anniversary of the International Day of the Book, we are giving you a sneak peek at our May 2020 Wanderlist: Coffee Table Travel.



By Kathy Adams Clark, Larry Ditto and Gary Clark

Texas: A Photographic Journey

These three names are familiar to our readers as wildlife photographers and writers. Mention Larry Ditto's name to any birder or bird photographer and they're immediately reverent. In this visual feast of Texas' treasures, the photographers expand our horizons to the edges of their portfolios and the borders of the state.


By Alyssa Banta

The Texas Ranch Sisterhood: Portraits of Women Working the Land

In a fresh and timely take on Texas ranching, photojournalist and writer Alyssa Banta brings us an intimate portrait of the ranch women who helped build this state. Banta spent a year following a dozen modern women ranchers through their grueling daily routines, the sweat and blood and dirt and grit providing a contrast to the grandeur of the landscape.

Purchase

By Bronson Dorsey

Lost, Texas: Photographs of Forgotten Buildings

Can you see the beauty in an old, dilapidated barn along the highway, daring gravity by trying to stand upright one more day? If so, Lost, Texas, with its array of haunting images of abandoned buildings, will appeal to you. Whether it's one of the lucky few to be rejuvenated or one that's falling down in graceful decomposition, these structures have stories to tell.

Purchase

By Kenny Braun

Surf Texas

Surfing's a sporting passion as classic as a Beach Boys harmony or the driving guitar leads of The Ventures. Whether you like to ride the waves or watch from the beach, longtime Texas surfer and fine art photographer Kenny Braun is the perfect guide to present this photo essay of surfing and the surf culture of our Gulf Coast.

Purchase

By Laurence Parent

Texas: Portrait of a State

Open just about any Texas (or Arizona) magazine and turn to a page with a breathtaking landscape. Chances are the credit reads Laurence Parent. He's certainly filled our pages for decades, providing many covers as well. In this book, Parent shows us the "Five States of Texas," reflecting the wide variety of geography here.

By Phillip Parisi

The Texas Post Office Murals: Art for the People

Five dozen murals adorn post offices and federal building across Texas. Have you seen one? In much the way Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine was created during World War II to inspire people, this New Deal program employed the best-known artists to paint everyday people, Texas history and wildlife for display in public places. The art inspired and comforted those worn down by the Great Depression.


If you enjoyed a preview of our May Wanderlist, share this post and invite your friends to subscribe to Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. For a limited time enjoy three months of unlimited digital access to more than 600 articles, plus our expanded 2020 Summer Issue – all for just $1.99!

Wednesday

Earth Day Turns 50

Photo by Sonja Sommerfeld/TPWD

Today it's a ubiquitous celebration that spans the globe and one of the largest secular observances in the world. Schools include it in their curriculum planning. Businesses host special events for their employees. Non-profits recognize it by sponsoring clean-ups and tree plantings. 

Fifty years ago it was simply the vision of Senator Gaylord Nelson, who worked across the aisle with Representative Pete McCloskey, to bring together a range of stakeholders in support of bettering the world we live in.

1970's Earth Day saw Americans in thousands of cities, coast-to-coast, take to the streets to shed light on the pollution, oil spills, habitat loss and extinction of wildlife that threatened their planet. It led, in part, to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and laws that govern natural resources we all enjoy.

This year we may not be able to participate in group activities but we can think of the small things we can do to make every day Earth Day. Here are a few ideas to get you started.



If you enjoyed learning about Earth Day share this post and invite your friends to subscribe to Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. For a limited time enjoy three months of unlimited digital access to more than 600 articles, plus our expanded 2020 Summer Issue – all for just $1.99!







Tuesday

State Parks Begin to Reopen


Check the Texas State Parks Alert Map for updates.
After weeks of closures, many State Parks are once again open for day use.

While not all parks will immediately open, those that do have new restrictions in place.
  • Don't plan on just showing up at the gates. All visitors must purchase and print day-use permits through the Texas State Parks Reservation System or by calling 512-389-8900. 
  • Overnight camping is currently unavailable.
  • Group gatherings of more than five people is prohibited while inside the parks.
  • All visitors must wear masks or other face coverings.
  • Social distancing of 6 feet is still in effect for individuals outside your party.
  • Bring everything you might need, allowing local businesses to focus on serving their own communities.
  • All transactions, equipment rentals or loans and interpretive programs remain suspended.
  • Group-use facilities as well as visitor and nature centers remain closed.
Make sure you are following all public health recommendations when traveling to a state park, and remember that parks in rural areas may have limits on available resources and local health care capacities.

Excited about parks reopening? Share this post and invite your friends to subscribe to Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. For a limited time enjoy three months of unlimited digital access to more than 600 articles, plus our expanded 2020 Summer Issue – all for just $1.99!

Monday

Shelter in Place. All Over the Place.



Explore Texas' wild things and wild places on our mobile app.
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