Within the next decade, 75% of our population will live within 50 miles of a coast, creating a need to support local economies while protecting coastal marshes, irreplaceable natural assets.

A team of fifteen TPWD coastal fisheries staff project leaders has achieved remarkable progress over the last decade. Working with local partners, they have

• preserved or created over 12,500 acres of coastal habitats
• restored over 4,000 acres of oyster habitat
• protected over 12 miles of shoreline
• leveraged $40 million into restoration projects worth billions.

Watch a video that describes how the group's diverse talents and its partners intertwine to help restore a healthy Texas coastline. Water quality, fisheries, habitat, and healthy coastal economies are interconnected parts of this story. Pollution detection and mitigation, helping land owners create conservation easements, and using the best methods of restoration are all critical tools.

Learn more about the many ways TPWD and its partners work to protect and restore habitat vital to wildlife and local economies.

How many of Texas’ 639 documented bird species have you seen? Join Texas’ biggest birding roundup – the Great Texas Birding Classic and search for a few more. From the Panhandle to the Golden Triangle, anybody can play because the world’s biggest, longest and wildest bird watching tournament is statewide! Here's the speedy video version of what it looks like.

Gather your friends and family to form a team and put your binoculars and your bird ID skills to work. Choose a tournament category that suits your interest, ability and leisure time, and register at birdingclassic.org. Categories range from half-day tournaments to full days and vary by age group, with some all-age tourneys. There’s even a week long statewide event for those with the stamina and spare time. There’s truly something for everyone!

Keep these dates in mind:

• April 1: Registration deadline for participating teams. All fees and forms are due. Late registration fees begin on this date.
• April 15 - May 15: Official Birding Classic tournament days. Teams can choose which date to compete for their tournament category (or categories if participating on more than one team).

For inspiration, watch "Flocking with Friends" about one team's enthusiastic participation. Read more about how to participate. All teams must fill out their registration form, pay their online registration fees, alert Birding Classic staff of their selected tournament date(s), and submit their checklist through eBird following the checklist submission guidelines to be in good standing for the event.

 A sea of grass once stretched from Canada through Texas, covering 170 million acres. Now a fragmented 4% of these complex, critical prairie habitat remains. Our state’s prairies (we have seven types) are also rapidly disappearing.  

• What's happened to the prairies? Watch “Keep Texas Wild: Blackland Prairie,” to learn why one type of Texas prairie has nearly vanished.
• Why should Texans care? A prairie may look like an overgrown field ripe to become a subdivision, but these grasslands provide critical habitat for wildlife, including dozens of declining bird species, such as scissor-tailed flycatcher, meadowlark and bobwhite quail. As the prairies go, so goes the wildlife. Read “Islands of Grass,” an eye-opening story from Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine about our state’s dwindling prairies.
• What lies ahead for Texas grasslands? As experienced ranchers who knew the value of their native hayfields disappear, today’s private landowners are even more critical to the survival of this ecosystem. TPWD has resources to assist private landowners who want to help bring back the prairies.

Mother Neff State Park is tapping her toe and ready to two-step with her visitors! The park's grand re-opening in late January showcased a new 20-site camping loop, and a new park headquarters with historical exhibits, multimedia room, and State Park Store, all designed in harmony with existing Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) structures, archeological sites and the natural habitat.

Established in 1937, repeated flooding throughout the decades impacted park operations and closed the park to day users and campers for extended periods. The extensive renovations are situated at the park’s higher elevations that can be enjoyed regardless of frequent bottomland flooding.

Future developments, to be implemented as funding becomes available, includes a group hall, campfire theater, small group bunkhouse, cabins, riverside kayak launch and comfort station, and repairs to the historic CCC structures.

Have an iPad or iPhone? The Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine's brand new app, with bonus articles and videos at your fingertips, is coming soon! Sign up to be notified when it becomes available.

Once the app is available, try it out by downloading the first issue for free and checking out the special features like a stunning slideshow of Texas night skies and a video of the devastating McKinney Falls flood.

Texas Game Wardens have to be prepared for anything as they travel the back roads and waterways across the state protecting wildlife and ensuring public safety, often working in dangerous situations. Here are some of their most recent tales of their encounters. 

Learn more about the Texas Game Wardens and follow them on Facebook.

Did you see these recent popular posts on the official Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook page?

• A curious bobcat at Lake Somerville State Park near Brenham.
• 2 brothers have pleaded guilty to shooting at Bottlenose Dolphins stranded in a bayou near Orangefield, TX
• Watch a desert bighorn sheep be released into its new home Big Bend Ranch State Park
• Enjoy a peaceful sunset on the fishing pier, Goose Island State Park

Be in the know with wildlife news, game wardens and more. Follow us on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Little bluestem, switchgrass, Indian grass – these are just three of Texas' 570+ grass species. They are the foundation of prairies, home to some of our iconic wildlife species.  Enjoy a serene moment visiting some Texas prairie lands. 

This moment in nature is brought to you by the EMMY-winning Texas Parks & Wildlife TV Show. Now in its 29th season, the show airs on every Texas PBS station, as well as a number of other public television stations around the country and about 50 city government access channels across the state. Here’s where to watch.