Latest news with #TPWD
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas to create response team to combat New World screwworms
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday directed two state agencies to assemble a response team to combat the New World screwworm, which poses a serious threat to Texas livestock and wildlife. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New World screwworms are a species of fly larvae that infest and feed off the flesh of warm-blooded animals. RELATED | Texas officials warn of infectious, parasitic screwworms found in Mexico In a news release, Abbott said, 'The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas' prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.' The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are responsible for establishing the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team. 'As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against the potential re-entry of this harmful pest into the United States,' Abbott wrote in a letter to TPWD and TAHC. 'Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises.' RELATED | US plans to open a fly factory in Texas as part of its fight against a flesh-eating parasite Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced a multi-national program to stop the spread of screwworms. The U.S. planned to invest $8.5 million in a dispersal site from Moore Air Base and $20 million in a facility in Mexico that produces sterilized screwworms. The insects will then be released by planes over Mexico to stop them from coming to the U.S. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Texas to create response team to combat New World screwworms
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday directed two state agencies to assemble a response team to combat the New World screwworm, which poses a serious threat to Texas livestock and wildlife. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New World screwworms are a species of fly larvae that infest and feed off the flesh of warm-blooded animals. In a news release, Abbott said, 'The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas' prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.' The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are responsible for establishing the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team. 'As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against the potential re-entry of this harmful pest into the United States,' Abbott wrote in a letter to TPWD and TAHC. 'Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises.' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced a multi-national program to stop the spread of screwworms. The U.S. planned to invest $8.5 million in a dispersal site from Moore Air Base and $20 million in a facility in Mexico that produces sterilized screwworms. The insects will then be released by planes over Mexico to stop them from coming to the U.S.
Axios
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Vote for your favorite Texas horned lizard license plate
Texas wants you to help pick out a new design for its horned lizard license plate. The big picture: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is refreshing the popular plate for the 25th anniversary of its Conservation License Plate Program, which helps fund fisheries, state parks, wildlife management, research and conservation projects. How it works: Vote online to choose between three plate designs featuring the Texas horned lizard, the state's official reptile. You can purchase a conservation license plate online or at the county tax assessor-collector's office. They cost $30 per year, and $22 goes directly to conservation projects. What they're saying:"Unfortunately, we don't have as many horned lizards as we used to, but TPWD is trying to fix that," Richard Heilbrun, TPWD wildlife conservation program director, said in a statement. By the numbers: The conservation plate program has raised more than $12 million since its inception in 2000, per TPWD.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- CBS News
Body recovered in Lewisville Lake as search for second missing boater continues
Searchers have recovered the body of a man from Lewisville Lake, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Meanwhile, the search continued Thursday for a second missing person, described as female, as the effort entered its third day, TPWD said. Advanced sonar joins search The Texas Game Warden Underwater Search and Recovery Team joined the effort, deploying advanced sonar technology to help locate the two missing boaters, a TPWD spokesperson said. Maggie Berger, public information officer for law enforcement at TPWD, said the agency is not identifying the two boaters "out of respect for their family's wishes." She added that the Denton County Medical Examiner's Office "may be able to release his name." Boat found abandoned Tuesday Texas Game Wardens were initially dispatched to the scene on Tuesday after receiving a report of an abandoned vessel. Despite initial efforts, the boaters were not located before nightfall, TPWD officials said. Multi-agency effort continues The search resumed early Wednesday morning, with Game Wardens joined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as they combed the area. Efforts continued Thursday with the addition of the Underwater Search and Recovery Team, according to TPWD. Officials said the investigation is ongoing. Updates to follow CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Adds Aoudad to the List of Animals You Can Hunt from Helicopters
Lone Star lawmakers recently added aoudads to the list of animals hunters can shoot from helicopters in Texas as part of a management tool to aid in the ongoing fight against the invasive sheep. Senate Bill 1245, which passed both state legislative chambers and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, will go into effect Sept. 1. The bill expands Texas' aerial wildlife management permit system, which previously only listed feral hogs and coyotes, to include aoudad. Aerial culling efforts have helped Texas with its burgeoning feral swine population. A 2019 USDA study found that helicopter hog hunting, also called 'porkchopping,' has successfully reduced hog numbers by at least 31 percent. Aoudad, also known as Barbary sheep, aren't native to Texas. Originating in North Africa, the species is well-suited to the rough and rugged terrain of West Texas. The animals were introduced to the state in the late 1950s primarily for exotic game ranching and hunting opportunities. Since then, this hardy big game species has flourished — often to the detriment of commercial livestock and native species such as mule deer and bighorn sheep. 'Aoudad sheep bring sheer destruction — they eat everything, spread disease, and push out native species,' representative Ed Morales, Jr, a sponsor of the bill, wrote on X. High numbers of aoudad in dry environments can have a significant negative impact on browse resources, according to TPWD mule deer and pronghorn program leader Shawn Gray. 'The desert ecosystem is so fragile. We're not supposed to have thousands and thousands of animals on them long-term,' Gray told Texas Farm Bureau. More than 30,000 aoudad currently roam the state of Texas. That's a major increase from the 31 animals originally released in Armstrong County in 1957. Natural predation is not enough to keep the population in check. 'A coyote is not going to take one down. The lion could take one down, but it's going to be a fight. So they're breeding faster than you can manage them with a straight hunt,' West Texas rancher Warren Cude told The Texas Tribune. Aoudad also carry the harmful bacteria Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovip.), which spreads in respiratory droplets and secretions and can cause severe reactions and even death in commercial sheep and goat herds. Read Next: Aoudad in West Texas: Is the 'Poor Man's Sheep Hunt' Really a Sheep Hunt? Texas aoudad hold plenty of appeal for hunters, whether they choose to pursue them from a chopper or stalk them on foot. Because the animals live in rugged country, they offer would-be sheep hunters the chance to pursue a challenging species without waiting a lifetime to draw a tag or pay tens of thousands of dollars to hunt native sheep. Texas considers aoudad an exotic species, so there is no closed season or bag limit, although a valid Texas hunting license is required.
