Lake Texoma news

TPWD Boater Safety Education Course at Grandpappy Marina on Lake Texoma

A Boater Safety Education Course will be held at Grandpappy Point Marina on Saturday, Oct 15th from 9am to 5pm with an hour lunch break. Participants will receive a certificate from both the Coast Guard and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.  Free vessel safety check will ensure you have all the required safety equipment.  Pre- registration requested – call 940.268.4289

Texas has a mandatory education law for certain boaters. All boaters born after September 1, 1993 must complete a TPWD approved course and be certified with theTPWD to operate: Any vessel over 15 horse power. Any windblown vessel over 14 feet.

Who must take boater education?

• Anyone born on or after September 1, 1993.
• Anyone operating a vessel over 15 horsepower, wind-blown vessel over 14 feet and all personal watercraft.

Who must be certified to operate a vessel alone?

In Texas a person cannot operate a windblown vessel over 14 feet in length, a motorboat with more than 15 horsepower, or personal watercraft unless he/she:

• was born on or after September 1, 1993 and has passed a boater education class or equivalency examination prescribed by the department.
• is 18 years of age and can lawfully operate the motorboat and is on board the motor boat when underway.
• is at least 13 years of age and have successfully completed a boater education course approved by the Department.

Who can operate a Personal Water Craft?

NOTE: Children under 13 are specifically prohibited from operating a PWC unless accompanied on board by a person at least 18 years of age.
To operate a PWC, the operator must meet one of the following:

• Born on or after September 1, 1993 and passed a boater education class or equivalency examination prescribed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, or
• Born before September 1, 1993, or,
• Persons requiring boater education who have not competed it must be accompanied by a person 18 years of age (who can legally operate) or older, or
• At least 13 years of age and have passed a boater education course or equivalency examination prescribed by the department.

Hagerman NWR to participate in Texas Pollinator BioBlitz

Hagerman NWR Texas Pollinator BioBlitz events are scheduled between October 7 and October 16, 2016. The public is invited to attend several Butterfly Garden Walks and observe as Monarch Butterflies are tagged and sent on their way.

The monarch population across the Eastern United States, Canada, and Mexico has declined by nearly 80% over the past 20 years.  In addition to Monarchs, 30 native pollinator/flower-visiting species such as bees, butterflies, and moths, are designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need.  Pollinators such as butterflies, bees and moths, bats, hummingbirds, wasps, flies, and beetles, sustain native plant species, human food crops, and even crops for livestock.

The Butterfly Garden at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge was created to help educate the public about pollinators and pollinator habitat.  Through free nature programs, the public is encouraged to create native landscapes with nectar-producing plants and pollinator gardens.

What is a Pollinator BioBlitz?

Pollinator BioBlitz participants will observe and identify pollinators between October 7^th and October 16^th.  All ages and abilities are encouraged to find pollinators and nectar-producing plants in their communities.  Observations can be shared by posting a photo or video to Instagram or iNaturalist.  Daily observations are encouraged.

Instagram is the selected social media tool by which any observer can share their observations.  Pollinators can be difficult to identify, so observers are encouraged to post what they know, which may be a simple description of the species or its behavior. The more experienced naturalist can post a photo and more details on iNaturalist, which records the date and location of the observation and allows other naturalists to help with identification.

Hagerman NWR will hold several BioBlitz events in cooperation with the Bluestem Chapter Texas Master Naturalist.

October 8th, 9th, 15th          Butterfly Garden Walk (9 or 9:30 – 11:00 am)

October 9th                              Bluestem Chapter Texas Master Naturalists will conduct Monarch Tagging, not open to the public

BioBlitz events

How to Participate

• Join:Join the The Pollinator BioBlitz event page on Facebook to stay up to date with all the events and to share information.
• Register: Sign up to receive daily challenges, event information, and more during the Texas Pollinator BioBlitz.
• Observe:Head outside to look for pollinators! (Need help with identification?)
• Identify: Identification can be as simple as ‘butterfly’ or ‘bee’ or as detailed as ‘monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) pollinating a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)’.
• Share:Take a photo or video of any pollinators you find as well as your daily challenge images and share it on Instagram (hashtag #SaveThePollinators). For those wanting to take their observations a step further, join the Texas Pollinator BioBlitz iNaturalist project!. By posting your images you contribute to citizen science and national pollinator data. You can attempt to ID your photos and biologists will confirm or make suggestions to identification for species posted.

More information and helpful guides

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Free Nature Programs at Hagerman NWR on Lake Texoma

Youth First – Oct. 1, 10 – 11:30 am – Water, Water, Everywhere – for kids 4 – 12 – Please register online at Friendsofhagerman.com/Youth or call the Refuge, 903 786 2826.  Did you know we are brushing our teeth with the same water dinosaurs drank?? Hands on activities for learning the water cycle.  Free.

Second Saturday— Oct. 8, 10 am – Butterflies at HNWR, with Laurie Sheppard.  Learn where and when to find the many, over 60 species, of butterflies that can be seen at the Refuge.   Butterfly Garden Walk before the program at 9 am. 

Monarch Tagging, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2 pm, come to Visitor Center to get exact location; public invited to watch as migrating monarchs are tagged and sent on their way. 

Butterfly Garden Walk— Oct. 15, 9:30 – 11:00 am. Again on this date, our garden docents will be on hand to help you identify native Texas plants and the butterflies they attract.  Bring your cameras to take advantage of some great photo opportunities of our wildflowers, caterpillars, and butterflies. 

Drawing & Nature Journaling Workshop, 10 am – 4 pm, Oct. 29, maximum enrollment 20, register by Oct. 20 as long as space available,  at friendsofhagerman.com/Activities; $35 plus provide own art supplies, a list will be given to each registrant ahead of time. 

C&E Express Tram Tours – Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm, weather permitting, call 903 786 2826 for reservations. Free, donations accepted.