+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Releases Dated 2007-11-14 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to webtech@tpwd.state.tx.us and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, (512) 389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us ] [SL] Nov. 14, 2007 Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February. High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Unseasonably warm temperatures have prompted geese to remain on roost ponds longer, reported several outfitters. Hunters near Amarillo, Spearman and Dumas have seen large concentrations of geese, including an estimated 40,000-50,000 on Lake Etter, but the flight has been somewhat limited. When the birds do fly, Canadas have readily decoyed over corn and plowed ground. Snow geese have been decoy shy. The region needs rain to recharge playa lakes. Many playas are going dry and the Panhandle is losing water daily, especially with the mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Ducks are beginning to concentrate on the few watering holes left. Duck hunting has been good for teal, gadwalls, pintails and a few mallards. Sandhill crane hunting has been good over decoys. Outfitters say crane numbers are very good. Unfortunately, warm, dry weather is expected over the next seven days. Prospects are fair to good. North Zone Waterfowl: Despite warm conditions, hunters in Northeast Texas have fared well on lakes and reservoirs. The region needs rain to fill sloughs and creeks littered with acorns. North Texas has not seen significant rainfall in over two months. Gadwalls, teal and spoonies have made up the brunt of the bag. Those hunting wooded areas have taken their limit of wood ducks early. Lake Tawakoni was solid for limit shoots. Caddo Lake has been good for wood ducks, teal, ringed-necks and scaup. Lake O' the Pines is good for gadwalls, teal, spoonies, scaup and a few canvasbacks. Toledo Bend, Lake Fork and Lake Palestine have been good for greenwings and gadwalls. Absent has been the mallard population; however, that is expected with such warm temperatures to the north. Closer to the coast along the IH-10 corridor, teal, gadwalls, pintails and shovelers have been good for half-limits near Nome, China, Hamshire, Winnie, Seally and Brookshire. Shallow ponds are drying there, also. Land managers fear they might have to turn on pumps to fill ponds if it does not rain soon. Prospects are fair to good. South Zone Waterfowl: The coastal prairies and marshes continue to be the hot bed for waterfowl hunters in Texas. Prairie ponds near El Campo, Eagle Lake, Wharton, East Bernard, Lissie, Chesterville and Seally have produced steady limits of greenwings, bluewings, gadwalls, pintails and shovelers. Many hunters reported seeing divers flying through decoys this week. Normally, the first 10 days of the season, divers stop on the prairie en route to the bays. The High Island marsh has been good for teal, gadwalls and spoonies. Hunts in Trinity Bay have been fair at best. Port O'Connor has been solid for gadwalls and wigeons for those able to scout and willing to move with ever-changing rafts of birds. Rockport has been good for redheads, pintails and wigeons on the bay, and teal, wigeons, pintails and spoonies in the freshwater marsh. Goose numbers are good on the rice prairies, but high skies and light winds have hurt decoying action. Biologist's predictions were accurate concerning snow geese: few juvenile birds are in the flock. The bright spot is the number of specklebellies willing to decoy in hot feeding fields. Juvenile birds in the white-fronted flock are much better. Prospects are good. --- On the Net: Hunting Regulations: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/ -30- [ Note: This item is six days old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ General Media Contact: Business Hours, (512) 389-4406 ] [ Additional Contacts: Tom Harvey, (512) 389-4453, tom.harvey@tpwd.state.tx.us; Aaron Reed, (512) 389-8046, aaron.reed@tpwd.state.tx.us ] Nov. 14, 2007 Texas Clipper Artificial Reef Sinking Postponed Update: The sinking of the Texas Clipper has been rescheduled for Nov. 17, 2007. AUSTIN, Texas -- A ship with three lives -- World War II troop transport, New York City luxury liner, and sea cadet training vessel -- is about to make her final journey. Weather permitting, the Texas Clipper will be sent to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico Nov. 17* to become an artificial reef. The sinking has been scheduled later than originally planned, because a cold front arriving Thursday is causing choppy seas. The 473-foot vessel was launched on Sept. 12, 1944 as the USS Queens, a WWII transport and attack ship. She carried troops and wounded from Pacific battlefields and was the first attack transport arriving at Iwo Jima. After the war until 1958, she was recommissioned as the SS Excambion, one of the post-war Four Aces for American Export Lines. She carried cargo and passengers in grand style between New York City and Mediterranean ports. From 1965-1994, she sailed as the USTS Texas Clipper, a Texas A&M University -- Galveston maritime training vessel. Dozens of former cadets who once sailed on the Clipper plan to be present when she goes out for the last time. One thing will not go down with the ship: a valuable mural by artist Saul Steinberg, known for his whimsical cartoons in New Yorker magazine. In 1948, Steinberg drew a 22-foot wide cartoon mural for the cocktail bar aboard the Excambion. In the 1970s, the mural was obscured by overzealous interior designers. But in January 2007, as the ship was being prepared for reefing, the "lost" mural was found hiding under layers of wallpaper, paint and bolts. Some of it was peeled back to reveal lively images of passengers, ships, the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The mural is now in storage in Austin, and experts are trying to determine whether it can be restored. As an artificial reef off South Padre Island, the ship could generate up to $30 million annually in fishing and SCUBA diving tourism for local economies over 50 years. The structure is expected to form the foundation of a vibrant community of corals and fish. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has set up a Texas Clipper Reefing Hotline to provide updated information on the sinking schedule. Phone (800) 792-1112, enter 9 and then enter 8830# to hear a recorded message with the latest information. High-resolution photos, radio soundbites and complete information for news media are online. TPWD has also planned a satellite feed to provide video of the Clipper's preparation and sinking for TV news use-contact Tom Harvey for details. * Correction, Nov 15, 2007: The sinking date has been postponed. The headline and text of this news release have been edited to reflect the latest information. (Return to corrected item.) --- On the Net: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/news_roundup/texas_clipper/ -30-