GuadalupeBass_Access_Birdsong_Tim_AustinTX_27June2023_Reel4157.mp3

Tim Birdsong [00:00:00] Well, with the Guadalupe bass, I'll just say that we have, have tried to add as much fishing access as we can.

Tim Birdsong [00:00:09] We have 25 access sites right now that are set up by Parks and Wildlife to provide fishing opportunities in Hill Country streams for Guadalupe bass.

Tim Birdsong [00:00:18] And I guess our general mindset is that if you get people out there using the resource, that they'll be more apt to care about the resource, want to protect the resource, whether that's in their voting decisions or just decisions they're making about their family, their personal lives that have impacts on the environment, that they'll, they'll have a mindset that is considerate of, in this case, Hill Country streams and species like Guadalupe bass.

Tim Birdsong [00:00:43] So, we want to get people out.

Tim Birdsong [00:00:45] That's really the whole concept around other programs that we operate at Parks and Wildlife, like Texas Paddling Trails, for instance.

Tim Birdsong [00:00:53] We have roughly 85 paddling trails now. We're just trying to get people out to experience rivers and streams. We have some paddling trails on the coast and on reservoirs, but we're trying to get people out to these more natural settings to experience something other than, than, you know, an artificial type environment.

Tim Birdsong [00:01:13] Nothing, like I've taken my kids to Schlitterbahn. I've taken my kids to Great Wolf Lodge and places like that.

Tim Birdsong [00:01:18] But you want to see people value these natural settings, and we're just trying to provide opportunities to get them out there and experience it.

Tim Birdsong [00:01:27] And so you can see things that happen, for example, with the Legislature passing this State Park Centennial Fund.

Tim Birdsong [00:01:35] You can connect the importance of, you know, making money available for new parks, and new natural areas, and new outdoor recreational landscapes, back to creating a stewardship ethic, a conservation ethic, getting Texans excited about conserving the natural world like that.

Tim Birdsong [00:01:55] To me, it really is contingent upon providing quality outdoor recreation opportunities.