Better Outside

Maybe you’ve heard of search and rescue dogs like Frida, the Labrador Retriever who saved a dozen people after the catastrophic Mexico City earthquake in 2017. But, as it turns out, dogs aren’t just good at sniffing out people. Their powerful noses are being used to aid conservation. In this episode, I meet Fenton, a dog being trained to sniff out endangered cacti in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

The New World screwworm, a parasite affecting warm-blooded animals, afflicted U.S. agriculture and wildlife until it was eradicated from North America in the second half of the 20th century. Now, it’s back. TPWD Widlife Veterinarian Dr. Sara Wyckoff discusses the history of New World Screwworm, its eradiction, return, and the ongoing, international fight to remove it U.S. territory once again.

Texas Game Wardens conduct a search and rescue training in Big Bend Ranch State Park. This episode details the process of conducting a search + rescue operation, explains why TPWD staff are the best equipped officials to conduct this work, and provides context as to why we need trained search + rescue teams now more than ever.Hosts:Morgan O’Hanlon is a senior staff writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.David Yoskowitz is the Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.Episode Guests (in order of appearance):Bo Hancock, Texas Game Warden Captain, Region 1, District 4Terri Wade, hiker and volunteerRoyce Ilsye, Texas Game WardenCody Hicks, Texas Game WardenYou can read more stories about the Texas outdoors at tpwmagazine.com. If you want to get copies of our beautiful, glossy magazine delivered straight to your mailbox, you can subscribe here for only $2.00 a month. And if you want to keep up on live events and behind-the-scenes takes, follow the magazine on Instagram at @tpwmagazine.Keep up with other agency news on Facebook or Instagram at @texasparkswildlife.Our theme music is by Walker Lukens and Grant Eppley. And, if you like our song, you might also like the album Walker produced for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation. Sales from the album benefit TPWD's conservation work. Listen to it here.Show artwork is by Aaron Zachary. Follow him on Instagram at @filmnfish.

Texas is one of the best states for birding. According to the Texas Bird Records Committee (yeah, that's a thing) there were 636 species in good standing as of their 2010 Annual Report. And, thanks to the work of some dedicated bird lovers, one of those species is still here: the black-capped vireo. Since this olive green and black bird was nearly wiped out in the 1980s, its had a remarkable comeback. In this episode, TPWD's ornithologist recounts the comeback story and I get a lesson in birding.Hosts:Morgan O’Hanlon is a senior staff writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.David Yoskowitz is the Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.Episode Guests (in order of appearance):Tania Homayoun, ornithologist at Texas Parks & Wildlife DepartmentJeff Forman, wildlife technician at Mason Mountain WMA (retired as of May 2025)You can read more stories about the Texas outdoors at tpwmagazine.com. If you want to get copies of our beautiful, glossy magazine delivered straight to your mailbox, you can subscribe here for only $2.00 a month. And if you want to keep up on live events and behind-the-scenes takes, follow the magazine on Instagram at @tpwmagazine.Keep up with other agency news on Facebook or Instagram at @texasparkswildlife.Our theme music is by Walker Lukens and Grant Eppley. And, if you like our song, you might also like the album Walker produced for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation. Sales from the album benefit TPWD's conservation work. Listen to it here.Show artwork is by Aaron Zachary. Follow him on Instagram at @filmnfish.

The Devils River has a frightening reputation. With a new addition to TPWD’s state natural area on the river, I thought it was the perfect time to see if that reputation holds true. In this episode, I take a group of novice paddlers, including my mother, to experience one of the most remote and pristine rivers in Texas.Hosts:Morgan O’Hanlon is a senior staff writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.David Yoskowitz is the Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.Episode Guests (in order of appearance):Priscilla Lozano, My MomEsther Hajdar, My Mom’s FriendRead more about our expedition on the Devils River in the July 2025 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. You can read more stories about the Texas outdoors at tpwmagazine.com. If you want to get copies of our beautiful, glossy magazine delivered straight to your mailbox, you can subscribe here for only $2.00 a month. And if you want to keep up on live events and behind-the-scenes takes, follow the magazine on Instagram at @tpwmagazine.For more information about planning a trip on the Devils River, head to the SNA’s webpage.To reserve permits, call the Devils River hotline: (512) 389-8901.Keep up with other agency news on Facebook or Instagram at @texasparkswildlife.Did you know Texas Parks and Wildlife has a TV show? Click here to watch their episode on restoring bighorn sheep to Franklin Mountains State Park.Our theme music is by Walker Lukens and Grant Eppley. And, if you like our song, you might also like the album Walker produced for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation. Sales from the album benefit TPWD's conservation work. Listen to it here.Show artwork is by Aaron Zachary. Follow him on Instagram at @filmnfish.