Our mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us MORGAN'S POINT - Three paddling trails on Lake Belton will be joining 52 other inland and coastal trails as official Texas Paddling Trails through an initiative launched in 1998 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130517a 20130517a AUSTIN - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Law Enforcement Division has formed a new Marine Investigations Unit made up of Texas game wardens who will work to combat boat theft, personal watercraft theft and related fraud. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130516b 20130516b BRAZORIA COUNTY - Four new paddling trail segments on the Brazos River comprising the Stephen F. Austin Paddling Trail have recently been added as official Texas Paddling Trails. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130516a 20130516a AUSTIN - Celebrate the 21st annual National Trails Day on Saturday, June 1 by lacing up some sturdy shoes, grabbing a hiking stick and heading to a Texas State Park near you to join a guided hiking tour or hit the trails on your own. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130515b 20130515b AUSTIN - A young hunter who grew up with a fascination about dinosaurs and a dream of hunting what some call "living dinosaurs" has harvested the largest alligator ever certified in Texas. Braxton Bielski, an 18-year-old high school senior on his first alligator hunt, bagged the behemoth 800-pound, 14-foot, 3-inch gator during a recent public hunt on the James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130515a 20130515a ATHENS--Fishing used to be like the weather--everybody talked about it, but nobody did anything about it. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130514a 20130514a WASHINGTON, D.C., May 13 - Texas will receive $203 million over a five-year period to restore Gulf coast natural resources impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced today.andnbsp; NFWF will administer the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund involving $2.544 billion from plea agreements resolving certain criminal cases arising from the 2010 explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130513c 20130513c ATHENS--As temperatures begin to rise throughout the south-central Texas region, so should the catfish bite at Lake Placid. Lake Placid is a small 214-acre impoundment located on the Guadalupe River in Guadalupe County one-half mile southwest of Seguin. Primary access to the reservoir is located below the I-10 bridge. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130513b 20130513b ATHENS, Texas--The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens will kick off National Fishing and Boating Week June 1 by making a family fishing trip affordable with free admission for kids 12 and under plus free fishing for the whole family. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130513a 20130513a ATHENS--Lake Conroe has suffered more than its share of ups and downs over the years--pun intended. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130509a 20130509a This Mother's Day, Texas Parks and Wildlife suggests that Texans give mom a chance to relax with a family picnic at one of more than 90 Texas state parks. Picnicking can be a fresh alternative to traditional Mother's Day events; the agency suggests you take mom to a park, where you can enjoy activities like hiking or birding, along with sharing a picnic. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130507b 20130507b AUSTIN -- The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters will close 30 minutes after sunset on May 23 until a still-to-be determined time in July. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130507a 20130507a AUSTIN - Five Texas-based projects totaling about $18 million have been proposed to begin to compensate Texas for lost human use of natural resources resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The three artificial reef and two state park projects are part of the latest round of early restoration led by state and federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment trustees. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130502a 20130502a AUSTIN, Texas -- Hunting accidents and fatalities in Texas continued their long-term decline in 2012, still below three accidents per 100,000 hunters in recent years. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130501c 20130501c ATHENS--The Toyota ShareLunker program received a below-average number of entries during the season just ended, but the number of lakes producing 13-pound or bigger largemouth bass continued to increase, and investments in DNA testing showed promising results. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20130501b 20130501b