October 28, 2023 • 38 mins
Bill Stransky is the Executive Director of The Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment (R.I.C.E.). The Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment (R.I.C.E.) was formed in February 1995. Their mission is to build a coalition of interests to foster and strengthen relationships between the rice industry and the natural resources of our rice-producing area in Texas.
R.I.C.E. has created, enhanced, and/or restored an estimated 15,000 acres of wetland habitat and an additional 20,000 acres of native prairie. This includes work on all of the national wildlife refuges located on the upper and middle Texas coast as well as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). R.I.C.E. has also worked extensively on private lands including establishing perpetual conservation easements on 4 ranches.
R.I.C.E. has created, enhanced, and/or restored an estimated 15,000 acres of wetland habitat and an additional 20,000 acres of native prairie. This includes work on all of the national wildlife refuges located on the upper and middle Texas coast as well as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). R.I.C.E. has also worked extensively on private lands including establishing perpetual conservation easements on 4 ranches.
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(00:00):
The Houston Safari Club Foundation is afive OHO one C three nonprofit organization that
supports the future of hunting and conservation. Wildlife and habitat conservation, youth education
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look no further. Join Houston SafariClub Foundation today at we Huntwegive dot org
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us. This is Hunting Matters,presented by Houston Safari Club Foundation. Here's
Joe Bitar, good morning and welcomeback to Hunting Matters on APRC nine fifty.
This is your host, Joe Betorram Romo and cranking your neck over
there. I was just checking thingsout seeing how many of my candies you're
eating I just had one one baby. I've came up Last night, my
(01:14):
wife and I were talking about this, and I came up with an idea.
We're going to combine baby Ruth withbutterfingers and we're gonna call them baby
Fingers. Before the end of theshow, I want to ask you and
our guests to list your top threeHalloween candy. Okay, you don't have
to do it now, but justwork on that. Thinking about that.
(01:34):
Yeah, the next hour, thinkof that. I have my list,
but we'll we'll talk about I sawyour tweets, your exes or whatever they're
calling them these days. Oh.Yeah, it's kind of weird that you're
reading my I do I try.I'm I'm stalking you on Twitter by waiting.
How many awards did we win thisweek? Three? Wow? See
(01:56):
you thought I was being facetious,but in reality, we are three time
award winning this week? Yeah,just this week, this week alone?
Yeah? What does that bring ourgrand total to do? We have nine?
Maybe twelve? I don't know,something like that. It's kind of
like, uh, I don't know. I was gonna say Tom Hanks or
one of those big actors. Whenyou win so many, it's yeah,
(02:17):
another one, huh. But thenI don't know if they have an our
in our industry? What they have? What's that one where you and the
Tony, the Oscar, the Grammyand the our got or he got?
He got? Yeah, Grammy,Oscar, Tony he got. I don't
know if they have one. Weshould make one up. We've already won
it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got three from the it's a
group called the Davy Awards, whichis the audio visual I can't remember the
(02:38):
background, but anyway, we won. We've got a silver award for Best
co Host Educational Series and Best GeneralPodcast. Now do you think once we
maybe after this week, we starthaving guests on they pay us to be
on the show. Maybe we don'tpay guests to be on our show,
but I think there needs to beNow could happen you call that added value
(03:00):
to be on our show? Yeah? Probably, So just throwing that out
there, think about it. Workup a fea schedule here and I'll get
it knocked out. I wasn't laughingabout the my stupid baby finger jokes.
The real reason I was lasting laughingis because I put together the our talking
points for today and left the upcomingevents for like two months ago. I
want to say anything, but Isaw that nine eighth. Wait a minute,
(03:23):
what September fourteen and we're already hereon top of Halloween. But we
do have a lot of stuff goingon with Jesus Sphoric La Foundation, our
young professional group, the Stagging DeafSociety is going to be having a get
together in October twenty. Well,by the time this comes out would be
the twenty six what's today's day today? Is the twenty nine eight twenty it'd
(03:43):
be over nevermind, sorry, youngprofessionals, But November the eighth, First
Aid for the gunshot Wound victim Uslaw Shield is going to be teaching that
course at our offices. And thenwe'll have our Young Professionals Christmas parties coming
up December first out at Conrad Taxidermyand Conrat tax and then we'll be having
the the big Houston Spark Club FoundationChristmas Party on December seventh at the Barn
(04:05):
in cyprusl Well, wait a minute, which I've never been there. There's
a Safari Club Christmas party. Yeah, I had no clue. Come on,
man, how many times have y'alldone that? Every year? We
do it every year Yeah, wellthis is awkward. Yeah, I've never
been invited. You've always been invited, folks, if you're if you're like
or unlike Ramone, gott we hunt, we give dot org and do two
(04:27):
things. Check out the membership dropdown from monthly events, and then also
sign up for the free digital newsletterthat only comes out once a month.
We don't inundate people with a lotof information, so if you'll sign up
for that free newsletter, you'll seeall the cool events we've got going every
month, and then how to signup to become a member as well.
So don't be a Ramone. Waita minute, don't be an award winning
journalist. Yeah, that's right,that's right. All right, let's get
(04:50):
to our guest. Uh today,our guest is Bill Stransky. Poor Bill,
you were late crawling out of bedthis morning, so Bill's been on
standby for Bill's executive director of theTexas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment,
which is the acronym for rice.Now, Ramon, would you think when
you said we're gonna have a guyon from Texas Rice? Were you thinking
(05:11):
have you ever heard of that?So we're going to learn all about rice
and what Bill does for a living. And Bill, thank you so much
for joining us. Thank you.So where are you today, Bill?
I'm out in here Texas. Okay. You spend you spend a lot.
You spend a lot of time onthe road, don't you. Well,
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I live in you know, Ilive out in this area, so you
know, I'm office sit in thefar away. But yeah, I spent
a lot of time in the fieldoverseeing projects and just you know, trying
to get things implemented out in thelandscape. So are our listeners who are
not familiar with with rice. TheTexas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment.
What is rice? Well, itwas born back in the early mid nineteen
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nineties to try to help educate thepublic and legislators about the importance of rice
farming too my mainly migratory bird life, you know, because they're essentially created
wetlands. And you know, theorganization just kind of sat around and when
I left my former job and ifI wanted to run this, so that's
what I did. So I tookit a little bit of a different direction,
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and we try to implement conservation andplans and species recovery plans on the
Texas coast. You know, mainlywithin the rice growing region, which is
eighteen counties from Louisiana down to Victoria. Got it, got it? You
know, I don't know if you, I know, you kind of keep
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up with the news sometimes your dailyin your job. But they just the
US. They finally got a USSpeaker of the House. Yeah from UH,
from Louisiana. How about that?Yeah, yeah, I know Steve
scalise I've met Steve Scalisee a fewtimes. I thought he had been a
great House speaker. But yeah,the gentleman from UH Treeport. Louisiana's landscapes
changing, Bill, I know you'vedealt with Louisiana over the years. I
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grew up there. Their landscapes changing, the Speaker of the Houses from Treeport,
and they had just elected their firstRepublican governor. Governor elect in Louisiana
as a Republican for the first timein a long time. So very very
interesting some of the the changes thingsare going on. So, Bill,
what is your role at Rice?What what do you do on a day
to day basis? And and uh, you know what, what what should
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we be aware of? I wantto talk about specifically some of the efforts
but what do you what do youdo on a day to day basis to
obtained funding from grant programs and foundationsand so forth to implement conservation projects public
and private lands. That's a while. I refuges, land trust private lands,
so includes wetland creation and restoration andnative prairie restoration mostly. Okay,
(07:55):
okay, I want to talk specificallyabout some of this project. I'm just
making a couple of notes here.And you still cover Texas and Louisiana both.
Now we our geographic rates would primarilybe from the Texas Louisiana border down
to slay around Victoria. Got it. That's still a lot. That's a
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lot of country to cover. Yeah, that was traditionally the Texas rice built,
right, you know some in thecoastal counties in two county right right,
all right, we're going to getdeeper into this when we take we
come back around and take a quickbreak here on honeymtters k p r C
nine fifty. The Devil went downto Georgia. He was looking for a
(08:54):
solda steel. He was in abank because he was way behind him.
He was willing to make a dealwhen he came across this young man sewing
on the fiddle and playing it hot, and the devil jumped up on a
hicker's dumps and bought him it tillyou walk. I guess you didn't know
it, But I'm a fiddle playertoo, and you'd care if there was
something that you had to bet,Maybe not against the devil, but there
(09:16):
was something that you had to betthat you knew you were gonna win and
the stakes were high. What wasit? What is it that you would
bet that you could win or dobetter than somebody else? That I could
eat more boil crawfish than you anyday of the week. Okay, Well,
because number one you don't like shelfand number two is I love crawford.
So you think if you were goingto bet for a golden fiddle,
(09:37):
you would bet crawfish you could eatmore crawfish than you? Okay, well
why not to sure? Bet?Yeah? Okay, all right, So
you think you're at the top ofthat of that game right there? Yes,
I have a question for you forthe next break. My wife and
I played a game this week,and I'm gonna ask him the next break.
So Bill Stramsy's with us today.He's the executive director of the Texas
(10:00):
Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment,also known as RICE. Bill, thanks
once again for joining us. Thankyou, And I know you got the
question, the all important question laterabout Halloween remotes. Yes, don't forget
that. So, Bill, whattell us a little bit about your background.
(10:20):
I'm curious to know. I knowyou haven't done this for forever,
but I'm curious to know how yougot into account of what your background.
Well, I hunted to tash mywhole life, and you know, so
I've been around creating more soul andwelland habitat for waterfowl hunting. And so
when I started running this group,I had a lot of experience just being
(10:41):
out in the field and around it, given how much hunting I did.
And so we started raising funds andtrying to implement projects and a lot of
the work that you see on theAnilac and Missouri National Wildlife Reach, Big
Boggie and other you know, publiclands is work that we've undertaken, and
(11:03):
you know, we continue to tryto do that as well as protect land
to conservation easements and the Store Prairieand just whatever we think we can do
that will help improve habitat on thelandscape. And for those for those of
our listeners who are not familiar withit, can you can you get kind
of give them a one O onecourse. And what a conservation easement is
(11:24):
well, a conservation easement is alegally binding document that attaches to the land
that stipulates what the land use wouldwould be. And usually around here it's
maintaining it as a farming and ora ranch and perpetuity. And for that
a landowner could get paid or andor get significant tax benefits for that donation.
(11:50):
You know, you can write itoff against your adjusted gross income,
and there's a limit what percentage youcan write off, but you can carry
it forward that that that right offfor fifteen years until you use it up.
So it's got significant advantages for peoplewho are wealthy to you know,
to shield income. Okay, Anddo you deal with carbon credits at all?
(12:11):
We talked to gentlemen last week aboutabout carbon credits. Do you have
you had to deal with that atall? Well, on the periphery,
you know, I'm working with peoplewho are doing at the prairie restoration and
there's a possibility that down the roadit could sell credits for that Purvian sequestration.
But I've never actually, you know, been involved in brokering one or
(12:35):
you know, funds or anything likethat. But yeah, I've got some
you know, some outlying knowledge ofit. Okay, okay. And you
said earlier you work with both onboth public lands and also with private landowners.
Can you tell us a little bitabout the difference between the two and
there does each have its own uniquechallenges? Yeah? Yeah, Well it
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depends on which public plan you're workingon. But you know, with the
National arthe Refuge system, it's greatbecause it's protected opportuity, so you know
what's going to you know that thatland's going to be there. Typically,
the management of the refuges is extremelyunpredictable and uneven, and that's that's been
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a big issue. I mean,you spend a lot of money, you
know, by our standards anyway,and achieves excellent results and then just watching
deteriorate over a period of years becausethey won't manage it. Then you know,
sometimes you get new management and thingsrecovered, but it's that is awfully
unpredictable. Now, the Texas Parksof the WILDLFE Department with their Wildlife Management
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areas that is very predictable and theyhave you know, they obviously changed personnel
from time to time, but themanagement of the state areas has remained very,
very high and you know, sothey've been a really predictable and good
partner to work with. And uh, you know, I really I really
enjoy working with parks of wur Life. Yeah. And then with private land,
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I mean you just you know,again, the management's usually real good.
But you know, so I'll knowwhat's going to happen with the property
down the road and the private hbut the private landowners that put conservation easements
on their land, these are guysthat buy it for the waterfowl hunting typically,
and those that group does a reallyreally good job. And I wish
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we had more people that were doingthat because that's their focus is to have
it for recreation and then to enjoyit. And almost always the habitat,
uh, the management habitat quality isextremely good. Yeah, yeah, go
ahead. Well it's just you know, like I said, there's just uh,
(14:52):
some of this can be kind ofunpredictable and uncertain, so you know,
it's just the perspective you gain overtime. Yeah, there was a
group of that met with the headof US Fishing Wildlife, Martha Williams,
probably about a month and a halfago, and that was a that was
a recurrent topic of conversation both fromthe Department Fishing Wildlife Department side as well
as the people who are attendants thatmeeting. Is the state and underpredictable predictability.
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Just like you said, you're livingit, breathing every day of the
wildlife refuge system. I mean,our our refuge system is something we should
be very, very proud of.But you you know, there's there's an
issue there and it's unpredictable based onthe administrations that are in power, and
it's sad to see how much betterit could be. Well, a lot
of this is due to the peoplethey bring into positions at the refuge system,
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and you know, if they're fromanother part of the country or dealing
with another ecosystem they like Alaska.I mean, they don't do anything in
Alaska, right, you just ownit and it's great. But down here
in this coastal plane, if youdon't manage it, you don't implement uh,
you know, active management on thislandscape, it's going to default and
(16:00):
it's going to turn into a massof brush and trees and vasive and you
know, exotic native noxious and youknow, just drive over to Barker and
Attics reservoirs and that's that's what happensto land. We don't manage it.
That was all prairie and rice Fieldis one of the cool bought that many
years ago. And yeah, that'swhat happens when you don't do anything.
(16:21):
So it's not going to be aprairie and not going to have good wetland
habitat if it just grows up likethat. Yeah, it's unfortunate. You've
you've educated me over the past coupleof months since we first met each other
by phone and by through email andthings. There's a couple of topics I
want to dig into here as wewho work for in the show. But
(16:41):
can you kind of give us abriecent opsis of the status of waterfowl populations
in the state of Texas well hereon the coast our goose populations have collapsed.
I mean, when I grew uphunting in the you know, six
started hunting in the sixties, youknow, seventies. You know, we
had lots and lots of cande geeseand the big ones, the big subspecies
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right were they were. They werepretty rare at that point. There wasn't
a lot of them around it.You know, you saw what you saw
it to you occasionally and people shotone, but we still had lots of
the mediums and falling. And thenprobably in the in the nineties that really
started to decline. And now itis it is very hard to find,
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very very hard to find Canada geesein the coastal plain. I mean really
hard. I don't think I've seenone in three years. You know,
our specklebelly. Hm, you knowthat's a big problem. Okay, Bill,
(17:49):
If we're going to take a quickbreak here, we had a little
audio difficulty hearing you where you are. We're going to take a quick break
here. We're up against the break, so we'll see you on the side
here. Hunting Matters KPRC nine fiftylongest intro ever. Well, yeah,
(18:47):
that's up there. That's a greatsong. Anticipatory. Yeah, that's it.
That's such a good that's a goodword. Can you spell that?
No? Welcome back to Hunting Matterson k p r C nine fifty.
Hiro joby, sorry am Ramon.Rob Let's is it time? For our
revelation of to our three favorite Halloweencandies. Yeah, I want to ask
my question on the next break.Okay, Oh that's right. You had
(19:07):
Halloween well number one Snickers Okay,then Reese's Peanut butter Cups Okay, then
Baby Ruths. All right, I'mgonna throw you a Baby Ruth Okaya.
Three Musketeers, fair if they're fresh? Oh wow, it's the difference.
Look at this and here, I'mgonna throw you for a loop. I
(19:29):
can't have all chocolate. I likethat, you know, the salty sweet
thing kind of deal. I likeronts. Oh, there's nothing wrong with
that. I always think of Halloweencandy to us chocolate. But you're right,
I mean why there is no definitionlimits one? Yeah, I know
it. I know it. Sitback down. You don't have to get
so emotional about it. Pick mychair back. Bill. Do you want
to take a stab at this oris that not what you're in the mood
(19:52):
for. I'm good. Okay,Okay, Bill, you can tell that
we if we did. We don'tdo anything with serious news topics on this
show. Yep. Yeah, Sowe were talking before we went into the
break. We were talking about thewaterfowl populations. You're specifically focusing on geese,
so let's kind of pick that upthere. And you know, the
waterfowl populations obviously with geese too specificallyyou were talking about there have declined.
(20:15):
Uh, so let's continue that.What do you see as you see the
same thing for ducks as well.Well. The ducks from the coast have
declined quite a bit. I meanare somewhat. Last year was a better
year because we had a lot ofrain and it was dry up north.
But yeah, those numbers on thecoast are not what they used to be
either, and you know so,but there's still enough ducks to have viable
(20:40):
hunting down here. But the goosehunting, I mean, you know,
I mean, our most numerous speciesare white geese, snow geese, and
roskies, and we're down about ninetypercent from where we were in the nineteen
nineties. Wow. And speckle belliesprobably nine I don't know, it's just
yeah, it's just you know,this time of the year, I could
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drive to Lizzy and Eagle Lake anddo that area and just see just enormous,
enormous members. It's specklebelly's huge numbers, many many, many tens of
thousands, and maybe a little sprinklingof snow geese with them, and then
the first big cop when they comein the first or second league October,
and the whole world would turn white. And yeah, that's just it just
(21:26):
doesn't happen anymore. Yeah. Westill see glimpses of what it used to
be in places, Yeah, butnot nearly as many places, and not
for very long. Yeah, Iagree. I remember. I remember,
you know, I was in SanAntonio, Texas for twenty something years.
I was a member of a gooseclub over here in Katie, and I
can remember, like you said,driving the highways and the roads and you'd
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see geese everywhere, you know,the the Katie sculptures outside of the Bassbro
shops, or geese. The watertowers had geese on them. It's it's
really, it's kind of it's sadand Eagle Lake and all those places,
and it's you know, when youwhen you think back, just not that
long ago, about what we usedto have and what we don't have now,
people need to, you know,people need to step up and look
(22:11):
at this and go, you know, this, this is this can happen
elsewhere to other animals and other species. Well, well it already has.
I mean, you know, thiswas all the coastal prairie and you know
there was it's maybe be a millioncurry chickens in the coastal plain and you
know, one of the most endangeredbirds in the world now. And you
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know you just look at boblike quailor organised snakes or horn toads or whatever.
I mean, things that I grewup seeing frequently modeled ups. Yeah,
you know one time that we hada five bird limit on that.
Now we have a one bird limit. It's not even for the entire season.
So yeah, that just gives youan idea of the trend. And
(22:55):
you know it's very Yeah, it'spretty pretty distressing. Yeah, and we
talked to I mean we've talked aboutvarious topics here today, but you know
you said that, you know,the rice belt and the disappearance of the
rice belt and that sort of thing. What else has called these with these
waterfowl populations to decline or move orversus what we had ten years ago.
(23:17):
Well, I mean, part ofit is that there's just not as many
white beast now as there was,say fifteen years ago in the Mississippian Central
Flyway that birds have not that's estimatebewhen the peak occurred. You know,
the agencies have been wanting to reducethe white bease population because of the they
feared all the depredation on the hundredin their misty grounds. But they you
(23:41):
know, we've got very liberal seasonsand big limits and concervation season. But
that's not really what's brought them down. They just have not had good missing
success since two thousand and eight,one year and then this year appears to
be a booming hatch and everything I'veheard. But you know, if you
drive, you ever go up toArkansas, just drive from stud Dark to
(24:06):
Jonesboro. It is just mind blowing. It's absolutely mind blowing. That's just
solid ag rise. And so hemeans as far as you want to drive,
I mean every direction. And theyhold so much water on that landscape
for duck hunting, and so there'swater everywhere, and there's agg everywhere.
(24:26):
Nobody likes shooting geese anyway up there, so that birds are just like you
know in heaven. And that's that'swhere Old Speckledo's going in the fall.
Now, say to come in here, you know, sixty seventy of them
and then radiating out as the winnerwent out. Now that's where they go,
they go to that Arkansas belt.But you know there's you've got lots
(24:48):
of white peace, you know,other geese wintering in Kansas. Now even
like Illinois, and uh, ifyou drive like to north and South Dakota,
Nebraska, you see all that thatno hill farming, and they don't
harvest it until this time of yearand it's no chill, so it's just
grain scattered all over the place.It's a miracle even one bird that likes
(25:08):
to feed on agriculture ever get makesit down here, right, Yeah,
yeah, I mean it's just incredible, you know, and combines are pretty
efficient, but you know, theyields are so high that a small percentage
of a high number is still alot, right, And so there's just
past grain of all kinds all overthe place. And then when they go
(25:30):
back north, you know that's beenout there over the winter, so it
doesn't sprouts, so it's all availableto the birds. And I think that's
really where the birds want to be, isn't. You know a lot of
the birds that feed on eggs,pintails, ballards, geese, cranes,
that's that's that's where they want tobe. Yeah, I was. When
I was in high school. Iused to hunt up in McGee and Studdgarle
(25:52):
of northeast Louisiana during the time,and we used to hunt up in McGee
and stud Garden and it was justit always was amazing. We couldn't hardly
have a conversation over the flocks ofgeese in the afternoon when they were coming
into roost and the mallards you could. You could have thrown a rock out
of from the side of a countyroad, farm road and hit twenty ducks.
I mean it was just just dryfeeding as far as the eye could
see. It was crazy. I'dnever seen anything like it. Yeah,
(26:15):
I want to set two thousand andfive. I had no idea where I
was going. I just drove therefrom Little Rock just to see it.
And I was just blown away atthe number of geese. I just was
floored. And I've seen a lotof a lot of birds in my life,
and I've seen enormous numbers of birds, and I was just just just
just taken aback. And a lotof ducks too. At much water on
(26:38):
that landscape. Yeah, and thatwas two thousand and five, and that's
when those speculators were, you know, really starving to transition that way.
And now it's even more pronounced.So you know, it's you know,
and didn't you know it looked atthe abaitat loss we've suffered down here,
(27:00):
and so you know it has ayou know, team of the team,
the impact on what we're able tokeep here, you know, migrate down
here and keep here. Yeah,I mean, you know you've lost you
know, you have things like droughtand that sort of thing. But with
the with the urbanization and the sprawlthat we have, you know, I
can still I can remember driving fromwhere Katie High School is now just outside
(27:22):
of town to San Antonio almost beingnothing most of the way. They are
half the way there, and andnow it's those those those lands and fields
are all gone. Yeah, Iknow, it's uh yeah, I know,
it's it's difficult to see, andyou know, trying to do what
we can, but it just itseems it seems insurmountable almost sometimes right right,
(27:49):
Yeah, it's it's it's a toughto limit. It's a tough to
limit. But I know, youknow, I personally appreciate what you do
out there, at least fighting thatthat that battle as well. So is
there any hope for the future.I mean as far as uh, you
know, I mean, the Texasrice belt is quickly diminishing. There's urban
sprawl, urbanization, is there?You know, is there any well hope
(28:12):
we'll see these populations get back upanywhere? Well, I think probably the
archaic goose populations will stay pretty healthy. But you know, but as far
as how many are here, yeah, I don't. You know, it's
just really hard to be optimistic aboutthat. I mean, Kansas doesn't have
(28:33):
any rice farming, but but they'vegot a lot of other farming that the
birds are attracted to. And youknow, if our rice contry went into
something that was attracted to the birds, sure that would be fine. But
that's typically about what happens a lotof a lot of the Texas rice belt.
It's good for rice, a pastor, but it's good for it not
you know, a lot of itis not particularly good for row propping and
(28:56):
so forth. Got it? Gotit? Okay, you're gonna take a
right here. For our last segment, Honting Matters on KPRC nine fifty.
(29:53):
Welcome back to Honeymatters on KPRC ninefifty. This is your host Joviitar,
Hi, Am Ramon and Robust.Okay, it's my turn for stupid.
Please. So what My wife andI were playing this. We were sitting
on the couch the other night.We were watching some show and it prompted
this question, if you could beanother person dead or life for three hours,
who would you be a good questionbecause you throw the three hour plus
(30:17):
anything. Okay, I gotta geta lot of bang from my buck.
Came to me immediately, but Iwant to hear he is, Oh wow,
okay, three hours. It's gonnahave to be like Harry Styles.
Really, I don't know. Ijust had I picked. I wanted to
be a famous rock and roll guitarist. Yeah, playing the best show that
(30:37):
that person's ever played, either JoePerry or Stevie or Ay Vaughan and just
live that experience for three hours.That's all you had. Yeah. Yeah,
Yeah, that's a good one.Yeah, it would have to be
I was thinking alive, but yeah, I guess you would have to be
you know, Jimi Hendrix or JimmyPage. Yeah, walk off stage and
then you disappear from that. Yeah, you don't even have to go back
(31:00):
to the hotel room alone. Hopeabout all right, we're here on Honey
Matters. This is your host,Joe B. Tar. I am and
our guest today am I Harry Styles. Maybe you're maybe you're Eddie van Halen.
Uh we are here. Joining ustoday is Bill Stransky. Bill is
the executive director of Texas Rice,the Texas Rice and Industry Coalition for the
(31:22):
Environment. Bill, thank you onceagain for joining us. Thank you.
Hey. A while back, youand I were talking on the phone and
you mentioned about and I found thisvery interesting. I bet Ramon didn't even
know this. He's a well educatedman. How the price of water affects
waterfowl populations in Texas is that?Can we talk about that a little bit?
(31:45):
Can you explain that situation? Well, much of the water that people
used to float up their uh empowerments, the moist soil units Wedley's whenever you
want to call them, it comesoff the river system. And when the
price of water goes up, thatmakes it less affordable for people to flood
(32:07):
these things. And so yeah,it has a you know, big time
impact. And plus some of thesystems like the Brasses and the Colorado River.
They have a cutoff period to whenthose those canal systems are active,
and it's usually around October first,or maybe up till the second week October.
(32:28):
So you know, you've got totake that water. Maybe it's not
the opportune time, but it's youknow, you've got to go. You've
got to get it on your projector you're not going to get any at
all. You know, people whodrilled wells, but wells are extremely expensive,
especially if it's they can really moveto get volumes of water about the
quarter million dollars, and they there'ssomething about water wells is that they just
(32:53):
I don't know, there's some somethingabout the water well it's going to break.
It's just seems like they're just proneto problems, whether it be the
pump or the engine or the casing. It just seems like it's something that
is always very unpredictable. Sure,and the color and the Colorado River specifically
(33:19):
in the state of Texas, isthat's the big that's the big water source,
isn't it. Well, that's wherewe grow the most rice. Yeah,
but this year there was way wayless rice than that system. Because
of the lakes of the Travis andyou can and right now we're down to
I think thirtyty percent of total clasty. So only the Guardwood system got water
(33:45):
this year. Of course they goa lot of rice there, but I
would bet un once we get agood recharge of these lakes over the winter,
we're not going to have any waternext year. And nobody got done.
Nobody got what we call duck water. Yeah, the systems I'm aware
of. And so yeah, that'sa problem. And so you know,
(34:07):
what do you do? And andof course the less water is coming down
that impacts the bay system, andI mean that has a huge impact on
the bay system. And you knowthey get too salty, and that's not
good for the bays for the birds, and it's not good for the fish,
not good for the crabs. Andso that you know, it has
(34:30):
a you know, it has atremendous impact. I was talking to a
gentleman used to be fishery bologists andI runs a conservation group. And he
said he went the length of EastMadagorda Bay and this guy knows what he's
doing, and he said he foundonly one little slew on the south side
(34:51):
that has seagrasses. That's it,that whole link to that bay on the
south side. He said, there'snothing. Wow, you know, I
said, do you think that's atemporary thing or what do you that?
I have no idea and I haveno idea what's causing it. But it's
certainly you know, concerning, andyou know, you don't know if it's
solinities. He doesn't know what itis, but you know, having the
(35:13):
seagrasses for bay is really important.So Bill, let's say you were made
king all powerful emperor of the areathe United States for them matter. What
would you do to fix all this? Well, we've got to protect more
lands, and we just have toand we need, you know. I
mean, I don't think we're justWe've got to have some sort of system
(35:35):
we can get more private landowners toown land for conservation. I would greatly
increase the tax deductions for donated easements. I mean, like I would make
it like for one to one rideoff you buy that land and whatever appraises
that at market value, that's whatyou can ride off against your taxes or
or you know, for donating thateasement, or make it a multiple two
(35:59):
or three to one that way,who would buy land just for the credits.
They would they would represent so muchvalue. They would have the land
which has the value, and theyget some income from the farming, in
the hunting or whatever, and thenthey would have this huge sheltering of income.
And so you know, what wehave right now is okay. But
(36:20):
we need something that really incentivize andstimulates the demand to protect land and that
would keep it in private hands andit would be well managed. You know,
I'll try to get more land intothe hands of the Perkson while Life
Department because I think that they,as I said earlier, they do excellent,
(36:43):
excellent work, and that's two ofthe things I would do. We
we just got to protect land.There's no other way, no other way
to put it. That's the singlebiggest thing. That's ninety nine percent of
what we need to do. Gotit. Got It's a that's a good
message. So let's change here alittle bit about change hears a little bit
(37:06):
about let's go go out kind ofon a positive note. A while back
when we spoke, you mentioned plantsthat have been discovered that have not been
seen before or were thought to beextinct. Well, a friend of mine
on some land out south of Sealy, and it was a species of H
four, a flowering plant called meadowroute that will found on it. It's
(37:30):
only been found in about a dozenplaces in the world, and all of
those on the Texas coast. It'smore, but it's not a it's not
an endangered species, and it's nota listed species. I mean, it's
just hard to you know, everythingwith it. It's more. It's been
found in fewer locations in prairie dawn, which is another Texascopal plane plant,
(37:51):
and it is on the endangered youknow, on the endangered found founded.
So anyway, he's working to protectthat land. A pipeline just came through
it and we don't know how muchof the prairie rou it. Doug.
We worked very hard to try toget them to go around it. And
uh, but well pipeline have youdid some things to minimize it, but
(38:15):
you know, you go, yougo digging up the dirt several feed deep.
You know that's just going to havean impact. Yeah, right,
well, listen, Bill, Iappreciate it, but we're unfortunately we are
out of time. But we thankyou so much for joining us today,
and folks, we will see youhere next week on Honeymatters kp r C nine fifty
The Houston Safari Club Foundation is afive OHO one C three nonprofit organization that
supports the future of hunting and conservation. Wildlife and habitat conservation, youth education
and outdoor experiences, scholarships, andanti poaching efforts are just a few of
the programs supported by this organization.Monthly events, an annual convention, award
winning publications, networking opportunities, andvaluable resources for hunting knowledge are just a
(00:21):
few of the benefits of being amember of Houston Safari Club Foundation. If
you're searching for a group of peoplededicated to protecting the future of hunting,
look no further. Join Houston SafariClub Foundation today at we Huntwegive dot org
or call seven one three six twothree eight eight four four. Tradition,
conservation, family, the outdoors.It matters to you, It matters to
(00:48):
us. This is Hunting Matters,presented by Houston Safari Club Foundation. Here's
Joe Bitar, good morning and welcomeback to Hunting Matters on APRC nine fifty.
This is your host, Joe Betorram Romo and cranking your neck over
there. I was just checking thingsout seeing how many of my candies you're
eating I just had one one baby. I've came up Last night, my
(01:14):
wife and I were talking about this, and I came up with an idea.
We're going to combine baby Ruth withbutterfingers and we're gonna call them baby
Fingers. Before the end of theshow, I want to ask you and
our guests to list your top threeHalloween candy. Okay, you don't have
to do it now, but justwork on that. Thinking about that.
(01:34):
Yeah, the next hour, thinkof that. I have my list,
but we'll we'll talk about I sawyour tweets, your exes or whatever they're
calling them these days. Oh.Yeah, it's kind of weird that you're
reading my I do I try.I'm I'm stalking you on Twitter by waiting.
How many awards did we win thisweek? Three? Wow? See
(01:56):
you thought I was being facetious,but in reality, we are three time
award winning this week? Yeah,just this week, this week alone?
Yeah? What does that bring ourgrand total to do? We have nine?
Maybe twelve? I don't know,something like that. It's kind of
like, uh, I don't know. I was gonna say Tom Hanks or
one of those big actors. Whenyou win so many, it's yeah,
(02:17):
another one, huh. But thenI don't know if they have an our
in our industry? What they have? What's that one where you and the
Tony, the Oscar, the Grammyand the our got or he got?
He got? Yeah, Grammy,Oscar, Tony he got. I don't
know if they have one. Weshould make one up. We've already won
it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got three from the it's a
group called the Davy Awards, whichis the audio visual I can't remember the
(02:38):
background, but anyway, we won. We've got a silver award for Best
co Host Educational Series and Best GeneralPodcast. Now do you think once we
maybe after this week, we starthaving guests on they pay us to be
on the show. Maybe we don'tpay guests to be on our show,
but I think there needs to beNow could happen you call that added value
(03:00):
to be on our show? Yeah? Probably, So just throwing that out
there, think about it. Workup a fea schedule here and I'll get
it knocked out. I wasn't laughingabout the my stupid baby finger jokes.
The real reason I was lasting laughingis because I put together the our talking
points for today and left the upcomingevents for like two months ago. I
want to say anything, but Isaw that nine eighth. Wait a minute,
(03:23):
what September fourteen and we're already hereon top of Halloween. But we
do have a lot of stuff goingon with Jesus Sphoric La Foundation, our
young professional group, the Stagging DeafSociety is going to be having a get
together in October twenty. Well,by the time this comes out would be
the twenty six what's today's day today? Is the twenty nine eight twenty it'd
(03:43):
be over nevermind, sorry, youngprofessionals, But November the eighth, First
Aid for the gunshot Wound victim Uslaw Shield is going to be teaching that
course at our offices. And thenwe'll have our Young Professionals Christmas parties coming
up December first out at Conrad Taxidermyand Conrat tax and then we'll be having
the the big Houston Spark Club FoundationChristmas Party on December seventh at the Barn
(04:05):
in cyprusl Well, wait a minute, which I've never been there. There's
a Safari Club Christmas party. Yeah, I had no clue. Come on,
man, how many times have y'alldone that? Every year? We
do it every year Yeah, wellthis is awkward. Yeah, I've never
been invited. You've always been invited, folks, if you're if you're like
or unlike Ramone, gott we hunt, we give dot org and do two
(04:27):
things. Check out the membership dropdown from monthly events, and then also
sign up for the free digital newsletterthat only comes out once a month.
We don't inundate people with a lotof information, so if you'll sign up
for that free newsletter, you'll seeall the cool events we've got going every
month, and then how to signup to become a member as well.
So don't be a Ramone. Waita minute, don't be an award winning
journalist. Yeah, that's right,that's right. All right, let's get
(04:50):
to our guest. Uh today,our guest is Bill Stransky. Poor Bill,
you were late crawling out of bedthis morning, so Bill's been on
standby for Bill's executive director of theTexas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment,
which is the acronym for rice.Now, Ramon, would you think when
you said we're gonna have a guyon from Texas Rice? Were you thinking
(05:11):
have you ever heard of that?So we're going to learn all about rice
and what Bill does for a living. And Bill, thank you so much
for joining us. Thank you.So where are you today, Bill?
I'm out in here Texas. Okay. You spend you spend a lot.
You spend a lot of time onthe road, don't you. Well,
(05:33):
I live in you know, Ilive out in this area, so you
know, I'm office sit in thefar away. But yeah, I spent
a lot of time in the fieldoverseeing projects and just you know, trying
to get things implemented out in thelandscape. So are our listeners who are
not familiar with with rice. TheTexas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment.
What is rice? Well, itwas born back in the early mid nineteen
(05:59):
nineties to try to help educate thepublic and legislators about the importance of rice
farming too my mainly migratory bird life, you know, because they're essentially created
wetlands. And you know, theorganization just kind of sat around and when
I left my former job and ifI wanted to run this, so that's
what I did. So I tookit a little bit of a different direction,
(06:20):
and we try to implement conservation andplans and species recovery plans on the
Texas coast. You know, mainlywithin the rice growing region, which is
eighteen counties from Louisiana down to Victoria. Got it, got it? You
know, I don't know if you, I know, you kind of keep
(06:42):
up with the news sometimes your dailyin your job. But they just the
US. They finally got a USSpeaker of the House. Yeah from UH,
from Louisiana. How about that?Yeah, yeah, I know Steve
scalise I've met Steve Scalisee a fewtimes. I thought he had been a
great House speaker. But yeah,the gentleman from UH Treeport. Louisiana's landscapes
changing, Bill, I know you'vedealt with Louisiana over the years. I
(07:03):
grew up there. Their landscapes changing, the Speaker of the Houses from Treeport,
and they had just elected their firstRepublican governor. Governor elect in Louisiana
as a Republican for the first timein a long time. So very very
interesting some of the the changes thingsare going on. So, Bill,
what is your role at Rice?What what do you do on a day
to day basis? And and uh, you know what, what what should
(07:26):
we be aware of? I wantto talk about specifically some of the efforts
but what do you what do youdo on a day to day basis to
obtained funding from grant programs and foundationsand so forth to implement conservation projects public
and private lands. That's a while. I refuges, land trust private lands,
so includes wetland creation and restoration andnative prairie restoration mostly. Okay,
(07:55):
okay, I want to talk specificallyabout some of this project. I'm just
making a couple of notes here.And you still cover Texas and Louisiana both.
Now we our geographic rates would primarilybe from the Texas Louisiana border down
to slay around Victoria. Got it. That's still a lot. That's a
(08:16):
lot of country to cover. Yeah, that was traditionally the Texas rice built,
right, you know some in thecoastal counties in two county right right,
all right, we're going to getdeeper into this when we take we
come back around and take a quickbreak here on honeymtters k p r C
nine fifty. The Devil went downto Georgia. He was looking for a
(08:54):
solda steel. He was in abank because he was way behind him.
He was willing to make a dealwhen he came across this young man sewing
on the fiddle and playing it hot, and the devil jumped up on a
hicker's dumps and bought him it tillyou walk. I guess you didn't know
it, But I'm a fiddle playertoo, and you'd care if there was
something that you had to bet,Maybe not against the devil, but there
(09:16):
was something that you had to betthat you knew you were gonna win and
the stakes were high. What wasit? What is it that you would
bet that you could win or dobetter than somebody else? That I could
eat more boil crawfish than you anyday of the week. Okay, Well,
because number one you don't like shelfand number two is I love crawford.
So you think if you were goingto bet for a golden fiddle,
(09:37):
you would bet crawfish you could eatmore crawfish than you? Okay, well
why not to sure? Bet?Yeah? Okay, all right, So
you think you're at the top ofthat of that game right there? Yes,
I have a question for you forthe next break. My wife and
I played a game this week,and I'm gonna ask him the next break.
So Bill Stramsy's with us today.He's the executive director of the Texas
(10:00):
Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment,also known as RICE. Bill, thanks
once again for joining us. Thankyou, And I know you got the
question, the all important question laterabout Halloween remotes. Yes, don't forget
that. So, Bill, whattell us a little bit about your background.
(10:20):
I'm curious to know. I knowyou haven't done this for forever,
but I'm curious to know how yougot into account of what your background.
Well, I hunted to tash mywhole life, and you know, so
I've been around creating more soul andwelland habitat for waterfowl hunting. And so
when I started running this group,I had a lot of experience just being
(10:41):
out in the field and around it, given how much hunting I did.
And so we started raising funds andtrying to implement projects and a lot of
the work that you see on theAnilac and Missouri National Wildlife Reach, Big
Boggie and other you know, publiclands is work that we've undertaken, and
(11:03):
you know, we continue to tryto do that as well as protect land
to conservation easements and the Store Prairieand just whatever we think we can do
that will help improve habitat on thelandscape. And for those for those of
our listeners who are not familiar withit, can you can you get kind
of give them a one O onecourse. And what a conservation easement is
(11:24):
well, a conservation easement is alegally binding document that attaches to the land
that stipulates what the land use wouldwould be. And usually around here it's
maintaining it as a farming and ora ranch and perpetuity. And for that
a landowner could get paid or andor get significant tax benefits for that donation.
(11:50):
You know, you can write itoff against your adjusted gross income,
and there's a limit what percentage youcan write off, but you can carry
it forward that that that right offfor fifteen years until you use it up.
So it's got significant advantages for peoplewho are wealthy to you know,
to shield income. Okay, Anddo you deal with carbon credits at all?
(12:11):
We talked to gentlemen last week aboutabout carbon credits. Do you have
you had to deal with that atall? Well, on the periphery,
you know, I'm working with peoplewho are doing at the prairie restoration and
there's a possibility that down the roadit could sell credits for that Purvian sequestration.
But I've never actually, you know, been involved in brokering one or
(12:35):
you know, funds or anything likethat. But yeah, I've got some
you know, some outlying knowledge ofit. Okay, okay. And you
said earlier you work with both onboth public lands and also with private landowners.
Can you tell us a little bitabout the difference between the two and
there does each have its own uniquechallenges? Yeah? Yeah, Well it
(13:00):
depends on which public plan you're workingon. But you know, with the
National arthe Refuge system, it's greatbecause it's protected opportuity, so you know
what's going to you know that thatland's going to be there. Typically,
the management of the refuges is extremelyunpredictable and uneven, and that's that's been
(13:22):
a big issue. I mean,you spend a lot of money, you
know, by our standards anyway,and achieves excellent results and then just watching
deteriorate over a period of years becausethey won't manage it. Then you know,
sometimes you get new management and thingsrecovered, but it's that is awfully
unpredictable. Now, the Texas Parksof the WILDLFE Department with their Wildlife Management
(13:46):
areas that is very predictable and theyhave you know, they obviously changed personnel
from time to time, but themanagement of the state areas has remained very,
very high and you know, sothey've been a really predictable and good
partner to work with. And uh, you know, I really I really
enjoy working with parks of wur Life. Yeah. And then with private land,
(14:09):
I mean you just you know,again, the management's usually real good.
But you know, so I'll knowwhat's going to happen with the property
down the road and the private hbut the private landowners that put conservation easements
on their land, these are guysthat buy it for the waterfowl hunting typically,
and those that group does a reallyreally good job. And I wish
(14:31):
we had more people that were doingthat because that's their focus is to have
it for recreation and then to enjoyit. And almost always the habitat,
uh, the management habitat quality isextremely good. Yeah, yeah, go
ahead. Well it's just you know, like I said, there's just uh,
(14:52):
some of this can be kind ofunpredictable and uncertain, so you know,
it's just the perspective you gain overtime. Yeah, there was a
group of that met with the headof US Fishing Wildlife, Martha Williams,
probably about a month and a halfago, and that was a that was
a recurrent topic of conversation both fromthe Department Fishing Wildlife Department side as well
as the people who are attendants thatmeeting. Is the state and underpredictable predictability.
(15:16):
Just like you said, you're livingit, breathing every day of the
wildlife refuge system. I mean,our our refuge system is something we should
be very, very proud of.But you you know, there's there's an
issue there and it's unpredictable based onthe administrations that are in power, and
it's sad to see how much betterit could be. Well, a lot
of this is due to the peoplethey bring into positions at the refuge system,
(15:39):
and you know, if they're fromanother part of the country or dealing
with another ecosystem they like Alaska.I mean, they don't do anything in
Alaska, right, you just ownit and it's great. But down here
in this coastal plane, if youdon't manage it, you don't implement uh,
you know, active management on thislandscape, it's going to default and
(16:00):
it's going to turn into a massof brush and trees and vasive and you
know, exotic native noxious and youknow, just drive over to Barker and
Attics reservoirs and that's that's what happensto land. We don't manage it.
That was all prairie and rice Fieldis one of the cool bought that many
years ago. And yeah, that'swhat happens when you don't do anything.
(16:21):
So it's not going to be aprairie and not going to have good wetland
habitat if it just grows up likethat. Yeah, it's unfortunate. You've
you've educated me over the past coupleof months since we first met each other
by phone and by through email andthings. There's a couple of topics I
want to dig into here as wewho work for in the show. But
(16:41):
can you kind of give us abriecent opsis of the status of waterfowl populations
in the state of Texas well hereon the coast our goose populations have collapsed.
I mean, when I grew uphunting in the you know, six
started hunting in the sixties, youknow, seventies. You know, we
had lots and lots of cande geeseand the big ones, the big subspecies
(17:04):
right were they were. They werepretty rare at that point. There wasn't
a lot of them around it.You know, you saw what you saw
it to you occasionally and people shotone, but we still had lots of
the mediums and falling. And thenprobably in the in the nineties that really
started to decline. And now itis it is very hard to find,
(17:25):
very very hard to find Canada geesein the coastal plain. I mean really
hard. I don't think I've seenone in three years. You know,
our specklebelly. Hm, you knowthat's a big problem. Okay, Bill,
(17:49):
If we're going to take a quickbreak here, we had a little
audio difficulty hearing you where you are. We're going to take a quick break
here. We're up against the break, so we'll see you on the side
here. Hunting Matters KPRC nine fiftylongest intro ever. Well, yeah,
(18:47):
that's up there. That's a greatsong. Anticipatory. Yeah, that's it.
That's such a good that's a goodword. Can you spell that?
No? Welcome back to Hunting Matterson k p r C nine fifty.
Hiro joby, sorry am Ramon.Rob Let's is it time? For our
revelation of to our three favorite Halloweencandies. Yeah, I want to ask
my question on the next break.Okay, Oh that's right. You had
(19:07):
Halloween well number one Snickers Okay,then Reese's Peanut butter Cups Okay, then
Baby Ruths. All right, I'mgonna throw you a Baby Ruth Okaya.
Three Musketeers, fair if they're fresh? Oh wow, it's the difference.
Look at this and here, I'mgonna throw you for a loop. I
(19:29):
can't have all chocolate. I likethat, you know, the salty sweet
thing kind of deal. I likeronts. Oh, there's nothing wrong with
that. I always think of Halloweencandy to us chocolate. But you're right,
I mean why there is no definitionlimits one? Yeah, I know
it. I know it. Sitback down. You don't have to get
so emotional about it. Pick mychair back. Bill. Do you want
to take a stab at this oris that not what you're in the mood
(19:52):
for. I'm good. Okay,Okay, Bill, you can tell that
we if we did. We don'tdo anything with serious news topics on this
show. Yep. Yeah, Sowe were talking before we went into the
break. We were talking about thewaterfowl populations. You're specifically focusing on geese,
so let's kind of pick that upthere. And you know, the
waterfowl populations obviously with geese too specificallyyou were talking about there have declined.
(20:15):
Uh, so let's continue that.What do you see as you see the
same thing for ducks as well.Well. The ducks from the coast have
declined quite a bit. I meanare somewhat. Last year was a better
year because we had a lot ofrain and it was dry up north.
But yeah, those numbers on thecoast are not what they used to be
either, and you know so,but there's still enough ducks to have viable
(20:40):
hunting down here. But the goosehunting, I mean, you know,
I mean, our most numerous speciesare white geese, snow geese, and
roskies, and we're down about ninetypercent from where we were in the nineteen
nineties. Wow. And speckle belliesprobably nine I don't know, it's just
yeah, it's just you know,this time of the year, I could
(21:03):
drive to Lizzy and Eagle Lake anddo that area and just see just enormous,
enormous members. It's specklebelly's huge numbers, many many, many tens of
thousands, and maybe a little sprinklingof snow geese with them, and then
the first big cop when they comein the first or second league October,
and the whole world would turn white. And yeah, that's just it just
(21:26):
doesn't happen anymore. Yeah. Westill see glimpses of what it used to
be in places, Yeah, butnot nearly as many places, and not
for very long. Yeah, Iagree. I remember. I remember,
you know, I was in SanAntonio, Texas for twenty something years.
I was a member of a gooseclub over here in Katie, and I
can remember, like you said,driving the highways and the roads and you'd
(21:48):
see geese everywhere, you know,the the Katie sculptures outside of the Bassbro
shops, or geese. The watertowers had geese on them. It's it's
really, it's kind of it's sadand Eagle Lake and all those places,
and it's you know, when youwhen you think back, just not that
long ago, about what we usedto have and what we don't have now,
people need to, you know,people need to step up and look
(22:11):
at this and go, you know, this, this is this can happen
elsewhere to other animals and other species. Well, well it already has.
I mean, you know, thiswas all the coastal prairie and you know
there was it's maybe be a millioncurry chickens in the coastal plain and you
know, one of the most endangeredbirds in the world now. And you
(22:32):
know you just look at boblike quailor organised snakes or horn toads or whatever.
I mean, things that I grewup seeing frequently modeled ups. Yeah,
you know one time that we hada five bird limit on that.
Now we have a one bird limit. It's not even for the entire season.
So yeah, that just gives youan idea of the trend. And
(22:55):
you know it's very Yeah, it'spretty pretty distressing. Yeah, and we
talked to I mean we've talked aboutvarious topics here today, but you know
you said that, you know,the rice belt and the disappearance of the
rice belt and that sort of thing. What else has called these with these
waterfowl populations to decline or move orversus what we had ten years ago.
(23:17):
Well, I mean, part ofit is that there's just not as many
white beast now as there was,say fifteen years ago in the Mississippian Central
Flyway that birds have not that's estimatebewhen the peak occurred. You know,
the agencies have been wanting to reducethe white bease population because of the they
feared all the depredation on the hundredin their misty grounds. But they you
(23:41):
know, we've got very liberal seasonsand big limits and concervation season. But
that's not really what's brought them down. They just have not had good missing
success since two thousand and eight,one year and then this year appears to
be a booming hatch and everything I'veheard. But you know, if you
drive, you ever go up toArkansas, just drive from stud Dark to
(24:06):
Jonesboro. It is just mind blowing. It's absolutely mind blowing. That's just
solid ag rise. And so hemeans as far as you want to drive,
I mean every direction. And theyhold so much water on that landscape
for duck hunting, and so there'swater everywhere, and there's agg everywhere.
(24:26):
Nobody likes shooting geese anyway up there, so that birds are just like you
know in heaven. And that's that'swhere Old Speckledo's going in the fall.
Now, say to come in here, you know, sixty seventy of them
and then radiating out as the winnerwent out. Now that's where they go,
they go to that Arkansas belt.But you know there's you've got lots
(24:48):
of white peace, you know,other geese wintering in Kansas. Now even
like Illinois, and uh, ifyou drive like to north and South Dakota,
Nebraska, you see all that thatno hill farming, and they don't
harvest it until this time of yearand it's no chill, so it's just
grain scattered all over the place.It's a miracle even one bird that likes
(25:08):
to feed on agriculture ever get makesit down here, right, Yeah,
yeah, I mean it's just incredible, you know, and combines are pretty
efficient, but you know, theyields are so high that a small percentage
of a high number is still alot, right, And so there's just
past grain of all kinds all overthe place. And then when they go
(25:30):
back north, you know that's beenout there over the winter, so it
doesn't sprouts, so it's all availableto the birds. And I think that's
really where the birds want to be, isn't. You know a lot of
the birds that feed on eggs,pintails, ballards, geese, cranes,
that's that's that's where they want tobe. Yeah, I was. When
I was in high school. Iused to hunt up in McGee and Studdgarle
(25:52):
of northeast Louisiana during the time,and we used to hunt up in McGee
and stud Garden and it was justit always was amazing. We couldn't hardly
have a conversation over the flocks ofgeese in the afternoon when they were coming
into roost and the mallards you could. You could have thrown a rock out
of from the side of a countyroad, farm road and hit twenty ducks.
I mean it was just just dryfeeding as far as the eye could
see. It was crazy. I'dnever seen anything like it. Yeah,
(26:15):
I want to set two thousand andfive. I had no idea where I
was going. I just drove therefrom Little Rock just to see it.
And I was just blown away atthe number of geese. I just was
floored. And I've seen a lotof a lot of birds in my life,
and I've seen enormous numbers of birds, and I was just just just
just taken aback. And a lotof ducks too. At much water on
(26:38):
that landscape. Yeah, and thatwas two thousand and five, and that's
when those speculators were, you know, really starving to transition that way.
And now it's even more pronounced.So you know, it's you know,
and didn't you know it looked atthe abaitat loss we've suffered down here,
(27:00):
and so you know it has ayou know, team of the team,
the impact on what we're able tokeep here, you know, migrate down
here and keep here. Yeah,I mean, you know you've lost you
know, you have things like droughtand that sort of thing. But with
the with the urbanization and the sprawlthat we have, you know, I
can still I can remember driving fromwhere Katie High School is now just outside
(27:22):
of town to San Antonio almost beingnothing most of the way. They are
half the way there, and andnow it's those those those lands and fields
are all gone. Yeah, Iknow, it's uh yeah, I know,
it's it's difficult to see, andyou know, trying to do what
we can, but it just itseems it seems insurmountable almost sometimes right right,
(27:49):
Yeah, it's it's it's a toughto limit. It's a tough to
limit. But I know, youknow, I personally appreciate what you do
out there, at least fighting thatthat that battle as well. So is
there any hope for the future.I mean as far as uh, you
know, I mean, the Texasrice belt is quickly diminishing. There's urban
sprawl, urbanization, is there?You know, is there any well hope
(28:12):
we'll see these populations get back upanywhere? Well, I think probably the
archaic goose populations will stay pretty healthy. But you know, but as far
as how many are here, yeah, I don't. You know, it's
just really hard to be optimistic aboutthat. I mean, Kansas doesn't have
(28:33):
any rice farming, but but they'vegot a lot of other farming that the
birds are attracted to. And youknow, if our rice contry went into
something that was attracted to the birds, sure that would be fine. But
that's typically about what happens a lotof a lot of the Texas rice belt.
It's good for rice, a pastor, but it's good for it not
you know, a lot of itis not particularly good for row propping and
(28:56):
so forth. Got it? Gotit? Okay, you're gonna take a
right here. For our last segment, Honting Matters on KPRC nine fifty.
(29:53):
Welcome back to Honeymatters on KPRC ninefifty. This is your host Joviitar,
Hi, Am Ramon and Robust.Okay, it's my turn for stupid.
Please. So what My wife andI were playing this. We were sitting
on the couch the other night.We were watching some show and it prompted
this question, if you could beanother person dead or life for three hours,
who would you be a good questionbecause you throw the three hour plus
(30:17):
anything. Okay, I gotta geta lot of bang from my buck.
Came to me immediately, but Iwant to hear he is, Oh wow,
okay, three hours. It's gonnahave to be like Harry Styles.
Really, I don't know. Ijust had I picked. I wanted to
be a famous rock and roll guitarist. Yeah, playing the best show that
(30:37):
that person's ever played, either JoePerry or Stevie or Ay Vaughan and just
live that experience for three hours.That's all you had. Yeah. Yeah,
Yeah, that's a good one.Yeah, it would have to be
I was thinking alive, but yeah, I guess you would have to be
you know, Jimi Hendrix or JimmyPage. Yeah, walk off stage and
then you disappear from that. Yeah, you don't even have to go back
(31:00):
to the hotel room alone. Hopeabout all right, we're here on Honey
Matters. This is your host,Joe B. Tar. I am and
our guest today am I Harry Styles. Maybe you're maybe you're Eddie van Halen.
Uh we are here. Joining ustoday is Bill Stransky. Bill is
the executive director of Texas Rice,the Texas Rice and Industry Coalition for the
(31:22):
Environment. Bill, thank you onceagain for joining us. Thank you.
Hey. A while back, youand I were talking on the phone and
you mentioned about and I found thisvery interesting. I bet Ramon didn't even
know this. He's a well educatedman. How the price of water affects
waterfowl populations in Texas is that?Can we talk about that a little bit?
(31:45):
Can you explain that situation? Well, much of the water that people
used to float up their uh empowerments, the moist soil units Wedley's whenever you
want to call them, it comesoff the river system. And when the
price of water goes up, thatmakes it less affordable for people to flood
(32:07):
these things. And so yeah,it has a you know, big time
impact. And plus some of thesystems like the Brasses and the Colorado River.
They have a cutoff period to whenthose those canal systems are active,
and it's usually around October first,or maybe up till the second week October.
(32:28):
So you know, you've got totake that water. Maybe it's not
the opportune time, but it's youknow, you've got to go. You've
got to get it on your projector you're not going to get any at
all. You know, people whodrilled wells, but wells are extremely expensive,
especially if it's they can really moveto get volumes of water about the
quarter million dollars, and they there'ssomething about water wells is that they just
(32:53):
I don't know, there's some somethingabout the water well it's going to break.
It's just seems like they're just proneto problems, whether it be the
pump or the engine or the casing. It just seems like it's something that
is always very unpredictable. Sure,and the color and the Colorado River specifically
(33:19):
in the state of Texas, isthat's the big that's the big water source,
isn't it. Well, that's wherewe grow the most rice. Yeah,
but this year there was way wayless rice than that system. Because
of the lakes of the Travis andyou can and right now we're down to
I think thirtyty percent of total clasty. So only the Guardwood system got water
(33:45):
this year. Of course they goa lot of rice there, but I
would bet un once we get agood recharge of these lakes over the winter,
we're not going to have any waternext year. And nobody got done.
Nobody got what we call duck water. Yeah, the systems I'm aware
of. And so yeah, that'sa problem. And so you know,
(34:07):
what do you do? And andof course the less water is coming down
that impacts the bay system, andI mean that has a huge impact on
the bay system. And you knowthey get too salty, and that's not
good for the bays for the birds, and it's not good for the fish,
not good for the crabs. Andso that you know, it has
(34:30):
a you know, it has atremendous impact. I was talking to a
gentleman used to be fishery bologists andI runs a conservation group. And he
said he went the length of EastMadagorda Bay and this guy knows what he's
doing, and he said he foundonly one little slew on the south side
(34:51):
that has seagrasses. That's it,that whole link to that bay on the
south side. He said, there'snothing. Wow, you know, I
said, do you think that's atemporary thing or what do you that?
I have no idea and I haveno idea what's causing it. But it's
certainly you know, concerning, andyou know, you don't know if it's
solinities. He doesn't know what itis, but you know, having the
(35:13):
seagrasses for bay is really important.So Bill, let's say you were made
king all powerful emperor of the areathe United States for them matter. What
would you do to fix all this? Well, we've got to protect more
lands, and we just have toand we need, you know. I
mean, I don't think we're justWe've got to have some sort of system
(35:35):
we can get more private landowners toown land for conservation. I would greatly
increase the tax deductions for donated easements. I mean, like I would make
it like for one to one rideoff you buy that land and whatever appraises
that at market value, that's whatyou can ride off against your taxes or
or you know, for donating thateasement, or make it a multiple two
(35:59):
or three to one that way,who would buy land just for the credits.
They would they would represent so muchvalue. They would have the land
which has the value, and theyget some income from the farming, in
the hunting or whatever, and thenthey would have this huge sheltering of income.
And so you know, what wehave right now is okay. But
(36:20):
we need something that really incentivize andstimulates the demand to protect land and that
would keep it in private hands andit would be well managed. You know,
I'll try to get more land intothe hands of the Perkson while Life
Department because I think that they,as I said earlier, they do excellent,
(36:43):
excellent work, and that's two ofthe things I would do. We
we just got to protect land.There's no other way, no other way
to put it. That's the singlebiggest thing. That's ninety nine percent of
what we need to do. Gotit. Got It's a that's a good
message. So let's change here alittle bit about change hears a little bit
(37:06):
about let's go go out kind ofon a positive note. A while back
when we spoke, you mentioned plantsthat have been discovered that have not been
seen before or were thought to beextinct. Well, a friend of mine
on some land out south of Sealy, and it was a species of H
four, a flowering plant called meadowroute that will found on it. It's
(37:30):
only been found in about a dozenplaces in the world, and all of
those on the Texas coast. It'smore, but it's not a it's not
an endangered species, and it's nota listed species. I mean, it's
just hard to you know, everythingwith it. It's more. It's been
found in fewer locations in prairie dawn, which is another Texascopal plane plant,
(37:51):
and it is on the endangered youknow, on the endangered found founded.
So anyway, he's working to protectthat land. A pipeline just came through
it and we don't know how muchof the prairie rou it. Doug.
We worked very hard to try toget them to go around it. And
uh, but well pipeline have youdid some things to minimize it, but
(38:15):
you know, you go, yougo digging up the dirt several feed deep.
You know that's just going to havean impact. Yeah, right,
well, listen, Bill, Iappreciate it, but we're unfortunately we are
out of time. But we thankyou so much for joining us today,
and folks, we will see youhere next week on Honeymatters kp r C nine fifty
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