Deuteronomy 5: 7-21

Don’t believe in or ride with any Land Owner but the Lord, God Almighty, himself.

Never speak disrespectfully of the Land Owner, who is our Heavenly Boss.

Don’t be whittling out objects to represent the Land Owner, because He created us – (not us Him).

Best be going to Church when the doors are open and keep it special in your heart.

Mind your Pa and your Ma and you might just live to a ripe old age.

Don’t be gunning anyone down in cold blood.

Don’t be fooling around with your neighbor’s wife, (or vice versa). Be faithful to your vows.

Don’t be taking things that ain’t yours.

Don’t be accusing people of doing something when you don’t really know.

Don’t be yearning for what other cowpokes have.

“Cowboy Ten Commandments” by William M. Cooper
Check out William Cooper’s new book, Coop’s Corner Collection – Inspirational Stories and Poems, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other fine book sellers.

On the 167th anniversary of Texas’ statehood, elected officials and numerous students from around Texas packed the State Capitol rotunda to honor Caprock Canyons State Park and its ongoing efforts to preserve the Texas State Bison Herd.

Southern Plains bison once numbered in the millions. A remnant of the last Texas herd had been saved in 1876. Molly Goodnight had encouraged her rancher husband, Charles Goodnight, to save some of these last bison which were taking refuge in the Texas Panhandle. By saving these few plains bison, she was able to establish a buffalo herd near the Palo Duro Canyon. This herd peaked at 250 in 1933. Bison of this herd were introduced into the Yellowstone National Park in 1902 and into the larger zoos and ranches throughout the nation.

By 1999, inbreeding threatened to destroy the last remaining vestige of the Southern Plans bison herd that roamed the state park which was once part of the Goodnight’s JA Ranch. At that time, media mogul Ted Turner donated several bulls to the state park. Since the introduction of these bulls the herd has increased to approximately 80 bisons and there is no longer a threat of extinction.

Caprock Canyons State Park is located near Quitaque, Texas, about 50 miles northeast of Plainview.

March 2 marked the 175th anniversary of Texas Independence!

The Texas A&M Forest Service has selected trees at two state parks for addition to the Famous Trees of Texas Registry. A towering bald cypress at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin and a giant evergreen anacua tree growing next to Mission Espiritu Santo inside Goliad State Park & Historic Site have been added to the registry. “Old Baldy” and the “Goliad Anacua” join 85 trees rich in Texas history on the Famous Trees list, which was begun in 1969. Of the 87 trees, 65 are living. The Texas Forest Service’s registry recognizes trees that have witnessed exciting periods and events in Texas history.

TFS is seeking nominations to bring the total number of famous trees to 100 by 2015. You can view the complete list of noteworthy heritage trees and qualification criteria online by visiting: http://famoustreesoftexas.tamu.edu.

This is a chance to have your artwork seen by thousands.  Enter your artwork for the 2013 25th Anniversary HummerBird Celebration T-Shirt Design. Requirements for T-Shirt design are listed. For more information contact: Sandy at the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce: 729-6445 or email tourism@1rockport.org.  The deadline for getting your entry to the Chamber office is May 1, 2013. For more information on the HummerBird Celebration visit:
www.rockport-fulton.org

Art Requirements Plants/Hummingbirds for 2013 HummerBird Celebration Artwork

The following are the preferred plants and hummingbirds we would like to see in any 2013 HummerBird Celebration artwork.  These are the plants most likely to be found in our area and the ones most likely to be visited as a nectar source for the hummingbirds.   The list of hummingbirds is also a list of hummingbirds normally found in our migration. The size of the artwork should be 10 inches wide by 8 inches tall so that it will fit on a t-shirt.  Art with a full painted background will not be selected.

Hummer Species for
2013 H/B T-shirt

•  Ruby-throated Hummingbird
•  Black-chinned Hummingbird
•  Buff-bellied Hummingbird
•  Rufous Hummingbird
•  Allen’s Hummingbird

Plant Species for 2013 H/B T-Shirt

•CapeHoneysuckle-Tecomaria capensis •Turk’s Cap-Malaviscus arboreus var. drummondii •Shrimp Plant-Justicia brandegeana •Scarlet Sage-Salvia coccinea •Firebush-Hamelia patens •FirecrackerBush-Russelia equisetiformis •Autumn Sage-Salvia greggii •Trumpet Creeper-Campsis radicans •Pride of Barbados-Caesalpinia pulcherrima •FlameAcanthus-Anisacanthus wrightii •Texas Lantana-Lantana urticoides •Esperanza-Tecoma stans •Desert Willow-Chilopsis linearis •CoralHoneysuckle-Lonicera sempervirens •Cypress Vine-Ipomoea quamoclit •Red Yucca-Hesperaloe parviflora •Bottlebrush-Calllistemon rigidus •Powder Puff-Calliandra emarginata •Egyptian Star Penta-Penta lanceolata • (preferably red)• Indigo Spires Salvia-Salvia farinaceae • Cigar Plant-Cuphea ignea ‘David Verity’

At his March 1933 inauguration amid the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the creation of a “forest army” to staff a massive conservation and public recreation program that included the development of state and local parks. By July, 274,000 men between the ages of 17 to 25 had joined the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Now, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for living CCC veterans, their family members and the general public to attend a celebration of the 80th anniversary of the CCC on April 6-7 at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The majestic Panhandle park, which today covers 38,000 acres, is one of 29 CCC Texas state parks operated by TPWD that were built in the 1930s and 1940s.

Most of the young men whose skilled hands worked on soil conservation and forestry projects, and helped build the structures that form the backbone of such outstanding state parks as Palo Duro, Garner and Caddo Lake have passed on as the anniversary approaches. Those CCC workers who are still alive today are in their 90s.

Members of seven CCC companies between 1933 and 1937 developed and made improvements to Palo Duro, building roads, steps, trails, dams, picnic shelters and the handsome, stone interpretive center perched on the canyon rim. By 1935, 27 CCC companies were working in Texas state parks, building roads, bridges, swimming pools, dams and hundreds of sturdy, handsome rock-and-timber structures, such as Indian Lodge in Fort Davis.

The Texas state parks operated by TPWD bear the distinct mark of the young CCC laborers who erected permanent structures that reflect the National Park Service’s trademark “rustic style.” The 101 companies of young men at 130 CCC camp locations throughout the state developed 56 local and state parks in Texas between 1933 and 1942 before many of them headed off to World War II.

Now, Texas stands ready to salute these remarkable gentlemen one more time. For more information please contact event coordinator Janelle Taylor at (512) 389-4665 or Janelle.taylor@tpwd.state.tx.us.