Environment

Quick-growing blooms of bacteria and algae have long been a hazard in lakes and rivers, because of the toxins they produce. Fueled in part by agricultural runoff, these blooms are also threatening public water systems, making water temporarily unusable, and forcing some cities and towns to take costly preventive measures.

Lubbock Lake Landmark is a snapshot of the land before settlement, preserving archeological evidence of early-human life and the natural history of the region’s plants and animals. Through its discoveries, education, and conservation, staff with the Landmark have reintroduced native wildlife driven out of the area, and continue to explore possibilities for the land and for those who love it.

Bear Creek State Park in Uvalde County will grant visitors access to streams, canyons, and hiking trails along the Frio River.

Texas is home to approximately 1,200 species of bee and about 25% of them are specialized bees, meaning they only pollinate specific plants. The bristly nama may not be a familiar name for those on the South Plains, but the plant and its purple flowers are all over Lubbock and its bees are hard at work to keep the ecosystem alive.

Quail populations across Texas have been plummeting for decades. But now, a Texas Tech researcher and his team may have turned that trend around with the invention of a medicated wildlife feed that’s been approved by the FDA and is now commercially available.

Americans are losing their starry views to light pollution. But some communities are make lighting decisions to help preserve night skies – while benefiting wildlife and human health.

A new study out of the UT-Arlington shows we not only benefit in similar ways from watching nature livestreams as we do to interacting with nature in real life but we also go on to engage better with our own species.

The parks department is buying and developing thousands of acres of private land for public use.

The proposal would have let landowners donate land to the refuge.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is withdrawing previous plans allowing the expansion of the oldest wildlife refuge in Texas. KTTZ’s Brad Burt reports on the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge and the decision. For the third week in a row, Texas has reported no new measles cases with the West Texas outbreak.