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Free fishing in Texas on Saturday

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 From Enterprise Staff

Anglers across Texas are marking their calendars and packing their tackle boxes for Free Fishing Day this Saturday. Each year on the first Saturday in June, Texans may fish on any public waterbody in the state without a fishing license.

Although June 4 is designated as Free Fishing Day in Texas, fishing is free year-round at every Texas State Park. Lake Livingston State Park has multiple events planned for Saturday, including “Backyard Bass” from 9-10 a.m., “Fishing with a Ranger” from 10:30 a.m. to noon and “Fishing Knots to Know” from 2:30-3 p.m.

Lake Arrowhead State Park will host the Annual Mark Howell Memorial Fishing Rodeo, featuring a kid fish from 10 a.m. to noon and an adult rough fish contest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Huntsville State Park is hosting a “Family Fishing Celebration” event sponsored by the City of Huntsville and Fishing Future. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department State Park & Wildlife staff will also be helping with the event.

“Free Fishing Day is a wonderful opportunity for anglers to share their knowledge, skills, equipment, and love for fishing with a new participant, yet it’s also more than that,” Craig Bonds, TPWD Inland Fisheries Director, said. “We hope those trying fishing on this special day will also learn that purchasing a license is an act of conservation. A fishing license purchase is one of the simplest and most effective ways people can support fisheries science and management.”

Anglers help the conservation effort with their license purchase with 100% of fishing license fees going to TPWD. The fees fund on-the-ground conservation efforts such as fish stocking that help make Texas one of the best places in the country to fish. For more information on licensing, visit the TPWD license page.

Learn more about Free Fishing Day at TakeMeFishing.org. And remember, if you plan on fishing in federal waters, keep in mind that a license is needed for the private recreational angler red snapper season that opened June 1.

To help celebrate Free Fishing Day, TPWD offers multiple resources to provide fun, high-quality fishing opportunities to anglers of all skill levels and all ages:
Fishing 101 - Learn the basics of fishing with tips and a variety of videos. Find resources for how to get started, safety, supplies and gear, casting and baiting, cleaning and storing fish on the

TPWD Learn to Fish webpage.

free fishing saturdayFree fishing to the public Saturday in TexasFind a Place to Fish close to Home – Texas offers numerous lakes and rivers with access to fishing throughout the state. The Lake Finder page on the TPWD website can help anglers find lakes by region or alphabetically. Access to information and fishing tips on more than 150 lakes are available. Check out the River Fishing page to find out where to get access on our flowing waters.

Saltwater Fishing from a Pier – There are numerous wheelchair accessible fishing piers available for public use up and down the coast. Piers are a great place for the entire family to try saltwater fishing without the need for a boat. Public access sites can be found in every bay system.

Visit Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center – Grab your family for a day of free fishing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is offering free admission for everyone, and visitors will have a chance to catch a tagged catfish and win a prize. Hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks are on sale beginning at 11 a.m. and available while supplies last. Visitors can watch the dive show at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., followed by hatchery tram tours immediately after each show. Visitors may bring their own fishing tackle or borrow gear from the TFFC.

Visit Sea Center Texas – Grab your fishing poles, bait and lawn chairs for a free fishing event for youth 2-17. It takes place from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson. Visitors can also explore aquaria and exhibits of Texas marine life, the largest redfish hatchery in the world, 36 one-acre fish culture ponds, an outdoor wetland exhibit and a 20-foot touch pool that allows visitors to gently touch marine animals such as blue crabs, hermit crabs, stone crabs, snails and even anemones.

Go Fishing in the City – TPWD’s Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes provide urban angling access for the entire family across the state. In all, 18 Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes provide a great opportunity to catch channel catfish including five in Dallas-Fort Worth, four in the Houston area, two each in the Austin and San Antonio areas, and one each in Amarillo, College Station, San Angelo, Waco and Wichita Falls. Information on lake locations and how-to fishing videos can be found on the Neighborhood Fishin’ website.

Community Fishing Lakes – Live Oak City (CFL), Graham Pond Park (CFL), Waterloo Park Pond (CFL) and William Blair Jr. Park Pond East (CFL) are all hosting special events for Free Fishing Day. TPWD Inland Fisheries Dallas-Fort Worth District staff will be on hand at William Blair Jr. Park Pond for Representative Crockett’s Fish N’ Kids event from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. TPWD staff will provide casting education, supply loaner tackle and help the families fish. A display of local fish species that occur in local waters will be on site for attendees to view and learn about fish morphology and biology. Check out all the community fishing lakes in Texas which can be great options for Free Fishing Day and year-round.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge – From 10 a.m. to noon the Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge are hosting a special “Refuge Rocks” fishing event for children ages 4-16 .

Go Kayak Fishing on a Texas Paddling Trail - With more than 3,700 named streams, 15 major rivers and some 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline along the Gulf Coast, Texas offers unlimited possibilities for paddling adventures and angling opportunities of all types. Enjoy improved and maintained fishing and paddling access to rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, bayous and bays on any of the 78 official Texas Paddling Trails available throughout the state.

Year-from-Purchase All-Water Fishing Package for Texas residents offers a great value, allowing anglers to fish in fresh and salt water. It’s valid from the date of purchase through the end of the purchase month of the next license year. (Example: License purchased on March 13, 2022 expires March 31, 2023)

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Trinity River basin’s regional flood planning group to meet

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From Enterprise Staff

trinity regional flood planning groupA public meeting of the Trinity Regional Flood Planning Group (Trinity RFPG) is slated for 10 a.m. today (Thursday). The meeting will take place in a hybrid format, including an in-person meeting at

the Houston County Electric Cooperative’s Community Room located at 1701 Southeast Loop 304 in Crockett and the option of participating via videoconference or teleconference. To participate in the videoconference, go to bit.ly/3PyIRvt. To participate in the teleconference, call 1-408-418-9388 and use this access code 2498 804 2888.

All stakeholders and interested parties should be advised that the meeting materials have been posted online and may be viewed by going to the Trinity RFPG website homepage at trinityrfpg.org.

Among the agenda topics for this meeting is a potential action item to approve a list of recommended Flood Management Evaluations (FMEs), Flood Management Strategies (FMSs) and Flood

Mitigation Projects (FMPs) for inclusion in the draft Regional Flood Plan later this summer. Additionally, the consultant team will provide updates on their work to date on Chapters 4, 5, 8 and 9 of the draft Regional Flood Plan.

Those wishing to provide oral public comments during the meeting are encouraged to register in advance by emailing Owen Ramsey at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 9 a.m. to provide your name, phone number, email address and who you represent, as well as to indicate if you wish to comment on a specific agenda item or provide general comments.

Those wishing to provide written comments prior to or after the meeting, please email your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include “Region 3 Trinity Flood Planning Group Meeting” in the subject line of the email.

For more details, or to see the agenda, visit the Trinity RFPG website at trinityrfpg.org. Additional information about the state and regional flood planning process may be found on the Texas Water

Development Board website at www.twdb.texas.gov.

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Big Thicket National Preserve Celebrates Texas Free Fishing Day

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Courtesy PhotoCourtesy Photo
 
KOUNTZE, Texas – Calling anglers of all ages! Visit Big Thicket National Preserve on Saturday, June 4th, for a free family fishing event. Together with theTexas Parks & Wildlife Department, we are providing certified Angler Education instructors to teach basic fishing skills to beginning anglers and their family members. If you’ve ever wanted to try fishing but aren’t sure where to start, this event is for you! Stop by anytime between 10 am and 1 pm and stay as long as you want.
The fishing event will be held on Village Creek at theTexas Highway 327 boat launchnear Silsbee. We will be set up on the west side of the creek, below the south side of the highway. There will be signs near the road to direct you.

Big Thicket National Preserve will have fishing gear for use, but you may bring your own gear as well. We ask that attendees bring bug spray, water, sun protection, and closed-toe shoes that can get dirty. No fishing license or reservations are required!

Big Thicket National Preserve is in Southeast Texas, near the city of Beaumont and 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres. The Big Thicket, often referred to as a “biological crossroads,” is a transition zone between four distinct vegetation types: the moist eastern hardwood forest, the southwestern desert, the southeastern swamp, and the central prairies. Species from all these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.

-NPS-

See Big Thicket National Preserve Celebrates Texas Free Fishing Day - Big Thicket National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) for more information
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GP recognized for conservation efforts

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Georgia-Pacific’s Diboll Lumber and Diboll Particleboard have been awarded the Resiliency Award for conserv-ing energy to help protect the Texas grid during last year’s winter storm. Accepting the award on behalf of Geor-gia-Pacific are (from left to right) Danny Wright, Diboll Lumber Plant Manager; and Pat Aldred, Vice-President of Composite Panels. Courtesy photoGeorgia-Pacific’s Diboll Lumber and Diboll Particleboard have been awarded the Resiliency Award for conserv-ing energy to help protect the Texas grid during last year’s winter storm. Accepting the award on behalf of Geor-gia-Pacific are (from left to right) Danny Wright, Diboll Lumber Plant Manager; and Pat Aldred, Vice-President of Composite Panels. Courtesy photo

DIBOLL—Georgia Pacific’s Diboll Lumber and Diboll Particleboard have been recognized for their efforts to help conserve energy following one the region’s most severe winter storms in February 2021. Enel X, an advanced energy services company that provides smart value-added services and solutions that enable businesses and communities to create, store, use, and manage energy more efficiently, has awarded the two local building products facilities with the prestigious Resiliency Award. 

East Texas is known for its warm and humid weather. Summers are hot and for the most part winters are mild, but last year that weather pattern took an unpredictable turn when a winter storm blew through the region dumping snow and ice while causing widespread power outages. Energy demand climbed to record levels for the season, putting extreme pressure on the Texas power grid system. In an effort to protect the state’s power gird, Georgia-Pacific’s Diboll mills chose to significantly reduce its power consumption.

“Georgia-Pacific was chosen for the Enel X Resiliency Award for reducing their energy load over the four-day emergency period to help the grid,” said Joel Obillo, Head of Demand Response for Enel X North America. “We appreciate their efforts to go above and beyond during critical times when it is needed most to help their local communities. This award is one way we can show our appreciation for those who are making a difference.”

Georgia-Pacific’s Diboll Lumber and Diboll Particleboard plants relied on back-up generation for several days to maintain power to critical infrastructure systems to minimize impact on the Texas grid. 

“It was an operational challenge, but we understood the significant positive impact our efforts would have on the area and the state of Texas,” said Danny Wright, Diboll Lumber Plant Manager. 

The two Georgia-Pacific plants have participated in the Enel X energy conservation program for many years, but this is the first time the facilities had to rely on backup generation for multiple days. 

“We usually reduce our energy consumption during the heat of the summer periodically for a couple of hours to help alleviate demand on the grid,” said David Thelen, Area OSB/CP Manager. “Despite the operational interruptions, doing our part to protect the power needs of our communities is the right thing to do.” 

Extreme weather events, like storm Uri in February, are becoming all too familiar. According to Obillo, companies can help protect the state’s ability to keep the power on. 

“Demand response efforts, like Georgia-Pacific’s Diboll plants demonstrated last year, are a great example of how companies can help stabilize and build a more resilient grid.”

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Suspect wanted by Livingston Police

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SuspectWanted

The Livingston Police Department is investigating the burglary of a vehicle, occurring in the parking lot of a local business. The vehicle seen in these photos capture the suspect’s vehicle. Those with information on the owner or location of this vehicle are asked to contact the Livingston Police Department at 936-327-3117 with reference case number 220502739.

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