The oil industry vigorously opposed efforts to list the threatened dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species. But three oil company lobbyists were given day-to-day oversight of the effort to save the reptile.

Parks advocates on Thursday urged state lawmakers to fund the Texas Parks and Wildlife Local Park Grant Program, which has provided more than $390.2 million in matching grants for local parks projects across the state. 

Some legislators say the practice of diverting funds earmarked for state parks compromises the integrity of the state budget and the quality of parks.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department would close seven state parks based on current budget proposals in the House and Senate. 

"Pocket prairies" have been popping up all over Houston, helping beautify the city while preserving the native plants that are now harder to find in Harris County.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is still feeling the effects of last year's wildfires, drought and budget cuts, but officials say the situation is improving with increased park attendance and donations. 

The former county judge on why he's running for chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, what would pull the party out of the doldrums and what he thinks of the Republicans.

After a wildfire in September burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park, the park is beginning to recover, and this month parts of the park opened for the first time since January.

Less than a year after a wildfire burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park’s 6,613 acres, the park is bouncing back. Here's a photographic trip through the park, where camping areas and hiking trails having recently reopened.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has suspended the killing of wild burros in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

State officials launched a campaign this week soliciting donations to help fund Texas parks, which saw a drop-off in visitors this year because of record heat and wildfires. Matt Largey of KUT News reports.

Only you can help Texas parks recover from devastating wildfires and a dropoff in visitor-generated revenue, the state parks department says. The agency launched a campaign today asking for donations to help fill a $4.6 million budget hole. 

DAY 26 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: 23 of the state's 94 parks face reductions in staff or operations.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is warning that the worst one-year drought on record is causing black bears to change their behavior, roaming farther from traditional habitats and potentially becoming more aggressive toward people.

Throughout August, the Tribune will feature 31 ways Texans' lives will change come Sept. 1, the date most bills passed by the Legislature take effect. DAY 18: The sport of catching catfish with bare hands, known as noodling, is now legal in Texas. Watch the Trib's interview with filmmaker and avid noodler Bradley Beesley.

So far this year, the Texas Forest Service has responded to roughly 1,500 wildfires across Texas, the damage of which spreads across 2.5 million acres, according to our interactive map. And burn bans are spreading just as fast. 

Hand fishing — that is, sticking your hand down the throat of a fish — is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. But not for long. State lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill to legalize hand fishing, sending it to the governor.

Amid the budget drama of the day, senators had a few moments of levity when they brought up the "noodling" bill, which would legalize the practice of hand-fishing for catfish.