Water in Texas One of Our Most Precious and Important Resources Slide background photo of the Guadalupe River courtesy of

Texas Bodies of Water A Map of Texas Rivers Click on the link below to see a map of the major rivers in Texas. ountrys/namerica/usstates/cities/txri vers.htm On your answer sheet, write down the name of a city that is on the Guadalupe River. Water Concerns The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has a program called KAST. Visit the page below to read about this program. environconcerns/kills_and_spills/ On your answer sheet, write down what KAST stands for on #2. Then, on #3, write down what these biologists do. Background photo of Pecan Park on the San Marcos River courtesy of

Water for Getting Around Our ancestors had to find ways to cross rivers and streams to get from one place to another. They built bridges, ran ferry crossings, and went up and down the rivers in all kinds of boats. Let’s visit Los Ebanos at the website below to read a little about an early ferry crossing. Scroll down to see the ferry as it is today. BC.htm Click on the link to see a close-up view of the historical marker and read about this famous crossing. On your answer sheet (# 4), fill in the blank in this sentence: “This is known as the only government- licensed _______ on any boundary of the United States.” Background photo of Blanco River courtesy of

Water as Nourishment Most of the major lakes in Texas were created by humans to provide drinking water for the surrounding areas. A man-made, or artificial lake is also called a __________________ (this is #5 on your answer sheet; this word is on the webpage you will visit below). These lakes also provide important income for the areas because of the recreational opportunities they provide. They also have their own set of problems, such as drowning deaths, unsafe boating activities, vegetation problems and pollution. Lake Livingston was created in the 1960s by the Trinity River Authority and the city of Houston to create a water supply for that city. Visit the website below to see what information the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers about Lake Livingston State Park. On your answer sheet (#6), write down how many acres Lake Livingston covers. BONUS POINTS (Bonus #1) for finding out which river was dammed to create this lake. Background photo of Lake Livingston courtesy of

Water as Entertainment The rivers, streams and lakes in Texas provide us all with many recreational opportunities, from swimming and tubing, to boating and fishing. The Vanishing Texas River Cruise, pictured in this background slide, offers a boat tour on a Texas waterway. Visit the website below for the answer to BONUS #2: What lake and river are involved in this tour. Recently the state of Texas has suffered drought conditions. Visit the website below for information about what happens when man- made lakes fall to very low levels towns-graves/Ghost LakesGhost Lakes On your answer sheet, write down the name of the town that became visible again because of drought conditions at Lake Buchanan (#7). Background photo of the Blanco River courtesy of ttp://

Endangered Texas Rivers Rivers in Texas do not run as freely as they once did. People have damaged the rivers in Texas in many different ways. Visit the TRPA homepage to see what the protectors of Texas Rivers intend to do to keep our waterways running. On your answer sheet, write down what TRPA stands for. Background photo of the Medina River courtesy of

Protect our Precious Resource So the next time you are visiting one of the state of Texas’ lakes, rivers or streams, keep in mind that our water sources are very precious. Think about what you leave behind that could be harmful to the next visitor. Respect our water sources so that future generations can enjoy them as much as we have. This slide shows Garner State Park. Have you ever been there? Write a short paragraph about Garner or any other river parks you have visited. Background photo of Garner State Park courtesy of