In 2024, our editorial team published over 500 pages of content across 10 issues of the magazine – the equivalent of reading Pride and Prejudice or Great Expectations in one sitting. Keep the pride. Hold the prejudice or expectations. 

We hope you enjoyed every word and felt transported with each photograph and flip of the page. And we hope the magazine served as a way to escape, self-educate, and inspire you to get outside or try something new. Below are just a few of our team's favorite stories from the past year, deemed worthy of a second (or third) read. 

Is there a story that stuck with you this year? Drop us a note and let us know what you loved most at [email protected]. 

Eva Frederick, Managing Editor

Rim-to-Rim by Russell Roe

"A group of hikers trek a newly created route from one side of Palo Duro Canyon State Park to the other. As the country's second largest canyon – after the Grand Canyon – it's exciting to see one of our state parks get its own awesome, adventurous rim-to-rim hike!"

Emily Ankney, Business Manager

Look Again! by Sheryl Smith Rodgers

"With stunning pictures and an incredible, visually appealing layout, it's impossible for this story not to catch your eye. Also, with an undergrad in biology and master's in environmental science – where a majority of my thesis was spent identifying macro-invertebrates in a stream – I found this article particularly fascinating. There are so many examples of ways animals and bugs have adapted for survival!"

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Nathan Adams, Content Manager

Move Over, Mockingbird? by Russell Roe

"I’m calling dibs on this one. I love the diversity of opinions from notable birders, the variety of birds spotlighted, and the eight different bird vote covers. While my personal vote would go to the golden-cheeked warbler, I want a 'You Bet I’m Running' roadrunner button!"

Chase Fountain, Photographer

Go Long by Scott Dubois 

"I like this article on many levels. First, it was enjoyable to read, but it was even more enjoyable to photograph. My daughter accompanied me on this assignment and was featured and photographed in the Lost Maples State Natural Area section of the article."

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Russell Roe, Editor

The Search for the Lost Salamander by Eva Frederick

"I loved this one for several reasons. For one, it depicts a scientist’s unlikely, quixotic quest to find evidence of a possibly extinct salamander that lives underground. Second, it shines a light on a new scientific tool like eDNA by showing a real-world example of how it’s used. Third, this paragraph summed things up nicely and got me hooked into the story: 'Gluesenkamp has hope for the Blanco blind salamander. And over the past few years, he's embarked on an ambitious search to find them. His journey has taken him to the frontiers of genetic analysis and into caves far beneath the Texas Hill Country. The salamander still eludes him, but perhaps not for long, thanks to cutting-edge molecular techniques.'"

Martha Gazella-Taylor, Publications Designer

In The Thick Of It by Denise Viosca Gary

"Eloquently written by a mother and shot by her son, I like the totality of its message and photography – it conveys the importance of being stewards of our lands for future generations, as well as enjoying them and immersing ourselves in them. To that point, we showcase the Big Thicket in all its tangled, green glory with large photos and a double page spread, complete with a QR code invitation to enjoy a soundscape of that area – an immersive feature I'm hoping to include again in future issues. And if the story seems to be getting a bit too earnest for some readers, there's an interesting (and somewhat sinister) sidebar covering the carnivorous plants of the Big Thicket. 'Swollen Bladderwort' anyone?"

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Happy New Year from all of us at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine.

We can't wait for you to see what stories we're working on for 2025.

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