According to Texas's Parks and Wildlife website, state perspective goals of Texas nature-based tourism are to promote both habitat conservation and sustainable development as well as enhancing public support for wildlife conservation programs.
According to Texas's Parks and Wildlife website, Texas was the first state in the U.S. to create wildlife viewing trails. The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, near South Padre Island, offers visitors multiple trails featuring bird watching of such species as migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes. According to the website for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, additional wildlife in the 45,187 acre refuge includes alligators, ocelots and Texas tortoises.
Texas has 600 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. Surfside Beach, 60 miles south of Houston Texas, features 21 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline. According to Surfside Beach Village's website, Surfside Beach produces some of the most consistent waves for surfing on the upper Texas coast.
A suitable spot for canoeing or kayaking along the Brazen River, the longest river in Texas, begins just below Possum Kingdom Lake's dam. Kayakers and canoeists are treated to mild to moderate flows of fresh, cool water along with views of the Palo Pinto Mountains.
