TF&G Editor Honored For Bear Conservation

TEXAS FISH & GAME Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore was honored by the Press Club of Southeast Texas for his “Be Texas Bear Aware” public service announcements that run on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI. The goal is to help the Texas black bear comeback.

Moore took first place in the Radio Public Service Announcement category at the group’s annual Excellence in Media awards.

Chester Moore and KLVI’s Harold Mann show off their first place awards at the Press Club of Southeast Texas’s annual awards ceremony. (Photo: Jim Love)

“It’s a real honor to be awarded by such a great organization and especially for something so special to me,” Moore said.

“I had the opportunity to create public service announcements on wildlife for KLVI, which is always great about supporting wildlife conservation. The first one I came up with was the issue of black bears.”

Moore said many outdoor lovers are not aware that black bears are moving in and out of Texas through Louisiana and Arkansas, and that a growing population exists in the Trans Pecos region.

“I want people to be aware of bears,” he said. “Part of that is educating hog hunters to be careful of their targets as a bear and a hog can appear similar at a distance, especially if you have no idea bears are in the area. I also wanted to get the message across that killing a bear in Texas is illegal. The population has not grown large enough to justify a hunting season—yet.”

Moore has long worked to get the word out on Texas bears, creating a bear awareness poster, partnering with Texas Fish & Game beginning in 2007 that has gone to thousands of readers and other concerned citizens and students. TF&G has distributed it through the magazine, e-newsletter and through high school wildlife classes.

“Black bears are an important part of Texas’ legacy and seeing them come back is exciting,” Moore said. “If my efforts and those of my media partners such as KLVI and Texas Fish & Game help a little bit, that makes me happy.

Moore also placed in four other categories including radio talk show for Moore Outdoors on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI, a pink dolphin photo and photo gallery from fishgame.com and an independent blog for The Wildlife Journalist.

—from TPWD

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