05-19 | Texas Parks and Wildlife Launches “Better Outside” Podcast

May 19, 2025

Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030

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AUSTIN— Plug in some headphones or turn up your car radio because the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is launching a new podcast — “Better Outside.” Podcast listeners will travel the woods and waters of Texas through an array of awe-inspiring stories about conservation, recreation and the outdoors.

The show is hosted by Morgan O’Hanlon, senior writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, and TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz. Subscribe now to be notified when the first episodes drop May 21 on all major podcast platforms and BetterOutside.com

“People are at the core of conservation work in Texas,” said Yoskowitz. “I’m excited for you to hear their voices straight from the field, so they can share why the work they do matters and the impact it makes.”

In each episode, the hosts will take you on an acoustic journey to a place where Texans are working to build a better outside. Whether it’s building a new trail, exploring a park or bringing back an endangered species, the topics will transport listeners to new places and teach them about the ecological gems hidden across the Lone Star State.

“I love adventure sports and am excited to inspire people to try new, and sometimes scary, things,” O’Hanlon says. “In our episode on the Devils River, I took my non-outdoorsy mom on one of the state’s most feared paddling trips. You’ll hear straight from her about the challenges I put her through — and why she would do it again.”

The first season will feature a variety of topics, including restoring bighorn sheep in West Texas, charting a new trail across Texas and following feral hog bounty hunters in the Hill Country.

“Better Outside” builds upon the TPWD’s legacy of producing exceptional audio content. “Under the Texas Sky,” the agency’s first podcast, launched in 2019 and ceased production shortly after the retirement of its host, Cecilia Nasti. Prior to the launch of the podcast, Nasti produced a short-form radio segment, “Passport to Texas,” which ran for 26 years.

Archived episodes of the “Under the Texas Sky” and “Passport to Texas” can be found online at underthetexassky.org and passporttotexas.org.

Photos and a logo highlighting the “Better Outside” podcast can be found on the TPWD Flickr page.

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