- ANNOUNCER: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.

- NARRATOR: Coming up on Texas Parks and Wildlife... - Dragonflies are oftentimes the one that really gets people hopping and excited.

- We believe strongly in the capability of blind people to do anything that we set our minds to.

- Learning to be a bison is hard work, especially when you have to walk on day one.

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks and Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[water rippling] [gentle music] - There's a lot of life along this river.

Really a magical place for me.

I just love to be here all the time.

♪ ♪ I am Caleb Helsel.

I live in Austin, Texas.

I've been a birder for six or seven years.

Bird watching's been a longtime hobby of mine.

One summer, I saw these people with big cameras, but they weren't looking at birds, they were looking at dragonflies.

So that made me curious what kind of species are around here that these people are seeing that are so interesting.

And that just got me down the path of curiosity.

[water rippling] There's an abundance of water here, kind of along a river the whole way with several ponds that attract a bunch of wildlife.

[bird chirping] Dragonflies like to lay their eggs in bodies of water.

As those eggs develop, they'll grow into nymphs, which are also hunters, like the adult dragonflies.

And they live the first part of their lives underwater hunting other aquatic insects.

And then when they're ready, they'll climb out of the water and turn into a dragonfly, which will fly around and hunt things like mosquitoes, gnats, and even other dragonflies, which is pretty cool.

Yeah, this is a male great blue skimmer right here.

Wow!

I think I've seen over a hundred species of dragonflies.

Every time I see a new one, it's just a little bit of enjoyment for me.

See if I can catch it.

Got it.

Let's have a look.

So be gentle.

You gotta make sure you hold them so that you don't harm them.

They sure are pretty.

This guy's a Rambur's forktail.

I'm gonna let him go.

Wee.

It's just nice to get intimate close views with a dragonfly actually in your hand.

When I started dragonflies, I couldn't recognize any species at all that I was seeing, but over time, I eventually kind of got familiar with the species in my area and was able to recognize all the species that I'm looking at.

This guy's a Blue Dasher.

I use iNaturalist.

It's a app and a website for people to post sightings of anything they see in nature.

And experts will give opinions about what species you're seeing, but eventually that knowledge actually builds up and you will become an expert on the species that you're seeing, and eventually you'll just be able to see it in the field and know what you're seeing.

[insect buzzing] It's always fun to discover uncommon ones that aren't regular for an area.

[gentle music] - I am John Abbott, Chief Curator and Director of Research and Collections for the University of Alabama Museums.

- My name is Kendra Abbott and I'm an ecologist.

What really gets me excited, what really wake me up in the morning is like discovery.

It's like being in the 1800s with Darwin, you know, traveling around the world and figuring out where species are, where they aren't.

Although Darwin didn't have a lot of the tools that we have today.

- JOHN: Oh yeah, look at the river.

- KENDRA: Yeah, it looks nice.

- We'll see the Erpetogomphus eutainia here for sure.

So, there are 250 species of dragonflies and damselflies, or odonates, known in Texas, and some of them are rarer than others.

And so what we're trying to do is better document some of those more rare or rarely seen species as a way to figure out if they need conservation help.

If a dragonfly is around in the water, it's shedding DNA.

And so we use this machine called ANDe to filter the DNA out of the water, and we'll be able to pick that up.

Even little particles of DNA, we'll be able to pick that up.

- We'll pull up about a liter of water.

We'll collect the DNA on a filter paper in here.

- JOHN: Then we will go back to the lab using the set of what are called primers, select for dragonflies, and the specific ones we're looking for, amplify them and compare that DNA to these known libraries of DNA out there to determine what's here.

- We could spend like 10 weeks looking for this species, trying to find the nymphs in the water, but in just 30 minutes, we could sample the water in the soil and then say, "Hey, you know what?"

Erpetogomphus is here," so I'm just gonna grab a soil sample because we might find the DNA in the soil if we miss it in the, the water.

- JOHN: It's much more efficient in terms of just the amount of time it takes to potentially get an idea of what dragonfly species are here.

It can detect potentially really rare species, and we're not having to kill anything.

We're actually just literally filtering the DNA out of the water.

- I really love using tools like environmental DNA to be able to really figure out what's happening with these rare species.

What is their range?

Where are they, you know?

Can we find them this year?

And then maybe we don't find them in five years.

And then we know, "Hey, we really need to focus on conserving this species."

Something's changed in this habitat that doesn't allow it to persist anymore.

- JOHN: Dragonflies are oftentimes the one that really gets people hopping and excited.

It pulls people over from studying birds and from studying butterflies, just because it's such a new group that hasn't received so much attention in the past.

There's a real opportunity for enthusiasts who contribute real science.

- Oh, male roseate skimmer on this twig.

You can just keep going to a place, and the more times you go there, the more chances you'll have at finding a larger variety of different species.

This here is an American rubyspot.

It's a kind of damselfly, and you can usually tell the difference between dragonflies and damselflies by the way they hold their wings when they're perched.

So damselflies like this will usually hold their wings close together and straight up over their backs, while dragonflies will usually have their wings spread out so you can see all four of them.

Before, I was just looking for birds, but now I have a whole 'nother species to look for.

I dunno if I could get burned out.

I mean, if I see all the dragonfly species, I can start looking at the butterfly species and the plant species.

There's always more to learn.

- Lake Corpus Christi State Park, this is Kelly.

How can I help you?

What gets me is the surprise.

Yeah, no, we do have some cabins available.

When they ask for the superintendent, and I like pop around the corner and I'm like, "Hey, yeah, my name's Kelly.

How can I help you?"

And they're like, "You?

You are the superintendent?"

I'm like, "Yeah, they gave me the job.

It's pretty cool, huh?"

- Sure, I sure can.

- NARRATOR: Women now make up half of all employees at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

As they rise up in the ranks, they're discovering unique challenges in once male-dominated jobs.

Now, they've found a new way to support each other and problem-solve together.

- Installment of SP Wild, the committee meeting.

- SP Wild is the little committee that could.

- NARRATOR: State Park Women in LeadHERship Development meets each quarter for extra training and to discuss different ways to navigate challenges.

- Our motto is "We lift as we rise," and that's all about, you know, reaching the hand back to the next person, finding those opportunities to support and uplift those who are coming up through the ranks.

- And we're here in the office till 4:30 today.

- KELLY: We see a lot of really phenomenal women in office roles.

We don't often see them out in the park and field roles, - And you just wanna tap it on the bottom.

- The opportunity to have continued conversations, not just about training, but about uniquely challenging situations that women face.

It's been such a incredible blessing for each one of us to be a part of.

- Yeah, once my kid gets here, there'll be a hard stop and a big adjustment.

There's some parallels between parenting my kid and parenting the park.

So, you know, she's passed the stage where she wakes me up in the middle of the night, but the park isn't.

So I might get that 2:00 AM wake up call, "Hey, the power's out at my site, can you come and help me?"

- A happy, healthy mom, just like the park deserves, a happy, healthy - KELLY: a happy, healthy - superintendent - KELLY: superintendent, yeah, yep, yep.

- SHANNON: Those challenges present unique opportunities for us to get really good at delegation, for us to get really good in investing in other people so that when we need to step away, our teams feel empowered.

- Whatever I'm going through, whatever hardship or suffering, whatever hesitation I have, there's someone I can pick up that phone and they're right there with me.

Either they're in that same pit I'm climbing out of or they're like, "Hey, this is a good workaround.

Let's try that."

- SHANNON: State Park Women in LeadHERship Development has meant so much to me personally and professionally.

It's been incredibly motivating and inspiring.

It also lets me know that our future is bright.

- It's called a cricket frog, and they'll get bigger than this.

- KELLY: I've had some phenomenal male leaders that have had my back, that have been there to support me, that have encouraged me to build these relationships with other women in the agency because we do have sometimes a different workload.

- SHANNON: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's future is bright because of the incredible women and many others across the agency that I have the opportunity to work with.

[gentle music] [birds chirping] - ASHTON: There is birds which appear really energetic, and the breeze is pretty good, it's not too sunny, shady, and the wind itself is not too strong either.

Might be hearing an insect or two, the wind may be rustling a few leaves but can't really say, there's too much to hear.

- NORMA: This program this weekend is about more than going outside and getting involved in wilderness activities, it's really about learning to be a true participant in life.

So welcome to BOLD, and thank you so much for coming.

[applause] Blind people can live the lives they want, and it's really as much about that as it is about being outdoors.

It's learning that you can accomplish things whether or not there's a sighted person to help you.

Very often, a lot of young blind kids are not encouraged to get out independently without a sighted person to use their cane travel skills effectively.

Today, they were led on a hiking run by blind people.

- Nobody should go past me.

- NORMA: So they got to use their canes, they had to, in order to be able to maneuver the trail.

[rocks rustling] - I would really recommend that someone else do this as well because it's a great way to gain even more independence for one thing, and for another, even if you're not an outdoor person like me, you might find that you'll really enjoy everything.

[gentle music] - NORMA: We believe strongly in the capability of blind people to do anything that we set our minds to.

[uplifting music] - Now it'll roll open okay, you wanna set it down on the ground?

- Yeah.

- Why don't we set it... - NORMA: High expectations for independence for blind people is really important, we want them to be able to grow up and live whatever life they wanna live.

[fire crackling] And so that's why we think today is so important.

♪ We can live the life we want yes we know the truth ♪ One more time.

♪ Live the life we want nobody can stop you ♪ ♪ Shoot for the stars and break on through ♪ ♪ So you're blind you'll be fine you've got the truth ♪ ♪ We can live the life we want yes we know the truth ♪ - Today, we hosted the national federation of the blind.

The touch table I have set up today with them is all of the animals that they would find in the park and have them be able to experience, 'cause some of them have never been able to see, hear, or be able to touch them, so being able to feel the different textures of their hair, of their fur, to some of their claws that they have, super great experience for them.

- Honestly, I didn't think it would be this furry.

- BOY: Wait, is that?

- SAMANTHA: They're on top of the skull.

- ASHTON: Is this the real skull?

- SAMANTHA: Uh-huh.

- Oh, wow.

[Samantha laughs] Here at Parks we have this gift, and it's something that we should be able to provide for everybody.

[birds chirping] - The weekend was for the children, but also for us as parents to see that as a blind adult he can do things, and he will be able to do anything like we can.

You know, he was in a kayak boat with a blind instructor, I mean that to me was amazing.

[upbeat music] - NORMA: Blindness is not a characteristic that really defines who we are, it's really just one aspect of who we are, and that we are really like everyone else.

♪ ♪ [bison hooves thundering] [wind blustering] - MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: For millennia, herds of bison roamed across Texas by the millions.

Their grazing patterns shaped our landscapes and their meat and hides nourished the people who lived here.

[wind and hooves] But their ability to thrive was no match for westward expansion.

[wind blows] [gentle music] They attracted market hunters west, where an experienced buffalo hunter could often kill hundreds a day.

Their hides and tongues were sold to markets along the East coast in Europe.

[gentle music] By the late 1800s, our wildlife was decimated.

♪ ♪ [static] [static] Legend has it that Texas rancher, Molly Goodnight, heard the last bison calves crying out for their slaughtered mothers.

Of the five million in Texas, only five remained.

[melancholy music] She saved them and their numbers grew.

♪ ♪ They lived in Palo Duro Canyon into the 1990s when they were given to Texas Parks and Wildlife and moved to Caprock Canyon State Park.

♪ ♪ These are their descendants.

The survivors of the great southern plains bison herd.

[bison grunts] ♪ ♪ The herd is over 300 strong... and this is the future.

[bison grunting] [birds chirping] Learning to be a bison is hard work, especially when you have to walk on day one.

[birds chirping] These wobbly legs will need to be strengthened, and, it's a good thing mom's there to help.

[cheerful music] They have an entire prairie to explore and neighbors to meet.

♪ ♪ And they're not the only babies.

♪ ♪ Like all communities, there's always that one neighbor coming out of their hole with their feathers all ruffled.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There's a diversity of creatures on these planes, and this calf needs to learn how to run in order to keep up with the herd one day, which will take some practice.

♪ ♪ [owl alerting] [prairie dog chirps] [suspenseful music] ♪ ♪ [upbeat music] [birds singing] [birds singing] These calves may only be a few weeks old, but the blood of Texas survivors flows through their veins.

[dramatic music] They were born to run.

[hooves pounding] [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ These bison won't roam the same prairies as their ancestors, but there is room to expand.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [bison grunting] There are public lands across Texas that can be restored with bison.

Many ranches have already answered their call.

♪ ♪ Bison herds are expanding across the state and they aren't alone.

♪ ♪ Following the great slaughter of the late 1800s, a series of laws were passed to recover our wildlife.

Commercial market hunting was put to an end, and conservation-minded sportsmen advocated for hunting limits and seasons.

The creation of forest, parks and refuges provided habitat and international agreements protected migratory birds.

♪ ♪ The combined efforts to restore some animals have been remarkably successful, and many species that were killed out of an area have been reintroduced.

[elk bugles] In Texas today, elk bugle from mountaintops, pronghorn grace the prairie and desert bighorn have returned to their mountain homes.

These recoveries are largely due to people who have dedicated and some who have given their lives to restore our wildlife.

♪ ♪ [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] [water flowing] This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.