- 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... - The Honey Creek system doesn't live in a vacuum.

It's within a spring system that is very vulnerable.

- The compound that we're spraying inside this roost kills the fungus and it prevents the fungus from growing.

- They're a cute little animal everybody likes to look at, but there's over 150 other species that have been known to utilize Prairie Dog towns.

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

[water flowing] [water flowing] [gentle piano music] - CARTER: Honey Creek is one of the great crown jewels of the Texas Hill Country.

- It's one of the most fantastic natural areas in the United States.

♪ ♪ - This amazing spring-fed system that feeds the Guadalupe.

You get down into that canyon with these giant cypress trees.

- The Nature Conservancy worked throughout the 1980s to acquire the property, and then transfer it to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

- CARTER: And the result was, the several thousand acres State Natural Area that's known as Honey Creek.

[upbeat music] But that was done in the '80s.

And while at that time, it was certainly logical to kind of declare victory, as time has gone on and development pressures have ensued, we've focused more on watershed scales of protection.

- JEFF: The Honey Creek system doesn't live in a vacuum.

It's within a spring system that is very vulnerable.

It's really incredible this time of year.

I love how clear aquarium-like it is.

And for decades, things went along swimmingly, until the last few years when development pressure became very intense.

- People are moving here in droves because it's the way it is, but the more that come, the quicker it changes.

Trying to make them understand you've gotta preserve what it was that brought them here in the first place.

- DR. ANDREW: And what really reactivated this project, was a proposed 2,600-lot subdivision adjacent to the Honey Creek State Natural Area, with the runoff from that going right in to Honey Creek.

- Too much development, too close to the waterway, leads to erosion, degradation in water quality, and quantity.

We've all seen it if we grew up here, that a creek, or a spring that we knew about or loved, it's not there anymore.

The pristine waters and wildlife of Honey Creek could not survive that kind of development.

- We had to find a way to save it.

- FEMALE REPORTER: KHOU 11 morning news starts now.

- MALE REPORTER: Next, a big step toward environmental conservation here in Texas.

A 515-acre expansion near San Antonio.

It'll become part of the Honey Creek State Natural Area located in the Hill Country.

- We know that conservation in this state cannot be done without working with private landowners.

- If the subdivision would've happened, it would've been a pretty good source of income, for my kids and my grandkids.

So, we brought them into the equation, and said, "Hey, what do y'all think?"

Because it was a huge financial ask of them also.

And it was wonderful, because they all sat down and said, "Dad, if it could be a park we could drive by and see the rest of our lives, and our grandkids lives, let's make it a park."

- It was a complete surprise that that was even a possibility.

And early on, I think if it would've, if we'd have known that, we'd have probably approached it right away, up front.

- If landowners don't act, in a state like Texas that's 97% private property, all of those things, the open space, the wildlife, the water quality, that brought people here in the first place, could be lost.

- I said, I'm gonna meet with the board of directors.

I sent her a picture and it was all nine of my grandkids standing on a rock at our swimming pool.

And I said, "Here's my board of directors."

They all, "Yay.

We want it to be a park Papa."

[gentle piano music] - Honey Creek's a perfect example of that, where we had a willing family that wanted to conserve this place.

Landowners committed to seeing their property protected as they pass it down to future generations.

[gentle music] - DR. ANDREW: One of the most wonderful things about Honey Creek was that it was a poster child for what we were trying to tell people to do.

- The Honey Creek Watershed is about 8,000 acres and with agreements we have with private landowners, more than half of that will be permanently conserved.

This isn't to say that the story is complete.

We are working with landowners to maintain as much natural area and buffer around the Honey Creek Spring, and the Honey Creek State Natural Area as possible.

- That's what a true land steward is.

People who not only talk the talk, but they walk the walk.

[gentle music] - NARRATOR: Texas is home to some amazing bats.

There are more than 30 species here.

[bats calling] While different and unique, these flying mammals face all kinds of threats.

[traffic rumbles] - NATE: We're at the McNeil Bridge in Round Rock, this is an I-35 bridge north of Austin.

[somber music] This is one of the largest urban bat colonies in the state.

- NARRATOR: A winter storm has hit this Mexican free-tailed bat colony especially hard and biologist, Nate Fuller is here to see how they're doing.

- We're trying to understand what the impact of the cold storm was.

I wouldn't hesitate to say that there are probably 10,000 dead bats in the area of this entire bridge.

[somber music] Are you okay?

Oh, you poor thing.

Some of the early migrants have come back because we've had such a warm winter and this cold event caught them off guard.

[somber music] They can't go out and forage, these bats are probably rather dehydrated, they're definitely starving and so we think what's happening here, we've got a pretty big die-off related to a lack of food and water, rather than direct effects of the freeze.

[somber music] - NARRATOR: Nate's job is to keep an eye on the bat populations around the state.

In East Texas, inside some culverts, the rare tri-colored bat faces another challenge.

Biologists are worried about a deadly fungal disease called White Nose Syndrome.

- White Nose Syndrome is all over North America right now and it is knocking on the door of lots of sensitive bat populations in Texas.

If the fungus gets here to these sites in East Texas, we expect that the populations of tri-color bats will be wiped out by the disease.

- NARRATOR: To fight the fungus, they came up with a fungicide-spraying -- - Here you go.

- NARRATOR: Culvert-crawling contraction.

- Push the wheels out.

- And I can turn it on, and turn it back off.

So we have a custom-built remote control that allows us to remotely turn on and off our dispersal device, which we're gonna push into the culvert and we're gonna turn on remotely which will then disperse the chemicals that should kill the fungus or at least suppress it from growing.

- So we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make this work.

We had early ideas of running tubing down the culvert with vents on it so it would spray the whole way and couldn't figure out how that would work and we had all kinds of crazy ideas and finally we came on this idea of a cart and it seems to work pretty well.

[cart rattling] - This is a species that's one of the hardest hit by White Nose Syndrome.

Within two years of the White Nose fungus entering a culvert or a cave system, you can see up to a 99% decline in the population.

[cart rattling] - NATE: So the goal here is to protect these very sensitive species of bat from the disease before it gets here.

[tarp flapping] [dramatic music] [water dripping] - KYLE: So what we're attempting here is a type of fumigation.

This method we developed is a way that we can treat all of the bats at once.

We can keep the bats where they are inside of the culvert and we can disperse these chemicals in the air so we can treat at the colony level.

[machine whirring] It's looking good.

Two minutes, 20 seconds left.

- NATE: The compound that we're spraying inside this roost doesn't affect the bats at all.

It is strictly a fungicide.

It kills the fungus and it prevents the fungus from growing.

The bats are fine.

The bats will survive this treatment just fine.

The fungus will not and thus won't cause White Nose Syndrome in the future.

[tarp flapping] - JONAH: The plan right now is to slow down the impact of the disease and give the bats some time to pass around resistance or some sort of tolerance to the fungus.

- Our hope is that by keeping these populations healthy, we can provide a remnant population that will be protected from White Nose Syndrome for years to come and maybe at some point, be the source of re-population for the rest of the region.

- NARRATOR: There's also a glimmer of hope back underneath that bridge.

- Come on, come on.

These guys went through a challenge, but it looks like a good number of them made it through.

[dramatic music] I really think that, you know, most of the population is still down south, so I'm hoping that when those come back, this is gonna be a big, vibrant colony again.

[dramatic music] ♪ ♪ [lively piano music] - This water is so crystal-clear, you just feel like you're in an aquarium.

[water gurgling] When you get on the same level as the fish, you feel like you're a part of their world.

It makes any catch a lot more rewarding.

[lively piano music] A bit part of my motivation is branching out from sportfish fishing.

You wanna get more in tune with what all is around you, you know.

You want to see what else is out there, what you can get.

My goal as an angler really is to catch as many different species of fish as possible.

Part of the enjoyable part of microfishing is going to new places where you can find a rich diversity of fish.

Beautiful springs and pristine habitat.

But almost everybody's got a stream within walking distance of their house whether they know it or not.

[gentle piano music] My name is Nick Loveland and I'm a microfisherman.

And a multi-species fisherman.

Gambusia.

Big old mosquito fish.

A micro species is pretty much defined as anything that as a full-grown adult wouldn't ever get over one pound.

The art of microfishing has been around for a long time out of the United States.

In Japan, they've been doing it for close to a hundred years for tanago, a species of fish there.

But in the United States, microfishing, I've only heard of it probably within the last five years.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's dedicated hobbyists that have been doing it for a lot longer than that.

Today, we're at the North Fork of the Guadalupe River.

It's just so beautiful out here, and it happens to be a great place for microfishing too.

Oh yeah.

Big old Mexican tetra.

It's pretty funny to catch a trophy microfish.

There's definitely a humorous aspect to it.

[laughs] There's actually a lot bigger ones in here.

See that piranha mouth?

The Mexican tetra is a really fun micro to catch.

They're actually pretty closely related to a piranha down the evolutionary line.

If they were the size of a bass, nobody would be swimming out here.

Definitely a trophy micro from some out-of-staters to come to Texas and pursue.

I'll start out with the easy ones.

See if I can get one of these mosquito fish.

A big part about ethically microfishing is just staying educated.

Knowing where you are and what species you're bound to encounter.

Got him.

Gambusia affinis.

Straight into some fresh water.

And just prioritizing fish health.

Keeping a small photo tank with some water to keep the fish healthy and practice ethical catch and release.

A pair of hemostats really helps with grabbing and dislodging these micro hooks once you catch a fish.

There he is.

I would say the most important part is just knowing what you're going to catch.

Doing some research, figuring out what species you're targeting.

Texas shiner.

It's really about knowing where you are and what you're likely to come across.

And not breaking any laws, you know it's not legal to handle protected fish or to target them, so just staying informed is a big part of microfishing.

When I started fishing as a young kid, I was always the kind of kid who had his nose in a field guide, I think.

My dad always had a bunch laying around and I realized that I was catching more than just perch.

You know there were six or seven different species of sunfish that I was pulling in.

After I realized I'd caught most of the fish in one part of the field guide, I wanted to move on a see what was in the next.

Just like birding, a lot of multi-species anglers build a life list, and some of these lists approach 1,000 or 2,000 species.

It's incredible.

The method of microfishing a lot of times is dependent on the species.

So if I'm gonna be targeting bottom-dwelling species like darters that are really colorful, a lot of times I'm going to need to get down on their level with them, and the best way to do that is with snorkeling.

[water flowing] [upbeat music] Putting your head underwater, it just, you don't even feel like you're on earth anymore.

You're like you're that kid always wanted to jump in with the fish at Sea World and you finally get to do it.

[laughs] When you angle for a fish and you can actually get it to eat something and observe it and catch it on hook and line, you learn a lot more about its biology, you get more in touch with its habitat, where you can find it.

It's a little more rewarding.

[sonar pings] Standing above them, they kind of view you as a predator, like a, you know, you can picture a heron wading around and trying to stab fish out of the water.

But once you get on their level, the fish really seem to tolerate your presence a lot better.

There's a ton of species that get congregated around these springs that you can't find in a lot of other places.

Anybody who doesn't like leeches hasn't seen one like this.

[playful music] Pretty much the top of the trophy list for a lot of these micro anglers is darters.

We have two species here in the Hill Country, the green throat darter and the orange throat darter.

Both of them are just absolutely gorgeous.

It's sort of a milestone once you can catch one.

[playful music] ♪ ♪ Yes.

That's a trophy right there.

[laughs] The kings of the spring.

That's the green throat darter.

Only found in a few select streams in the world.

Always beautiful ones like this.

They love springs.

They love vegetation, clear water, fresh-flowing.

Beautiful, beautiful fish.

We're a growing crowd.

There's more and more forums and social media posts dedicated to the topic.

There's hundreds of people out there doing this now.

It's always peaceful, you know, spending the day with your head underwater.

You leave with a lot of peace of mind, and knowledge of the fish.

Never do I spend a day on the water where I didn't learn anything, you know.

There's something always beautiful that happens every trip that makes it unique.

At the end of the day, it's really rewarding.

[upbeat music] [soft music] - AMY ZESCH: We're on the Zesch Family Ranch.

- HAL ZESCH: My grandfather and grandmother and mother and father bought the first small piece in 1950.

I guess I can honestly say I've been coming out here since before I was born.

This Indian grass is doing well after three years of drought.

I'm so proud of Amy.

She was born in a city, raised in a city, liked living in a city.

- AMY: That's really cool.

- What were the words that, that got you relocated?

- I do.

[Hal laughs] - HAL: The fourth generation is our children, all four of them.

The fifth generation, getting to see their excitement and discovery really inspires us.

- AMY: Mama Bird, she's sitting on her nest.

I'm gonna make a note that says mama's sitting on her nest.

So in 2015, there was a fire that started several miles south of us and then blew over the ridge.

That was a very large fire that affected about 10,000 acres altogether.

His dad was managing it up until the fire burned the place and that's when Hal really stepped in and had an opportunity to help restore some things.

- HAL: We started with becoming Master Naturalist.

- You remember day flower?

- Yes.

- That is good for cows.

- HAL: Through Master Naturalist, we met Steve Nelle and he was so patient.

I know he's told me the same name of the same plant three different times or more.

That's what it takes.

- So this clump is perfect nesting cover.

Their land is recovering from the wildfire, from the drought because of the way that they're managing it.

The thing that sets Hal and Amy apart, it's their mindset about how they view this land.

- AMY: Well, I think it's always a challenge to find a balance because we do use the land for cattle ranching.

Then there's nature's balance too.

You wanna have the right habitat for the wildlife.

- HAL: Thank you very much for coming out.

- It's good seeing you.

- The thing that impressed me about Hal and Amy was their holistic approach to wildlife management.

They're not in it for White Tailed Deer.

They're not in it for Bob White Quail.

They're in it for everything.

They've taken a big interest in the plant species because anything to do with wildlife starts at the plant level.

And then things such as a prairie dog.

They understand the value of the prairie dog to the whole ecosystem.

- HAL: Prairie dogs are native here.

People destroyed their habitat and they were locally extirpated, killed out.

So a friend of ours has a rescue and she rescues prairie dogs that are going to be killed in another location because the strip center is going in.

It's been a good combination.

They get to go back where they were native before.

- MARK MITCHELL: They're a cute little animal everybody likes to look at but there's over 150 other species that have been known to utilize Prairie Dog Town.

- AMY: They've been able to dig some really substantial burrows, raise young.

We've had three years now of young.

I think we're seeing babies in all three towns this year, so that's been exciting.

[soft music] - Good job guys.

We're seeding native perennial forbs.

Great job of raking them in.

- Family project.

- I just wanna say how proud I am of my parents.

The work they do out here is incredible.

The plants, the rocks, the birds, the prairie dogs.

- It has been very gratifying to watch my parents work on restoring the land and so that is something that I look forward to being a active part of and bringing my daughter Nora into the fold so she can see the importance of caring for the land.

- ♪ If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet.

♪ - HAL: Having land is a lot like having children.

It's a big God-given privilege which comes with a big God-given responsibility and that is to take care of it.

[wind blowing, birds chirp] [wind blowing, birds chirp] [wind blowing, birds chirp] [wind blowing, birds chirp] [birds chirp] [crackling] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [rams bleating] [wind blowing] [wind blowing, birds chirp] [wind blowing] [wind blowing, birds chirp] 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.