- 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 provided by the Toyota Tundra.

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

Adventure: it's what we share.

- NARRATOR: Coming up on Texas Parks and Wildlife... - We had a donation from an appreciative landowner and said, "What out of the ordinary could we do with this?"

- Their declines are indicating to us that something is going on in our grassland systems that isn't healthy.

- This is just the pure essence of what's great about being outdoors.

- Hi!

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

[wind blowing] - SEBASTIAN ORUE: We're ready.

Ok, let's go.

Go!

- RUSSELL MARTIN: We are at the Mimms Ranch in Marfa, Texas.

- SEBASTIAN: Let's spread out a little bit more over here.

- RUSSELL: We're studying the wintering survival of grassland birds in the Chihuahuan Desert.

[meadowlark call] We've seen a decline in grassland birds across the continent as a whole.

- FABIOLA: Bird!

Bird!

- RUSSELL: The grassland birds that winter in the Chihuahuan Desert, have seen a 70% decline, so they're declining at a faster rate than the other grassland obligate birds.

- SEBASTIAN: This is a grasshopper sparrow.

Very yellow shoulders, and a yellow, like eyebrow right in front of the eye.

- This project is trying to help us understand where in the bird's life their numbers are falling off.

- They're really cryptic.

They're very difficult to see, so, actually for a long time nobody realized that they were declining.

I don't know, I think it's just kind of sad that they would disappear just because we never knew that they were out there.

- NARRATOR: The Mimms Ranch is 11,000 acres of prime rangeland and healthy grasslands.

This Chihuahuan Desert landscape provides a home for several declining bird species, like the grasshopper sparrow, and the Baird's sparrow.

[Baird's sparrow calls] - RUSSELL: They summer up in Canada and in the Dakotas, Montana, in the grasslands up there, and then they're migrating from there down to the Chihuahuan Desert which crosses into Texas and all the way down into central Mexico and there's pockets of grasslands all scattered around the wintering grounds where these birds are found.

- Ok, so everyone's ready?

- We're ready.

- Ok, let's go!

- NARRATOR: It's late December as this team of biologists, students and volunteers set out across the Mimms Ranch.

[hammer tapping] They know there are sparrows in these grasses, they just have to find them, and catch them.

- Pat, Matt!

Go closer to the net please!

- MIEKE: The idea is to drive the birds to the net.

They prefer to walk, instead of flying, that's their way to hide from predators and us.

So, we kind of tap the grass to try to flush them out.

- SEBASTIAN: Bird, bird, bird!

- and then if a bird starts flying, we wave our arms and the sticks in the air.

- SEBASTIAN: Bird, bird, bird!

Two!

- We're trying to keep the birds from going above the net, so this is supposed to make them think it's a predator.

- MIEKE: Throw it!

- FABIOLA: We throw it above them, they go down and they fall in the net.

- Down, perfect!

- MIEKE: So, this is a Baird's sparrow.

It's a little bit different than the grasshopper sparrow.

- NARRATOR: In a week's time, the team will capture about 40 birds.

- MIEKE: So, this is a grasshopper sparrow.

- NARRATOR: They'll weigh them... - Two.

- NARRATOR: measure them... - MIEKE: Forty-one.

- NARRATOR: band them... - 14.

- NARRATOR: ...and outfit them with tiny radio transmitters.

- MIEKE: All right, he's done.

- NARRATOR: Then they let them go.

- One, two, three.

Yeah.

[laughs] [tracker beeping] - NARRATOR: Over the next three months, researchers will track the birds, every day.

- SEBASTIAN: We do track every bird every day.

Some birds get lost.

Sometimes we walk up to like, I don't know, 15, 20 kilometers a day.

The grasslands are like really nice to walk on.

You know, they're flat, I mean, you get like a nice breeze.

To me this is like beautiful.

It's like going on a hike, just looking for birds, you know.

- MIEKE: So, the different colors are different birds.

- NARRATOR: Once they have all the tagging and tracking information together, the team can map out where each bird has been.

- MIEKE: The bird was caught there, and it moved around a little bit and then it finally went there, and it stayed there for the rest of the winter.

- NARRATOR: All this work will lead to a better understanding of what kind of habitat the birds like, and don't like.

- RUSSELL: All of these grassland birds are really an indicator of ecosystem health.

Their declines are indicating to us that something's going on in our grassland systems that isn't healthy.

- MIEKE: Shrub encroachment is a big problem.

The main predator for these birds is the loggerhead shrike.

They perch on shrubs, to look for their prey and we know the survival is lower when shrub cover is higher.

- NARRATOR: Improper livestock grazing, suppression of natural fire, increasing non-native plant cover, and habitat fragmentation have all contributed to the loss of native grasslands.

But here at the Mimms Ranch the owners know that protecting the watershed, improving the grasses, and raising cattle, all go hand in hand.

- What's easy to happen in these drier environments is that you lose your ground cover.

And so, what we've been able to achieve out here with our grazing system, is getting the ground covered with these good lower grasses.

It allows the water to absorb better, you get better wildlife habitat.

It even goes on and creates better forage for the cattle.

- These grasslands here are grazed and they look great and there can be cattle and birds at the same time.

You can have both, cattle and grassland birds.

- NARRATOR: What these researchers learn will help landowners manage these vital grasslands in a way that is both sustainable and profitable.

And that's good for wildlife, and the bottom line.

- MIEKE: The main problem for these birds is that their habitat is disappearing.

There's not enough grass cover for them.

Mimms is a really good, high-quality grassland, so we get a lot of these birds here.

They're telling us this is good management what they are doing here, that this is good.

- Here we go, right now.

[gentle music] Flew right over there and lit.

That was a transmittered Baird's sparrow that we just released.

My first one, never seen a Baird's sparrow till I came here.

So that's kind of fun.

[Baird's sparrow chirping] [upbeat music] - CHRISTY SEALS: It's gonna feel kinda natural, the shapes are going to be organic.

- ANDEE CHAMBERLAIN: This kind of stuff that our society discards as trash can be upcycled into something creative and new and interesting.

- NARRATOR: What is now an empty spot of shade at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, will soon be transformed into a playground.

Andee Chamberlain, and Christy Seals are building this one-of-a-kind playscape.

It's something they've never done before.

- CHRISTY: Where are all my two by sixes, that's what I want to know!

So, this is day number one of actual on the ground, were building this thing, it's real.

Here is the new layout.

Stage at this end.

- ANNALISE REICHERT: Here's this next marker!

- CHRISTY: OK.

There's a lot of thinking and like putting our thoughts now that we've had on paper onto the ground.

I think that's kind of the shape of the neck!

- NARRATOR: In less than a month, this will be a playscape paradise as part of the nature center's annual Fortlandia project.

- It caught our attention at Texas Parks and Wildlife because it encourages outdoor play.

Brings kids outside, and so it's something that we thought we should get involved in.

- CHRISTY: We've got 21 days.

Each day we'll chip away at it.

Okay, were figuring this thing out today and then tomorrow well figure out the next thing.

So I'm feeling good, I usually feel good!

[thunder rumbles] - NARRATOR: Day two has a stormy start, but free supplies can't wait.

- ANDEE: We are at the Austin Resource Recovery facility.

Yeah so what I'm thinking is we set em up as best as we can.

- VOLUNTEER: One roll at a time!

[laughs] - We're going to upcycle them by taking them, instead of recycling them, and reusing them for our project.

So, these tires are actually gonna become the base of our fort.

- VOLUNTEER: Efficiency that's what we're after here!

- ANDEE: How many did you guys fit in?

Fifty?!

What, we might have to do only one trip!

It feels really good to upcycle these tires.

[sighs] It's expensive to recycle and so it costs the state and the taxpayers money, and so when we can find a better use for it, all the better for everybody.

- CHRISTY: Kids could walk on top of them, that's the idea.

- NARRATOR: It's Christy's job to come up with the plan for those tires.

- Maybe we'll have fangs!

What would be a cool fort that my kid would like to play on, that other kids would like to play on, that ties in with Parks and Wildlife with our conservation mission.

Let's do a rattlesnake.

How could we make a rattlesnake, and then let's do a fort that uses as little new materials as possible.

The head element's going to be interesting too, because it will be the one element that kind of rises off the ground.

- NARRATOR: A challenging twist is that the fort has to be temporary.

- We want to find a home for this, so we need it to be easy to disassemble and reassemble.

So the design has to reflect that.

Five foot ten and one half.

[saw whirs] How are you going to build a circular wood deck?

- VOLUNTEER: Perfect!

- CHRISTY: With volunteers, and not very complicated tools, quickly.

We came up with the idea of doing it as like a pie.

You got everything, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Nice!

[drill whirs] - Whoa.

- ANNALISE: Trying to do 15 today, that would be ideal.

It is pretty hard to puncture a tire when you are trying to puncture it!

Whew!

It's definitely hurting my hand, my hands a little tired.

- NARRATOR: Not to worry, week two brings reinforcements.

- CHRISTY: So, this is the first day with American Youthworks on site!

- VOLUNTEER: Yeah, that's good!

- MEAGAN: Let's get this tire party started.

- CHRISTY: Get it started!

[drill whirs] They have a lot of energy and a lot of strength.

They are doing things like we were like ugh, and they were like bsht, bsht, bsht!

- ANDREW KUCERA: All righty, that's a lot of work putting that bolt through there!

- CHRISTY: We're very encouraged that things are going to go quickly, and they are pretty enthusiastic about it.

- NARRATOR: The team keeps the snake together.

- I don't know if this is tight enough!

- NARRATOR: By upcycling old climbing rope.

- KELLY WEST: Yeah, so usually like climbing rope kinda has a life limit to it!

- CJ: People get creative with it!

Looks pretty nice!

- MEAGAN: CJ, you want some reps I'm getting kind of tired!

- CJ: Yeah sure!

- MEAGAN: It's been a lot of like think and go on your feet which is really cool!

- CHRISTY: We told them, we have it 80% figured out but if you guys have some bright ideas about how to do things differently or better, like we are all ears.

- MEAGAN: Oh no, no, no!

I probably need to come over here!

I think it's super exciting to see a space being created for kids to like enjoy outside, you don't know what they're school situation is like, so may not have that playground accessibility, but then having like this access space here!

Makes me super happy!

[upbeat music] [wind] - ANNALISE: We're getting there, we're getting closer!

[laughter] We're kind of creating a rattle with recycled water bottles and some recycled glass.

And that's why I really like this rattle tail, it's 100% upcycled.

[laughing] - ANDEE: We are in the home stretch, just a few more days until opening night.

Final touches of drilling down the deck and then we're going to seal it so that it stays nice and shiny for all the kids who are going to be running on it!

One, two!

We've had quite a few folks volunteer and help us out!

- CHRISTY: Can you see it, yeah!

- ANDEE: So snaky!

- CHRISTY: Yeah team!

I'm super happy right now, it totally is working!

- Oh, we just need the head, worse case, we'll just use these as eyeballs.

- NARRATOR: As other forts wrap up, there is growing concern here.

They are still missing their centerpiece.

- Right now, it just kinda looks like a worm.

But once it has a head, it's gonna look like a snake!

- I think it's gonna get here without issue, but that is the last piece that we're waiting on.

[metal door clanging] - NARRATOR: Eric Vitela's up against the clock.

- ERIK VITELA: This is when I think the magic happens.

- NARRATOR: He's got a day to get all the metal parts of the snake cut and ready to go.

- ERIK: We're going to actually bend it in strategic spots to contour the tires.

[energetic music] Each one of these will be staggered like so, and then we're going to have the body of the snake go a little bit higher.

There's no doubt there going to be out there crawling on it, ya know, treating this thing as if it was a live snake and letting their imagination run wild!

[energetic music] - CHRISTY: All the pieces are on there.

It looks really good!

Look at that it's going to step, step, step, step.

It's pretty cool!

- ERIK: Yeah, here's the fangs!

- CHRISTY: Beautiful!

- ANDEE: Oh my god it is heavy!

- CHRISTY: Woohoo.

Oh this is exciting!

- ERIK: Oh man, it's awesome!

I'm blown away!

I had no idea of the magnitude of size.

Ya know having done something so tangible and so much fun.

Gives you the warm fuzzies.

- So, these are just handholds!

I care about this, I care about who's going to use it, I care about how it gets put together, I care about what it's made of!

[laughing] - CHRISTY: So that when people come out here and enjoy it, they will like feel that love and joy popping out!

- CHRISTY: Hold on, no because, it's not going up!

- ANDEE: Oh, and then the eyes go up there!

Yeah, I got it!

Tomorrow's opening, so we're going to keep working as long as we've got some light.

I think we'll sleep a lot better if we put in a few more hours tonight and try to get it as best done as possible.

[upbeat music] - ANDEE: Opening day!

We're here!

We did it!

- CHRISTY: And I really love how it's snaking through the trees!

- ANDEE: Uh, huh!

- We are no longer rattled, wha wha, because it's happening, it's real, the kids are on it, they're playing.

There we go!

He's going up!

They're doing things which we did not expect which is what we kind of hoped for.

- ANDEE: Oh, he does it just fine!

- CHRISTY: He did it no problem!

- ANDEE: It's super cool!

- DAD: It's a rattle for a rattlesnake!

- CHRISTY: So there's all this discovery I think in ours at these different scales!

Oh, it's just, it's great!

Kids are happier, healthier and smarter when they spend time outside.

Um, we know that from research!

- Hi!

- ANDEE: So, this provides an opportunity for kids to be outside and get happier, healthier and smarter!

- CHRISTY: This is just the pure essence of what's great about being outdoors!

It is creating a place where people can just take a moment outside to enjoy themselves and really get in touch with that inner place where we all are playful.

The more we can create opportunities where people get in touch with that, then the better, the better it's all going to be!

[light wind] [upbeat music] - NARRATOR: To celebrate 40 years of our television series, we are taking a trip back in time to look at some of our earliest episodes.

♪ ♪ [suspenseful music] - HUNTER: At that last moment, a decision has to be made at that time whether to release the arrow or not.

If the deer is looking at you, the deer is going to jump the string.

[suspenseful music] ♪ ♪ If for some reason I don't have a good shot at that vital area, I don't shoot, 'cause I really feel that bowhunters have a responsibility to not wound animals, and if you cannot hit that vital area, then you should not shoot.

[gentle music] [gentle music] - JESSE: As soon as I pull onto a ranch, I roll the windows down, because I wanna feel it, I wanna smell it.

I wanna know where I'm at.

- NARRATOR: Jesse Oetgen feels right at home on a raw, rugged ranch.

Jesse and most of the biologists at Texas Parks & Wildlife love nature... - And the warm season stuff, we saw it grow.

We know it's here.

- NARRATOR: And working with plants and animals on unspoiled land.

But getting back to nature is a foreign concept to many of the college students studying wildlife science today.

- More and more students who are going into the wildlife field are born and raised in urban areas, and they like the idea of wildlife, they've seen wildlife at a zoo, but they really... A lot of them don't have an understanding of what a wildlife biologist does.

- MENTOR: All right, y'all, we just wanna talk about a couple of the tools we use.

- So growing up in Houston, Texas, my knowledge of wildlife and kind of the outdoors was very, very limited.

I didn't really have an experience that kind of connected me to nature and to wildlife.

[pulley rattles] - NARRATOR: That connection to nature is now as deeply rooted and unyielding as a strong Texas wind.

During the past few years, Chloe and 17 other students have experienced life-changing lessons... - MENTOR: Slide that in there.

- NARRATOR: ...about the joys of the great outdoors thanks to a dedicated team of biologists who are mentoring them.

- Don't try to move your hand with it.

Just pull it back and release.

[pistols firing] - JESSE: We had a donation from an appreciative landowner who we had helped, and said, "What out of the ordinary could we do with this?"

So we decided to target students that are in the wildlife field and maybe don't experience with hunting and the outdoors and to give them that opportunity and glimpse a little bit into our career and our lives.

- And first off, we're gonna shoot these .223 rifles.

- Going in, I had no idea about hunting or shooting guns or anything like that, so the first thing they kind of get you to do is they practice gun safety and they show you how to shoot rifles.

[rifle fires] - Good hit!

- NARRATOR: The students are not only immersing themselves in nature through mentored hunts, camping, and fishing... - INSTRUCTOR: Go ahead and get ready to block the entrance.

- NARRATOR: ...they're getting hands-on experience with a biologist as they work with wildlife, like doves.

- I learned how to band and age a white-winged dove and also how to trap them.

- PATRICK: That'd be its right leg, so you would put a band on this leg.

- GRACIE: And I thought, it's an amazing experience to get to see those professionals in the field actually doing their job, and it's skills that I can use in a bunch of different areas.

- As colleagues that are currently with Parks & Wildlife, as they retire, we know that those positions will have to be replaced, and these students will be the next ones in line to take over those positions, and if we can give them the mentored experience now, they're at a better position whenever they start as a district biologist.

- JESSE: Once they experience the outdoors or experience shooting or hunting or fishing, they want more of it, and it's a joy for us to be able to provide that first-time experience for them and see that excitement come and that fire get ignited.

- It's fun.

- We love what we do.

Once they get to see what we do, they want to do that, and that just makes us so happy.

- It changed my life honestly.

It gave me kind of a view on what wildlife biologists do.

I learned about what their jobs look like day to day, and it really turned out to be something that I want to do with my life.

- I'll let you let it go.

- CHLOE: Ooh, okay.

They all accept you with open and loving arms.

It's more than just like a friendship, it's a camaraderie.

It's a special bond that you create with these people.

- JESSE: When they want to stand at sunset over the bluff and they're just taking pictures as fast as they can or want to take a selfie with you, that's what we're doing.

We're giving them an outdoor experience so that they will fall in love with the outdoors and take care of it in whatever way they choose to in the future.

But once they love it, they're gonna take care of it.

[wind blowing] [wind blowing] [waves lapping, wind blowing] [waves lapping, wind blowing] [waves lapping, wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [waves lapping] [waves lapping] 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 provided by the Toyota Tundra.

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

Adventure: it's what we share.