- NARRATOR: 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.

Coming up on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - Their vision was not Yellowstone or Yosemite, it was a park every 100 miles.

- If you're dedicated and going to do it over the long haul, you're going to sleep in a parking lot a lot.

- He doesn't have any quit.

- Hi there.

- The amount of paperwork that moves through the Victoria office is astronomical.

- Gotcha done!

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

[intense music] - NARRATOR: The diversity of Texas State Parks is breathtaking.

From the Cypress swamps of Caddo Lake to the Piney Forest of East Texas to the wide expanse of the high desert to the rugged mountains of Big Bend, the diversity is unparalleled by any other state.

- I mean, we have beautiful landscapes.

I mean, you think of the biggies like Palo Duro, like Davis Mountains, Indian Lodge at Davis Mountains or Caddo Lake.

I mean, those are spectacular spots.

- I think the terrain in Texas is as diverse as its people.

- NARRATOR: Texas State Parks have been established so long that we feel as though they were always here just waiting for us to enjoy.

But the preservation of these wild spaces was not always a certainty.

Before the parks could become a reality, it would take the spirit of a national movement, the efforts of hundreds of men and women, and one of the worst economic disasters in national history to create the state parks as we know them.

All these forces would be brought together by the dogged persistence of a quiet attorney from Waco, whose detractors claimed had never fired a gun or baited a hook in his life.

- [man quoting Neff] "A parks system would afford a place where people might go and forget the anxiety and strife and vexation of life's daily grind," Governor Pat Neff, 1923.

[classic music] [car engine revving] - NARRATOR: In the early part of the 20th century, Texas had no tourist infrastructure.

Without hotels, restaurants, and gas stations, motorists simply camped out wherever they stopped at the end of the day.

Governor Pat Neff saw an opportunity.

His vision was to create a series of wayside stations, building campgrounds for Texans who, like himself, loved to travel by automobile.

[classic music] - Their vision was not Yellowstone or Yosemite or Glacier or anything like that.

It was small stops along roads where people could rest, picnic, maybe camp.

- NARRATOR: In 1923, Governor Neff persuaded the legislature to create the State Parks Board.

There were to be six members, two journalists, three women, and a South Texas rancher, all unpaid.

Neff and the newly appointed parks board crusaded across the state in an effort to promote his wayside park idea and to solicit donations of land.

Following the wishes of his mother, Isabella, Neff and his family set an example by donating a small pecan grove along the Leon River.

The small tract of land would eventually grow to become Mother Neff State Park.

- Pat Neff wanted a park every hundred miles, he said.

- NARRATOR: Neff reported that in the course of one year, he and the parks board traveled over 8,000 miles and received in donations 52 tracts of land.

- The deal, I think, the state parks board would make with communities was that if they would donate a park, land for a park, then the state would provide both whatever infrastructure was required for the site, but also manage it.

And I'm certain that the people in those communities saw those early state parks as both amenities, but also economic generators for the community.

- NARRATOR: To develop these donations into usable parks, he asked the state legislature for $50,000, which he did not get.

- The legislature, imagine, they don't know what parks are.

It's coming from a new mandate?

Another something else we have to fund?

- NARRATOR: But the State Parks Board was undaunted.

For the next decade, they would continue to campaign for land and donations, but with little progress.

No one could have predicted that the nation's Great Depression would have a silver lining for Texas State Parks.

[bell chiming] The stock market crash of 1929 threw the country into economic chaos.

With millions of people unemployed, the country needed hope.

They found their hope in Franklin D. Roosevelt and the CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corps.

- The kinds of infrastructure that we now associate with state parks began with construction by the CCC.

- The CCC really started the backbone that gave us the structure and platform of our modern state park system.

- The Interior Department, through the National Park Service, brought the expertise and a large part of the funding.

- NARRATOR: Governor Ma Ferguson granted the Parks Board a sum of $25,000.

It was the first time they had received any funding at all.

The State Parks Board was delighted.

For 10 years, they had carried the dream of a state parks system, mostly at their own expense.

Now, because of state funding and because of the labor of the CCC, that dream was becoming a reality.

[birds chirping] [gentle music] - When you go to Palmetto State Park and you see the refectory, when you see the walkways, when you see the culverts and the footbridges, that's all CCC.

[gentle music] - And they did a fantastic job with the design and construction of a lot of their buildings and those are historical features now, and a lot of them are still around because of the craftsmanship that the men of the CCC showed.

- The arrival of the CCC was a godsend to the establishment of what we now know as a state park system.

[gentle music] [explosions] - FDR: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.

- NARRATOR: With the United States' entry into the war, everything changed.

- The funding ceased, even though FDR wanted to make the Civilian Conservation Corps a permanent agency, Congress declined.

- NARRATOR: Men, money, and machines were all dedicated to the war effort.

But the parks continued to see use.

- Troops were allowed to do maneuvers at parks, so it wasn't as if people fled and parks were empty during World War II.

The parks were being used even though there was gas rationing.

That just meant that people, Texans, could not go far.

And so they would go to state parks.

- NARRATOR: Texas State Parks were seeing increasing numbers of visitors each year, but state funding was still sparse.

[classic music] - There was a little bit of movement with money from concessionaires, for example, and some increased funding.

- NARRATOR: But the parks continued to be severely understaffed.

Acquisition of new land for parks had reached a standstill.

But in the early 1950s, nature would play a role in giving the parks a boost.

Some say it began as early as 1947.

Gradually lower rainfall, combined with record heat, thrust 75% of the state into drought conditions.

It would become known as the Drought of Record.

[wind whirring] - What we did after the Drought of Record, which was comparable to the Depression in terms of its adverse impact on the life in times of the state, was that we went out and we built about 200 reservoirs across the state during the 50s, and the 60s, and the 70s.

[explosion] Many of those reservoirs were also developed as recreation areas through the establishment of state parks.

And so the next major era was the establishment of state parks in places like Lake Ray Roberts and others across the state.

- NARRATOR: Although the State Parks Board had been around for 40 years, it still struggled with funding, was still under-staffed, and was described by then-Governor, John Connally, as being "sick to the point of dying."

To solve this, Connally merged the State Parks Board and the Game and Fish Commission.

On August 23rd, 1963, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was officially created.

Connally then took on the task of solving the ever-present problem of funding.

- One of the things that John Connolly did as governor was to spearhead efforts to establish the only bond issue that Texans have ever passed for the purpose of purchasing and establishing state parks.

- NARRATOR: In addition, the State Legislature implemented a tax on cigarette sales which would go directly to the state parks.

- And that to me, ushered in what we know as the golden era.

- NARRATOR: Many of the state's most beloved parks were developed during this time.

Between 1963 and 1988, the department developed more than 70 parks and historical sites.

- This is Garner State Park, may I help you.

- NARRATOR: In the 1990s, technology began to play a significant role in management of the parks.

- Perhaps one of the major innovations that occurred during the 1990s in state parks that enhanced the ability of average citizens to use them is the establishment of the electronic reservation system.

- In the past, you show up at a park and we got as many people in as we could get in.

But what we discovered is that that can have a detrimental impact on the ecosystem.

So we really had to start to balance how many people that were coming to the park with preserving the natural habitat, but also preserving the visitor experience.

- NARRATOR: As Texans became more environmentally aware, the focus on land acquisition by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also expanded.

- Up until the mid 70s, parks have been largely considered primarily for outdoor recreation.

And so we began in that time to acquire areas that were primarily set aside for their natural resources.

[waves lapping] - NARRATOR: Texas Parks and Wildlife continues its mission to acquire, develop, and preserve tracts of land throughout the state.

Several new parks are scheduled to open in the coming years.

One park on the cusp of opening is the wild and pristine Powderhorn Ranch.

- Well, I think Powderhorn is an important piece of our inventory for the state park system because it provides recreational opportunity in an ecosystem that we don't have very much of.

We're thinking about overnight camping.

- NARRATOR: Park planners will incorporate everything they have learned over the past 100 years to find the best balance of park access and habitat conservation.

- This coastal area is very beautiful and it provides a lot of habitat, a lot of natural resources that people will enjoy for a long time, so it's a great addition to add to the diversity of the landscapes that we have in the state park system in Texas.

[gentle music] - NARRATOR: Since the beginning, the State Parks of Texas have been the result of the hard work and dedication of the people who made them.

The parks continue to thrive because of individuals who are dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the natural and cultural resources of Texas.

- I guess there's probably no state as passionate as Texas about its identity, and a lot of that is rooted in our appreciation and protection of the places that formed our history.

- OFFICER: On my command.

Fire!

[cannon shot] - Texas is becoming a lot more urbanized, as a lot of states are.

So we're losing some valuable landscape, and not very much of Texas is public use.

So I think that speaks to the importance and the value of protecting these special gems that are state parks.

- NARRATOR: What began as Governor Pat Neff's idea for simple roadside campsites has grown to become a vital part of Texas culture.

If Pat Neff could see the parks today, what would he think?

- I think Governor Neff would first of all say, "Wow, how far have we come?"

And I think he'd be very proud of the state park system today compared to the one that he started, which was very ambitious and very visionary.

I think he'd be proud to see what his vision has become 100 years later.

[inspirational music] [wind blowing] [rock music] - You know, I'm the oldest of three boys.

I mean, I grew up in a sleeping bag underneath the pine trees.

I'd get in an early morning bite and then come to school.

I've never had another occupation but competitive angling.

So it's carried me, you know, this far.

[grunting] Yeah, buddy.

Kicker.

- My first impression of Gary Klein was at the Bass Pro Shop.

He was asleep in the parking lot in his truck.

And I saw his truck and I said, "Wow, that's Gary Klein out there."

If you're dedicated and go to do it over the long haul, you're going to sleep in a parking lot a lot.

- He doesn't have any quit.

It's from daylight till dark.

He'll look at you and go, "Well, are you ready to call uncle?"

And I'll go, you know, "I was ready to call uncle 2 hours ago."

- You know, Gary is one of those fishermen.

He's cut from a different cloth.

You can't just put your finger on one thing for something like that.

I mean, if you look at what he did for fishing, he's a big, big part of the fishing industry.

- The founder of Major League Fishing, a Hall of Fame member, he was inducted to the National Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2019.

- Twelve pounds eight ounces and there's your leader right there, maybe your winner.

Gary Klein!

- STEVEN: These amazing achievements are not the most important thing to him.

The most important thing to Gary Klein is to make sure that the next generation of angler gets to experience the same fishing that he has over his entire career.

- But Gary's never done anything more important than take our military fishing, our wounded warriors and teach our kids next generation how to fish.

- GARY: They've made so many sacrifices.

I've had the opportunity to go to Walter Reed, and it just brings tears to your eyes.

And to think about it.

It's all they want to talk about is fishing.

I'm very humbled that they kind of let me in their brotherhood.

- Bass Brigade as part of the Texas Brigade's system of camps for high school-age students.

Gary supports the camp each year as an instructor, as well as providing fishing gear for students to use during the camp and to take home as gifts at the end of camp.

So having somebody like Gary involved with Bass Brigade is essential.

- SHOW ANNOUNCER: Gary Klein is fishing the main river channel way up the lake.

- BILL: Gary will tell you that the flipping and pitching technique is not his invention.

He learned from a real smart guy a long time ago, and Gary perfected that and made a living flipping and pitching.

- The guys in the Midwest have never been exposed to it, but it was an ace in the hole for me.

His name was Dee Thomas, and being young and cocky, I walked up and I introduced myself.

I said Dee, my name is Gary Klein, and one of these days I'm going to be better than you.

He looked me in the eyes, gave me a big ol' bear hug, and sucked me into his chest and looked me in the eyes and said, "Bring it on, son."

- This thing he did with MLF, this catch and release type of tournament, is just phenomenal.

- Three pounds six ounces.

- I think the survival rate of those fish are head and shoulders above what we do when we put them in the live well, for seven or eight hours.

He's just one of those guys that he puts a lot of things before Gary.

What he does for conservation is just unreal in Texas.

- With Major League fishing and the catch, weigh and immediate release format, there was a big conservation initiative behind that.

But Gary wasn't done there.

Gary took that and evolved it into what we now call the Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division which gives him the ability to lead efforts to improve the fisheries that Major League Fishing competes on every single season.

And the Fisheries Management Division is really the culmination of Gary's evolution from angler to conservationist.

- And that's what he embodies.

I don't know of anybody more deserving than Gary.

He's promoting and pushing it, and he loves it so much.

He wants everybody else to feel the same way.

- All of this has allowed me to understand responsibility, raise a family, be a good parent, provide for my children.

This sport has given me the ability to be the person that I am.

[upbeat music] - CHRIS BIRD: So the local office, what we call here, is gonna be called the Victoria Law Enforcement Office.

- CUSTOMER: Hello.

- RACHAEL: Hi there.

- CHRIS: So the amount of paperwork that just moves strictly through the Victoria offices is astronomical.

- Got you done, you are looking at $32.

- It's probably the third most highest performing office in the state of Texas when it comes to district offices.

- Brought your paperwork this time, huh?

We sell all kinds of licenses, from your sport licenses to your commercial licenses.

- Recreational license sales.

- Tidal boats and motors.

- Commercial shrimp boat licenses.

- Renew boat registrations.

- The list goes on and on.

- Okay, take care, bye-bye.

Hi, how are you?

And then get you a copy of this, okay?

Be right back.

- CAMERAMAN: What is the one adjective that describes this place?

- The one word that kept coming to my mind was intense.

It can be intense.

Okay, so you're gonna have a trailer attached to a truck?

- COUPLE: No.

- It's a lot of multitasking.

So the retail truck dealer license, you're just gonna be selling from your vehicle?

- WOMAN: Already got that, I just need the bait part.

- Okay.

- CAMERAMAN: This feels like the hot bed of crazy.

- [laughs] That's more than one word [laughs].

- CAMERAMAN: Well, the one word is crazy.

- You never know what is gonna happen during the day, and that kind of keeps you getting up in the mornings.

So why not?

- Thank you very much.

- Alrighty, take care.

[upbeat music] - So two years ago, Parks and Wildlife shut down due to COVID.

We were shut down for a good while, and then through the process of reopening, we were one of the only offices within 300 miles of our area that was actually open.

- The Houston offices were closed, Galveston, La Marque, Rockport office, Brownsville office, San Antonio office, just throughout the whole thing, they were closed.

- You know, it was a perfect storm to where we had multiple offices closed, and you had the public that really couldn't do anything else other than get in the outdoors.

- RACHAEL: Boat sales had skyrocketed, motor sales had skyrocketed.

- It wasn't out of normal for somebody to travel an hour and a half or two hours just to come and get their boat registration or boat title that they just purchased.

You know when things shut down, that's a time when people shine and that's when Rachael stepped up.

[upbeat music] - I came in, put gloves on, put mask on, and kept going.

I felt like it was my duty.

Okey-doke, let me see.

So we were pretty much steady nonstop.

And they already have the retail truck dealer license.

- You know, without Rachael in all of the hard times that we've seen as Texans over the last several years- - Do you wanna email that to me?

- There wouldn't be customers with the satisfaction level that they currently have with Parks and Wildlife.

- And here's your receipt.

[upbeat music] My dad was the sheriff of Aransas County, and he instilled that in us and always to give your best at everything that you do, to go above and beyond.

Don't just give the bare minimum, if you're gonna do something, do it full force.

[upbeat music] I don't want to leave and have this office fall apart because I've worked so hard.

[upbeat music] Parks and Wildlife, this is Rachael.

[upbeat music] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] - NARRATOR: 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.