- 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 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.

Funding also provided by Academy Sports and Outdoors.

Helping hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages get outside.

Out here, fun can't lose.

[theme music] - ANNOUNCER: Coming up on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - When I first met them, they were talking about how hard it is to get out of a parking lot in some of these natural spaces.

- We want to create a roadmap for how people can build nature back into their neighborhoods.

- The hide, the horns, preserving the memories, preserving that beauty so that we get to see it all the time.

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

♪ ♪ [water flowing] [birds chirping] [crickets chirping] [water flowing] - In the mornings, whenever no one is here, I like to come down, just enjoy nature, take it nice and easy, walk around, listen to the birds.

[bird squawking] I will pick up trash just to kind of clean up a little bit.

But it also just helps me start the day.

[gentle music] I am Laney Kahoot.

I am a park interpreter at Dinosaur Valley State Park.

And then over time, more and more layers of earth were deposited and sea level continued to rise.

- NARRATOR: Kahoot's job is to help park visitors bond with nature and the environment around them.

- What if they fighted and they ripped the river?

- What if they were fighting and they ripped this river across because you see a crack?

Great question.

So when the dinosaurs were walking here, making all of their footprints, what they were walking on was mud.

It hadn't been turned to stone yet.

Having just like a print out of this is not going to really like connect you to it.

You can look at the picture.

You can look at the track and you're like, "Okay, it matches."

But if you have someone there telling the story of the dinosaur that was walking here, that it's foot stepped into that mud, leaving the impression, it connects you more to that dinosaur story, connects you to the importance of seeing those tracks today.

[clapping] Try to make them cute by putting them in little pots, but mother nature says no.

- NARRATOR: Every activity she leads is designed to make a connection with the outdoors.

- You did yours already?

- GIRL: I make it a red grass.

- Nice!

While we're drawing, I go through all the different parts of the cactus.

You hope they are taking this information in with them so that as they're out walking and they see these cactus, they'll remember, "Oh, that's the prickly pear cactus that we drew with Ranger Laney."

[birds chirping] - NARRATOR: But not every activity Kahoot leads is suitable for every visitor.

- So when I first started at Dinosaur Valley, I was in awe because this was my park that I came to as a kid.

This was my home park.

And then once I got here, I started to realize that this park was pretty hard to maneuver.

[birds chirping] - NARRATOR: Looking for new ways to get visitors to the dinosaur tracks, she turned to adaptive equipment.

- During this hike, if anyone is over-stimulated, over-heated, there's just too much going on, let me know.

We're gonna stop.

- Really I was looking to see if there was any paved trails that we could take his actual wheelchair on.

I came across Dinosaur Valley, which is actually really close to us.

So I got in touch with Laney, and told her we wanted to trial the grit chair, and she said, "Sounds great.

I'll have it reserved for you on such and such day."

So we came out and she said, "If you want the grit chair, that's great.

If not, we just got in this action track chair.

Has these awesome off road tracks like you can go anywhere."

We were like, "That looks way cooler than the grit chair.

Yeah, we want it."

- And when they first saw it, their eyes just lit up because it opened a world of possibilities for them.

Whereas when I first met them, they were talking about how hard it is to get out of a parking lot in some of these natural spaces.

- NARRATOR: The introduction of the track chairs at Dinosaur Valley opens a door to nature for people who have never gotten to experience it in this way before.

[visitor giggles] [track chair whirs] - If it's your first time in nature, it can get kind of overwhelming.

There's lots of sounds.

There's lots of sites.

And so I wanted to find a way that was going to kind of quell all of that overstimulation and make it where you can enjoy nature with someone who's going to guide you through it in a comforting setting.

[track chair whirs] - NARRATOR: Sensory-friendly hikes give Kahoot the chance to work one-on-one connecting visitors with nature.

- What about this one?

Yeah, that one is different.

- He really opens up for her.

He'll reach out and touch leaves and do things that he will never do if I ask him to.

But I think putting him in a different environment and pushing him outside of his comfort zone is really good.

- Hayes, he doesn't like to try new things.

He doesn't like new toys.

He doesn't like to touch, you know, grasses or things like that.

Seeing him connect to nature in his own way completely changed the way I see the sensory hikes and the hikes that I'll do from now on.

- Oh!

[voice from toy] Eastern bluebird.

- Let's go see if we can't find that bluebird.

This is from an elm tree.

Do you want to try this one?

Nice!

I care about getting everyone access to the outdoors.

My mom and I used to go out and we would photograph wildlife, and we would go on hikes and we would spend time in nature together.

And then she had a stroke.

And then all of a sudden, my world view changed, and I realized how inaccessible everything is.

And so I had to start getting creative for her.

- NARRATOR: That creativity and dedication is what brings these families back to Dinosaur Valley again and again.

- Having these sensory hikes, having the chairs, having things that he can come and he can have a good day at the park too means a lot.

And I know maybe there's not as many families as ours, you know, that have these kind of issues, but ten times out of ten, this will be the park that we choose now because all of us can have a good day here.

- She's given us this opportunity to take my son Layne hiking where we didn't think we would ever have that chance.

[group laughing] - You like that one, huh?

- You really like that one!

- We often don't get to do the same things that normal families get to do.

It's very meaningful when somebody sees that, understands that, and puts in all the effort that Laney has to make sure that my son Layne is included.

It means a lot.

- LANEY: I think you liked that painted bunting better.

- For sure.

- LANEY: I think that's the one.

And I'll take your boards if you're done with them.

[track chair whirring] These are memories I'm never going to forget.

And they're things that I will carry with me through my entire career, through my entire life.

[gentle music] [Morgan laughs] - MORGAN: I love it, yeah.

[gentle music] - You know, growing up in Gulfton, our families are very resilient.

They come from different countries.

They migrate here for a better life and opportunities.

I think we bring a rich culture to the city as a whole.

It's a very densely populated community and the most diverse culturally, linguistically.

There was the report that Houston and Harris County did, and they found that our neighborhood was the hottest neighborhood throughout the city of Houston.

If you look at the aerial view of Gulfton, you'll see luscious green trees surrounding our community, but Gulfton is lacking in that.

[gentle music] - These sidewalks sometimes get 135 degrees-plus in the summertime.

It's 131.9 degrees.

So if you're sitting here waiting for the bus for a while, that can be more than uncomfortable.

It can be dangerous.

You get under some of the trees and the temperature difference could be 30 degrees.

So super concreted neighborhoods like this are more likely to lead to mental illness.

In some cases, it triples your chances of getting a mental illness because we're not meant to live in concreted places like this.

It's not designed for humans.

We just completed a study with Rice University on what we call biodiversity equity.

And what we found, not surprisingly, was more affluent neighborhoods had more nature, had more biodiverse spaces than communities that are underinvested or disinvested.

And Gulfton is a little bit of the poster child for a community that just has not had enough nature investment in the past.

[upbeat music] - Greener Gulfton was really when Jaime González reached out to me and said, you know, I have this kind of this idea.

We've done this heat mapping study.

We want to create a road map for how people can build nature back into their neighborhoods, but we want the neighborhood to dictate what that looks like.

- We started talking and sharing more connections in the community.

We went out to speak to the soccer players, to families in the park, to people at the bus stop, talk to Connect Community, talk to Madres del Parque.

We had many conversations throughout.

[gentle music] [speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] - The Greener Gulfton plan, I see it as a tool for us community members to advocate for funding to be able to fulfill these projects that the community has shared and said they wanted.

[speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] - To get anything accomplished in a neighborhood takes a lot of people, and a lot of unique talents.

And I think the Greener Gulfton initiative really showcases what types of talents and resources we need at different moments in this project's trajectory.

- I am really excited to be able to work on these initiatives with different firms, the city, the county, nonprofits and residents to be able to make sure that this is a greener Gulfton.

- This is really exciting.

It's a beautiful April day.

We are going to be planting a pollinator garden with native prairie plants, some wildflowers and some grasses.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] [upbeat music] [upbeat music] - When I see the smile on the kids, when I see they're enjoying touching the earth, feeling the plant, it's just like, oh my God, this is incredible.

This is how we get in contact with nature.

This is how we connect, not only with nature, but with our community.

- JAIME: And you roll it in your hands and voila, you have a seed ball.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] - So the challenge of this project, Greener Gulfton, this initiative and the challenge that's awaiting all the partners is to find spaces and novel solutions to incorporate more trees, shade structures that incorporate nature, green bus stops, and to find that in a neighborhood that is kind of restricted in space.

We've all put our thinking caps on and we're trying to be novel about these solutions.

[speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] - Now, trees are coming to the neighborhood, the sidewalks are coming, improvements are coming.

Thanks to this plan.

- We will continue to take this, essentially what it is a pilot project, and we will continue to build on that and build neighborhood voices to make that a full reality.

- Soon thereafter, there's going to be more nature improvements and the park's going to be renovated.

Yes, we want to bring in more nature for climate resilience, but we also just want to bring it in because it's a basic human right, and everybody should be able to hear a bird chorus or see a monarch butterfly passing through.

[speaking Spanish language] [speaking Spanish language] - Now that we've completed this plan, I think this could be a proof point for the city to be able to implement in other neighborhoods and across the nation.

[upbeat music] [speaking Spanish language] [upbeat music] [upbeat music] [water flowing] - NARRATOR: It's another utopian day in Utopia... which is an actual place in the Hill Country, west of San Antonio.

- LEE BEVLY: Kind of a small community, a lot of ranching, a lot of hunting business, a lot of retired folks.

[church piano music] In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

- NARRATOR: Every week, Lee Bevly serves a community of churchgoers.

- My main job is the pastor here at the Utopia Baptist Church, and that's my full time occupation.

- NARRATOR: But outside of worship, the Reverend Bevly provides another service in this community.

[light switch clicks] - My hobby is taxidermy.

- NARRATOR: When his focus is not saving souls, it's saving skins, as lasting mementoes of hunting and fishing trips.

- It's not a calling I don't think, but I think it's part of a gift that God has given me.

An eye to see the nature of animals and try to take something that is lifeless and make it look lifelike, look real.

Put a little glue on here.

I know I'm not the best taxidermist in the world, by a long shot, but I know I'm not the worst neither.

[laughs] [violin music] You know, every taxidermist is different.

- NARRATOR: A look around the Bevly home shows just how much Lee has learned about the art of taxidermy.

- The first thing I ever mounted was a squirrel, and I used a paper towel roll and two black marbles for the eyes.

[camera clicks] Ended up about that long.

So it's been a conversation piece.

My sister still has it.

[upbeat music] You know I grew up, my dad was a hunter, and his dad was a hunter.

Kind of a family thing.

So we did it all of our life.

[music] Because I love nature, I love the outdoors... [drill whirs] let's not waste something that's been harvested, and just preserving that beauty so that we get to see it all the time.

The hide, the horns, preserving the memories.

Let's see where we're at.

I've been asked you know well is that a godly thing or not to do?

James 1:22: We're to be doers of the Word.

In Genesis chapter two, God told Man to take care of the earth.

Harvesting an animal, and knowing the numbers that we can harvest, is part of conservation.

I'm usually out here by myself and it's a good quiet time.

Sometimes I'll have to stop and write down some sermon thoughts.

- NARRATOR: While the Reverend's hobby seems at peace with his faith, there is one kind of taxidermy he will not touch.

- I have had people ask me to do a cat and a poodle, and I said "No way!"

[laughs] No pets!

This is a goose.

These are wings for a turkey.

Oh that's my jackalope.

- NARRATOR: Though the craft has evolved, with creativity and available supplies... - All kind of sizes.

White-tailed deer.

Fish eyes.

- NARRATOR: ...some things have not changed.

- Fixing to do a quail.

It teaches you patience.

I've already skinned it out.

Put the eyes in it, and then I've got wires in the legs and that'll help him stand up.

That's one of the reasons why I picked up taxidermy as a kid: to learn patience.

[drill whirs] And then I can set him in here and have him standing up now.

And then it's just a matter of getting all the feathers in the right place.

- NARRATOR: Preserved with care, a mount like this quail can last a lifetime.

- As long as they don't have a cat in the house.

It still has bird scent.

[laugh] And it still looks like a bird.

So I tell everyone now, if you've got cats at home, beware.

- NARRATOR: Although most work is for clients, the Bevlys keep their own mounted memories.

- Whenever someone goes hunting and they harvest their animal... Got a bunch in here.

...that's an experience that they have for the rest of their life.

Some of mine and the kids.

This is my son's first deer.

When they take that home and put it on their wall, every time they walk by they look at that, so all those memories come back.

Every hunt with my dad or the sons or even my daughter, she's a hunter too, they all have some kind of special meaning behind every one of them.

So I come in here every once in a while and just look around and remember all the great memories we've had.

Probably one of the biggest problems with the world today is families don't spend time together.

♪ Learning to... ♪ We do a lot of things together.

And because of that, we have good communication.

[uplifting music] - NARRATOR: However you may define Utopia.... As a place of faith or community of friends and family... as a place where work brings joy.... or maybe just a place where the sky is blue and water runs clear... Lee Bevly seems to have found his Utopia, and it's a real place, in the Texas Hill Country.

[gentle music] - NARRATOR: Next time on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - The main woodpeckers that we're trying to protect here are the red cockaded woodpeckers.

- Government Canyon was the start of recharge zone protection in San Antonio.

- You can get lost here.

Sometimes that what you need on a weekend is let me get lost for awhile.

- NARRATOR: That's next time on Texas Parks & Wildlife.

[birds chirping] [ducks quack] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [birds calling] [birds calling] [birds calling] [birds calling] [birds calling] [water splashing] [water splashing] - KAYAKER: Let's hit this first little area right here.

[water splashing] [water splashing] - 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 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.

Funding also provided by Academy Sports and Outdoors.

Helping hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages get outside.

Out here, fun can't lose.