Texas Parks and Wildlife Season 32, Episode 4: Flying the Franklins, Blue Mountain Peak & A Frog Pond

1

Catching Copperheads, City Camping & Windy Water

Follow some folks as they catch copperheads for cancer research. Enjoy some city camping during the work week. Experience the windy waters of Port O'Connor.

30 min

2

Conservation Art, Seeing Selah & Hermit Crabs

Meet an artist whose prints raise cash for conservation. Learn about the legendary vision of David Bamberger. Watch a crowd of Hermit Crabs on Lavaca Bay.

30 min

3

Biking Tyler, Desert Skies & Charlie's Cannon

Bike between the tall trees at Tyler State Park. View the vast skies of the Trans-Pecos in black & white. Meet a man with a cannon, and a purpose.

30 min

4

Flying the Franklins, Blue Mountain Peak & A Frog Pond

Fly high above the Franklin Mountains in a paraglider. Blue Mountain Peak Ranch owners are returning the land to its roots. Discover a homemade frog pond and see what animals it attracts.

30 min

5

Coastal Birds, Horned Lizards & Desert Plants

Travel with some dedicated birders along the Texas coast. Biologists work to restore the Texas Horned Lizard to its historic range. The plants in Big Bend may be prickly, but they serve many purposes.

30 min

6

Travelling Turkeys, Wild Teachers & Saving Sharks

Follow some turkeys as they are moved from Iowa to east Texas to help restore depleted populations. Project WILD takes teachers out of the classroom and into nature. Tagging and tracking sharks helps biologists keep tabs on these top predators.

30 min

7

Hunting Laurens, Diving Wardens & an Outdoor Writer

Join a couple of Houston area ladies as they experience hunting for the very first time. Meet the game wardens who make up the Underwater Search and Recovery Dive Team. Get to know Ray Sasser, the Dallas Morning News' outdoor writer.

30 min

8

Saving Bison, Hunting Access & Corralling CWD

See the efforts being made to save the last of the Southern Plains Bison. Discover how Inks Lake State Park is making hunting accessible for the physically challenged. Meet the biologists who are keeping track of CWD.

30 min

9

Ocean Office, Hill Country Haven & a Conservation Career

A few hours scuba diving in the ocean is just another day at the office for a couple of marine biologists. Brent Ortego has spent a lifetime focused on conservation. Meet a cancer researcher who spends his free time exploring caves and conservation at his Hill Country ranch.

30 min

10

Pocket Prairies, Catching Carp & a Conservation Consultant

Follow along as some Houston area school kids discover the value of native prairies. Once maligned, carp have emerged as a much sought after sport fish, especially among European visitors. Wildlife Biologist Steve Nelle helps landowners answer conservation questions.

30 min

11

Pronghorn Puzzle, Changing Habitats & Blanco Cleanup

Travel to the Trans Pecos to find out what's causing declines in Pronghorn Antelope populations. See how a change in habitat philosophy improved the Pecore Farm. When flood waters hit Blanco State Park, the park's staff took care of the visiting campers, and the cleanup.

30 min

12

Bat Noses, Involved Angler & Wildlife Watchdogs

Researchers track white nose syndrome in bats as it gets closer to Texas. Randi Wayland has spent a lifetime promoting fishing and water safety to young people in Texas. Follow along as the Kills & Spills Team works to save wildlife after unnatural disasters.

30 min

13

Moving Bees, Razing Cane & Wildlife Winds

Watch a bee specialist relocate a hive of European honey bees, giving them a safe new home where they can keep on buzzing. Invasive giant reed is a threat to Texas rivers. Watch as biologists work to control this towering cane. See how wind energy production impacts wildlife.

30 min

14

Bee Searcher, Coastal Winds & Turkey Work

Meet a researcher who's investigating the health of native pollinators. Learn how wind farms use radar to protect migrating birds near wind turbines. Find out where the turkeys lurk when biologist trap and tag Rio Grande gobblers.

30 min

15

Hatching Fish, Seeking Squirrels & River Reclamation

The Dundee Fish Hatchery is back in business after shutting down due to drought. Join a father and his daughter as they hunt squirrels in east Texas. Some central Texas citizens help restore damaged habitat along the Colorado River.

30 min

16

Hiking Dogs, Telling Stories & Protecting Paddlefish

Join a dog hike at Franklin Mountains State Park. Students tell the story of Garner State Park using their phones. A freshwater fish from the time of the dinosaur is being returned to Caddo Lake.

30 min

17

Magazine History, Outdoor Photography & Texas Wildlife

Meet the people who craft the "Texas Parks & Wildlife" magazine and see what it takes to publish this great outdoor periodical. Get some outdoor photo tips from photographer Russell Graves. Enjoy some outstanding Texas wildlife photography by Earl Nottingham and Chase Fountain.

30 min

18

San Pedro Success, Fishing Fan & Lovely Landscapes

Visit the San Pedro Ranch and see how they sustain diverse wildlife populations and a productive cattle herd. Michael Homer helps make fishing easy and fun for both kids and adults. "Texas Parks & Wildlife" magazine photographers share some of their favorite landscape images.

30 min

19

Kangaroo Rats, Student Host & LBJ's Legacy

Trap and track the seldom seen Texas Kangaroo Rat with some eager researchers. Meet a college student who also volunteers as a park host at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. President Lyndon Johnson's legacy lives on at the Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm.

30 min

20

Bobcat City, Ranch Reboot & Coastal Birds

Follow a study that sheds light on how bobcats live in the suburbs and edges of cities. The Harkins Ranch has been transformed into an oasis for wildlife. Get up close to some of the birds that thrive on the Texas coast.

30 min

21

Say Cheese, Blue Suckers & Nature Photos

See some of the wildlife that is attracted to man-made watering holes in the Trans Pecos. Follow some biologists as the search for the rare blue sucker fish in the Colorado River near Austin. Experience man in nature through the eyes of Texas Parks and Wildlife photographers.

30 min

22

Prairie Chickens, Gargantuan Gar & Lionfish

Follow along as biologists struggle to save one of the most endangered birds in all of Texas. As more anglers view the alligator gar as a sport fish, more research is required to sustain this mysterious species. The invasive Lionfish is threatening the balance of the Gulf of Mexico.

30 min

23

Ranch Wildlife, Conservation Dollars & Kickapoo Cavern

See how a ranch in Goliad County has improved its quail populations by improving grasslands. Meet the woman whose enthusiasm and passion has helped conservation funds reach Texas' youth. Discover the birds, bats, and caves at Kickapoo Cavern State Park.

30 min

24

Horned Lizards, Young Guns & Outdoor Ethics

Learn what may be causing declines of the Texas horned lizard, and what's being done about it. Join a group of enthusiastic first time hunters, and their parents, on a cold, wet duck hunt. Discover some ideas for leaving the environment better than you found it.

30 min

25

Park Hiker, Paddling Port O’Connor & Finding Flounder

Follow a walker of Texas ranger as he visits the state parks one step at a time. Slide through silent saltwater marshes as you paddle the coastal trail at Port O'Connor. One of the top three sport fish in Texas, more and more fishermen now set their sights on the southern flounder.

30 min

26

Eroding Island, Fire Crew & Jamaica Beach

See what's being done to save one of the most important rookery islands on the Texas coast from eroding away. Meet the crew on a prescribed fire and learn about all the different skills necessary for a successful burn. Enjoy the end of the day at Jamaica Beach near Galveston.

30 min