Texas Parks and Wildlife Season 40

Meet a game warden father and his biology professor son who monitor alligators and their ecosystem at Brazos Bend State Park. Follow a family in the Rio Grande Valley enjoying a day in the field on a dove hunt and back home for dinner. Julie Mattox transforms an overgrazed dairy farm into a tallgrass prairie classroom, inviting both children and wildlife to appreciate this restored landscape.

Black bears, once common across Texas, were extirpated by the 1950s. Today, the species is experiencing a comeback in western regions of the state. Take a deep dive into Longhorn Cavern and explore a place rich in both interesting history and fascinating geology. Efforts are underway to protect, conserve, and restore the Sabal Palm forests of South Texas.

Join two friends traversing Texas on motorcycles and follow their adventure as they explore the state's gravel roads. Travel to San Angelo State Park where wide-open spaces abound and visitors can hike, bike, or gallop across more than 50 miles of trails. Spend time with a birder keeping an eagle eye on migrating hawks in the Rio Grande Valley.

Join some duck hunters at the Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area and learn how these wetlands are designed for wildlife. From paddling the bays, to sliding through a saltwater marsh, Port O'Connor has one of the best coastal paddling trails in the state. Viewing a solar eclipse is a wonderful experience, especially with friends and family at a beautiful place like Garner State Park.

Birders from all over the world flock to Port Aransas to take part in the annual Texas Whooping Crane Festival. Visit a park on the edge of East Texas where families find water, woods, and wildlife, along with primitive camping and some rather fancy cabins nestled in the trees. Follow the Mother Neff Pecan Tree as it becomes a time capsule to celebrate the Texas State Parks centennial.

From airboats to night vision scopes, Gear Up for Game Wardens provides speciality equipment for Texas Game Wardens. Introduced diseases could pose a threat to native shrimp and an entire industry. See how anglers can help keep Texas shrimp stocks healthy. Off-road bicycling meets backpacking, as a group tests their endurance and documents their journey.

From majestic oak to towering cypress, get to know a few of the state park system's most famous trees and see what makes them special. Check out the Mission Reach Paddling Trail just south of downtown San Antonio. See how a redesigned boat is giving anglers with disabilities easier access to the water and helping a boat captain reclaim his career.

The connection between artistic inspiration and the natural world comes to live in three unique profiles. Find out how an annual cleanup of lost and abandoned crab traps in our coastal bays and waterways helps save crabs and other sea life. And see how a man-made wetland near Dallas cleans water while teaching the next generation about nature.

Learn about efforts underway to save one of the most threatened coastal birds in Texas, the black skimmer. Goliad State Park & Historic Site is known for its connection to history. It also has a connection to the San Antonio River as part of the Goliad Paddling Trail. An East Texas family carries on the tradition of prescribed fire.

Rock climbers gather at Hueco Tanks State Park for some of the best bouldering on the planet. Volunteers learn how to conduct a prescribed fire in West Texas. Some visit parks to escape technology, but a few folks like to bring it along and do a little broadcasting

As Texas grows and prospers, securing our water future remains a critical priority for sustaining the health and resilience of our state. Follow a team of student archers from San Antonio on their journey to compete in the state finals tournament. A passionate educator helps organize Free Fishing Day at Lake Pflugerville.

Discover how plant experts collect seeds to help propagate rare plants and protect our natural heritage. A Texas Game Warden uncovers some fishy contraband during a routine stop. Learn about the history of our treasured parklands, and some hopes and plans for the next century of state parks.