(Narrator) WITH LONG, DELIBERATE STRIDES,
WHOOPING (HOOPING) CRANES STALK THE SALT MARSHES
AT ARANSAS (A-RAN-ZIS) AND MATAGORDA (MAT-A-GORE-DA)
ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES,
ACTING AS IF THEY OWN THE PLACE.
AND, IN A SENSE, THEY DO.
FOR WHOOPING CRANES' ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MARSHY KINGDOM
GOES BACK FURTHER
THAN MANKIND'S CLAIM TO THIS LAND.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
A FLOCK OF SNOW-WHITE WHOOPING CRANES
HAS COME TO THESE WINTERING GROUNDS
ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST.
EVERY FALL, THEY ARRIVE TO SPEND THE COLDER MONTHS
IN VAST, OPEN SALT MARSHES,
RICH WITH CRABS AND OTHER MARINE LIFE.
AND EVERY SPRING,
THE BIRDS LEAVE THE REFUGE TO MIGRATE NORTH,
UNDERTAKING AN EXTRAORDINARY 2,500-MILE JOURNEY
TO NESTING GROUNDS IN NORTHERN CANADA.
THIS IMPRESSIVE MIGRATORY RITUAL
WOULD BE CAUSE ENOUGH TO ADMIRE THESE BIRDS.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER REASON TO FEEL AWE IN THEIR PRESENCE...
FOR THE BIRDS AT ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND
ARE THE LAST NATURAL FLOCK OF MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES
LEFT IN THE WORLD.
DUE TO LOSS OF HABITAT AND HUNTING,
THEIR POPULATION HAD PLUMMETED TO ABOUT 15 BIRDS IN THE 1940s,
MAKING THEM ONE OF THE MOST SEVERELY ENDANGERED SPECIES ON EARTH.
ALTHOUGH THEY REMAIN ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST,
THE CRANES HAVE STAGED AN IMPRESSIVE COMEBACK.
TODAY, THE FLOCK NUMBERS ABOUT 200 BIRDS.
UNDERSTANDABLY, A GLIMPSE OF THESE ELEGANT BIRDS
IS THE HIGHLIGHT FOR MANY REFUGE VISITORS.
WHOOPING CRANES GET THEIR NAME FROM THEIR SHRILL TRUMPETING CALL,
WHICH CAN BE HEARD FOR NEARLY TWO MILES.
(whooping crane)
THEY'RE ALSO DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR UNUSUAL HEIGHT.
AT NEARLY FIVE FEET TALL,
THEY'RE NEARLY AS TALL AS A HUMAN.
BUT WHOOPING CRANES ARE NOT THE REFUGES' ONLY REASON FOR BEING.
THE ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND REFUGES
WERE ESTABLISHED TO PROTECT THE VANISHING COASTAL PRAIRIE HABITAT
AND THE DIVERSE WILDLIFE THAT USE THESE AREAS,
INCLUDING MANY TYPES OF BIRDS, AS WELL AS MAMMALS AND REPTILES.
ARANSAS IS LOCATED ALONG THE CENTRAL GULF COAST OF TEXAS.
MATAGORDA ISLAND IS A NARROW, 38-MILE-LONG BARRIER ISLAND,
ABOUT FIVE MILES OFF THE ARANSAS SHORE.
THE TWO REFUGES TOGETHER ENCOMPASS ABOUT 115,000 ACRES.
ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND
ARE BOTH PART OF THE CENTURY-OLD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM,
WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BY THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.
THE SYSTEM INCLUDES MORE THAN 500 REFUGES
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES,
ESTABLISHED TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, AND ENHANCE
FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS AND THEIR HABITAT.
FOR ALL OF THE APPEAL OF WHOOPING CRANES,
ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND
HAVE OTHER SPECIES OF BIRDS TO BRAG ABOUT...
NEARLY 400 OF THEM, IN FACT.
MANY WADING BIRDS AND SHOREBIRDS
ARE ATTRACTED TO THE REFUGES' NUTRITION-PACKED MARSHES AND BAYS.
ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING IS THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL.
THE BIRD GETS ITS NAME FROM ITS HOT-PINK PLUMAGE
AND ITS LARGE, FLAT BILL,
WHICH IT SWISHES THROUGH THE WATER
TO "SPOON" UP SMALL FISH AND CRUSTACEANS.
WHILE THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL
IS ONE OF THE REFUGES' YEAR-ROUND RESIDENTS,
OTHERS--LIKE NEOTROPICAL SONGBIRDS
AND HUMMINGBIRDS-- ARE TEMPORARY VISITORS.
THEY STOP AT THE REFUGES TO REST AND REFUEL
IN SPRING AND FALL
AS THEY TRAVEL BETWEEN NORTHERN BREEDING GROUNDS
AND CENTRAL AMERICAN WINTERING AREAS.
OTHER BIRDS LIVE HERE FOR A PART OF THE YEAR.
DUCKS AND GEESE ARE COMMON WINTER VISITORS.
IF WATERFOWL, WADING BIRDS, AND SONGBIRDS ARE PRESENT IN LARGE NUMBERS,
OTHER BIRDS ARE SO RARE
THAT A GLIMPSE OF THEM IS A SPECIAL TREAT.
THE ENDANGERED APLOMADO FALCON FALLS INTO THIS SECOND CATEGORY.
ITS NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED DRAMATICALLY THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S.
HOWEVER, IN RECENT YEARS,
BIOLOGISTS HAVE RELEASED A NUMBER OF APLOMADO FALCONS ON THE REFUGES,
WHICH CONTAIN THE COASTAL PRAIRIE HABITAT FAVORED BY THE BIRDS.
SOME OF THE FALCONS HAVE BEGUN TO NEST,
AND HOPES ARE RUNNING HIGH
FOR A RESURGENCE OF THESE QUICK-FLYING RAPTORS.
ANOTHER REFUGE RESIDENT, THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR,
SEEMS SOLIDLY ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.
THANKS TO PROTECTION OF HABITAT AND RESTRICTIONS
ON INDISCRIMINATE HUNTING THROUGHOUT ITS RANGE,
THE ALLIGATOR HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF
THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.
ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND HAVE MORE THAN
600 OF THESE HULKING REPTILES,
WHICH CAN WEIGH UP TO 400 POUNDS
AND REACH LENGTHS OF 12 FEET.
THEY CAN BE SEEN YEAR-ROUND PATROLLING FRESHWATER PONDS OR MARSHES,
OR BASKING ON SUNNY BANKS.
THOUGH ALLIGATORS MAY LOOK LETHARGIC,
THEY CAN MOVE SURPRISINGLY QUICKLY,
AND VISITORS NEED TO KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE.
THE JAVELINA (HAV-A-LEEN-A) IS ANOTHER CURIOUS REFUGE INHABITANT.
THIS NATIVE MAMMAL IS A DISTANT COUSIN
OF THE ANTELOPE AND BISON.
PEOPLE OFTEN CONFUSE JAVELINAS WITH ANOTHER REFUGE RESIDENT,
THE FERAL HOG.
YOU CAN TELL A FERAL HOG BY ITS BRISTLY BACK,
FLOPPY EARS, AND STRAIGHT TAIL.
THEY ARE THE OFFSPRING OF DOMESTIC HOGS THAT MATED
WITH WILD BOARS IMPORTED FOR A LOCAL GAME PRESERVE.
FERAL HOGS ARE AGGRESSIVE FORAGERS
THAT COMPETE WITH THE OTHER NATIVE SPECIES FOR FOOD
AND ROOT UP SOIL AND PLANTS.
BECAUSE THE HOGS HAVE LARGE LITTERS,
THE REFUGES FACE CHALLENGES CONTROLLING THEIR NUMBERS.
ONE WAY THE REFUGES ATTEMPT
TO CHECK THE HOGS' POPULATION
IS TO ALLOW HUNTERS TO TAKE THEM
DURING FALL RECREATIONAL DEER HUNTS.
BUT HUNTING IS ONLY ONE
OF MANY STRATEGIES USED BY REFUGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TO MANAGE THE LANDS AND WILDLIFE UNDER THEIR CARE.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT TOOLS
EMPLOYED AT ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND
IS "PRESCRIBED BURNING."
ON A REGULAR BASIS, REFUGE STAFF DELIBERATELY
SET FIRES IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE REFUGES.
THESE CAREFULLY CONTROLLED FIRES
ARE DESIGNED TO MIMIC THE ROLE THAT WILDFIRES PLAYED IN THE PAST:
THE CONTROLLED BURNS HELP RESTORE
THE AREA'S ORIGINAL COASTAL PRAIRIE HABITAT
BY CHECKING THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SHRUBS AND TREES.
MANY WILDLIFE SPECIES BENEFIT FROM THIS MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
FOR EXAMPLE, CONTROLLED BURNS CREATE OPEN GRASSLAND AREAS
WHERE RAPTORS CAN MORE EASILY HUNT
FOR SMALL BIRDS AND REPTILES.
WHILE SOME PARTS OF THE REFUGES ARE OFF-LIMITS
TO VISITORS TO LIMIT WILDLIFE DISTURBANCES,
VISITORS HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES
TO VIEW THE REFUGES' CREATURES.
AT ARANSAS, A 16-MILE AUTOMOBILE LOOP
WINDS THROUGH VARIED REFUGE ECOSYSTEMS,
OFFERING GLIMPSES OF A RICH ARRAY OF WILDLIFE.
THE TOUR LOOP INCLUDES A STOP
AT A FORTY-FOOT-TALL OBSERVATION TOWER
AND A NEARBY BOARDWALK THAT MEANDERS THROUGH A SALT MARSH.
FOR A MORE INTIMATE VIEW OF NATIVE PLANTS AND WILDLIFE,
ARANSAS ALSO HAS NINE HIKING TRAILS OF VARYING LENGTHS.
THESE OFFER VIEWS OF EVERYTHING FROM BITTERNS TO BUTTERFLIES.
ONE POPULAR TRAIL IS THE MILE-AND-A-HALF-LONG HERON FLATS TRAIL.
AS ITS NAME PROMISES, VISITORS CAN SEE HERONS
AND OTHER WADING BIRDS FEEDING IN THE TIDAL FLATS.
THE TRAIL ALSO LEADS THROUGH FRESHWATER SLOUGHS
AND SHELL RIDGES,
WITH THEIR ATTENDANT WILDLIFE AND PLANT COMMUNITIES.
THE BIG TREE TRAIL
WINDS THROUGH A DIFFERENT HABITAT:
AN ENCHANTED FOREST OF 500-YEAR-OLD LIVE OAKS,
WHOSE BRANCHES HAVE BEEN TWISTED INTO ODD,
ARTISTIC SHAPES BY PREVAILING WINDS.
GENERALLY, THE BEST TIMES OF DAY TO VIEW WILDLIFE
ARE EARLY AND LATE IN THE DAY,
WHEN MANY SPECIES TEND TO BE MORE ACTIVE.
HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO ENJOY THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED,
PLEASE STAY ON THE TRAILS,
WATCH WILDLIFE QUIETLY,
AND MAINTAIN A RESPECTFUL DISTANCE FROM ANY WILD CREATURES THAT YOU MAY SEE.
AND REMEMBER, FEEDING WILDLIFE IS DANGEROUS.
TO HELP VISITORS LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CREATURES THEY ENCOUNTER,
THE REFUGES OFFER GUIDED HIKES AND INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS.
THE ENRON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
ON MATAGORDA ISLAND OFFERS HANDS-ON
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CLASSES.
SOME VISITORS THINK THE BEST WAY TO EXPERIENCE
A WILDLIFE REFUGE IS WITH THE AID OF A FISHING ROD.
BANK AND WADE FISHING ARE AVAILABLE
AT BOTH ARANSAS AND MATAGORDA ISLAND.
DURING THE WINTER,
SPECIAL ACCESS RESTRICTIONS ARE IMPOSED
TO AVOID DISTURBING THE CRANES.
OTHER PEOPLE SEEM TO ENJOY NATURE BEST
WHEN IT'S SEEN THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA.
PHOTOGRAPHERS FIND ENDLESS PHOTO POSSIBILITIES
AT THE TWO REFUGES,
ESPECIALLY AT SCENIC MATAGORDA ISLAND.
THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
OPERATES A FERRY TO THE ISLAND FROM PORT O'CONNOR, TEXAS.
PEOPLE CAN ALSO TAKE PRIVATELY OWNED BOATS
TO THE ISLAND, WHICH HAS WINDSWEPT BEACHES
AND A PICTURESQUE LIGHTHOUSE.
THE LIGHTHOUSE, MADE OF CAST IRON,
WAS ERECTED IN 1852
AFTER A SERIES OF SHIPPING DISASTERS IN THE AREA.
ANOTHER HISTORICAL ATTRACTION
IS THE ISLAND'S CIVIL WAR TRENCHES.
THESE ARE THE ONLY REMAINS OF TRACES
OF AN 1863 BATTLE,
IN WHICH UNION FORCES TOOK CONTROL OF THE ISLAND
IN ORDER TO CUT OFF CONFEDERATE SUPPLY LINES.
IN ADDITION TO RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES,
SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO SPEND TIME VOLUNTEERING FOR THE REFUGES.
VOLUNTEERS CAN GET INVOLVED WORKING ON BIOLOGICAL,
PUBLIC USE, AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM,
PLEASE CHECK WITH THE REFUGE VISITOR CENTER OR OFFICE.
NO MATTER WHAT VISITORS CHOOSE TO DO
AT ARANSAS OR MATAGORDA ISLAND,
THEY CAN'T HELP BUT BE STRUCK BY THE UNEXPECTED BEAUTY
AND PROFOUND TRANQUILITY THAT GREETS THEM HERE.
IN A WORLD WHERE WE ARE INCREASINGLY DETACHED FROM NATURE,
A VISIT TO ARANSAS
AND MATAGORDA ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES,
REMINDS US OF THE VALUE
OF MAINTAINING STRONG CONNECTIONS WITH THE NATURAL WORLD.