[Music]
[City traffic]
[Narrator] TEXAS IS GROWING.
THERE ARE MORE CARS, MORE BUILDINGS, MORE POLLUTANTS, AND MORE PEOPLE.
IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE, THE POPULATION WILL ONLY INCREASE.
IN 1950, TEXAS HAD A POPULATION OF OVER 7 MILLION.
BY 1995 THAT NUMBER HAD MORE THAN DOUBLED.
AND BY THE YEAR 2025 TEXAS IS PROJECTED TO HAVE OVER 27 MILLION PEOPLE.
[Helicopter sound]
[Narrator] IT'S A SIMPLE FACT THAT PEOPLE NEED SPACE
TO LIVE AND WORK.
[Hammering and sawing]
[Narrator] AS A RESULT, THERE IS LESS AND LESS SPACE
FOR WILDLIFE.
THERE IS HOWEVER A WAY WE CAN HELP.
[Music]
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Narrator] SMALL ISLANDS OF HABITAT SET ASIDE BY LAND
OWNERS.
MOSTLY NATIVE PLANTS ARE USED, SO WILDLIFE IS NATURALLY ATTRACTED TO THESE AREAS.
THE NATURAL, EASY-TO-CARE-FOR HABITATS ARE KNOWN AS TEXAS WILDSCAPES.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Narrator] THE ONLY SECRET TO ATTRACTING WILDLIFE IS
TO SUPPLY IT WITH FOUR BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR SURVIVAL: FOOD, WATER, COVER FROM THE
ELEMENTS AND FROM PREDATORS, AND SPACE TO LIVE.
ONE OF THE BEST ADVANTAGES TO WILDSCAPES IS THEY CAN EXIST ALMOST ANYWHERE.
[Music]
[Narrator] HERE AT THE HOUSTON DOW CHEMICAL CENTER, ENGINEERS
DESIGN MANUFACTURING PLANTS LOCATED AROUND THE WORLD.
[Heidi McCall] ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN GET IT DONE WHILE . . .
[Narrator] HEIDI MCCALL IS MANAGER OF OPERATIONS AT THE
HOUSTON CENTER.
[Heidi McCall] I WANT ALL THE WALLS DOWN THAT WE POSSIBLY
CAN.
[Narrator] WHEN THINGS GET STRESSFUL, HEIDI AND THE OTHER
EMPLOYEES ESCAPE TO THE BUILDING'S BACKYARD.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Heidi McCall] WHEN YOU'VE HAD A ROUGH DAY AND THINGS ARE
REALLY BUSY THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO UNWIND, TO LOOK AT LIFE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY BEFORE
YOU GO BACK INTO THE OFFICE.
IN HOUSTON, THERE'S NOT TOO MANY AREAS FOR WILDLIFE TO COEXIST WITH ALL THE SKYSCRAPERS
AND ALL THE TRAFFIC.
[Duck quacks]
[Heidi McCall] I THINK THAT'S WHY A LOT OF EMPLOYEES LIKE
WORKING HERE, IS SIMPLY BECAUSE WHEN THEY WALK OUT HERE THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE
IN HOUSTON.
I MEAN YOU HEAR THE CICADAS, YOU HEAR THE DUCKS, IT'S REALLY RELAXING AND THEY REALLY
ENJOY IT.
SO IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'D CALL YOUR NORMAL LANDSCAPE.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Heidi McCall] THE NIGHT HERON IS A BEAUTIFUL BIRD, HE'S
GRAY, HE'S GOT A QUILL ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD AND WHEN HE HUNTS HE MOVES HIS HEAD WITH THE
CURRENT IN THE WATER, AND YOU'LL SEE EMPLOYEES JUST LEANING OVER THE FENCE AND THEY'RE JUST
MESMERIZED I MEAN THEY'RE JUST WATCHING HIM MOVE.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Kids digging and talking]
[Narrator] DOW CHEMICAL HAS TAKEN ITS WILDSCAPE TO THE
NEXT LEVEL BY USING IT AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR LOCAL SCHOOL KIDS.
[Heidi McCall] BOY, YOU DID A GOOD JOB.
THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT.
WE ARE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO SOME SCHOOLS THAT WE SPONSOR.
WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO COME OVER AND ENJOY IT AND SEE NATIVE PLANTS THAT
FOR MANY OF THE STUDENTS THEY LIVE IN APARTMENTS AND THIS IS A GREAT WAY FOR THEM TO ENJOY
ALL THE WILDLIFE.
[Heidi McCall] VERY BACK BY THE TREES OVER THERE.
DO YOU SEE HIM?
[Kid] OH YEAH.
[Heidi McCall] IT'S A WELL PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT, AND IT'S
A GOOD THING FOR EMPLOYEES TO LEARN ABOUT AND OUR CHILDREN, TOO.
[Birds and nature calls]
[Heidi McCall] OK GUYS, COME ON.
[Kids groaning]
[Heidi McCall] LISTEN, LISTEN, YOU�LL START TO HEAR SOME
OF THE BIRDS.
[Birds and nature calls]
[Lawn mowers and water sprinklers]
[Narrator] HOW MUCH TIME AND MONEY DO YOU SPEND MAINTAINING
YOUR YARD?
LAWNS CAN BE MUCH MORE THAN GRASS AND WEEDS AND FLOWER BEDS.
WITH A LITTLE ADAPTATION, ALMOST ANY LANDSCAPE CAN BECOME A WILDSCAPE.
[Car drives by]
[Narrator] IN A SUBURB BETWEEN DALLAS AND FORT WORTH
YOU'LL FIND THE HOME OF MOLLY HOLLAR.
SHE'S LEFT HER FRONT YARD AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE.
[Molly Hollar] YOU CAN SEE I DON'T HAVE A LAWN TO MOW, THE
ONLY THING I DO IS WALK AROUND AND SEE WHICH TREES ARE BLOOMING OR WHAT BIRDS I SEE, IN
ADDITION THIS WONDERFUL WOODS SHADES MY HOME AND REDUCES MY COOLING BILL ENORMOUSLY SO
IT'S A VERY ECONOMICAL THING TO DO.
[Narrator] WHILE MOLLY'S FRONT YARD SUPPLIES SHELTER
FOR ANIMALS, HER BACKYARD ATTRACTS MOST OF HER WATCHABLE WILDLIFE.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Molly Hollar] WILDLIFE ADDS A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR
GARDEN OR YOUR YARD, YOUR OUTDOORS, AND IN ADDITION TO HAVING SOMETHING OF BEAUTY YOU
HAVE ENTERTAINMENT AND DELIGHT AND MUCH EASE AND CONSERVATION OF WATER AND EFFORT.
TO KEEP IT IN TOP-NOTCH SHAPE YOU CAN WATER IT 4 TO 6 TIMES A YEAR, CONVENTIONAL LANDSCAPE
YOU WATER ONCE A WEEK.
THAT SAVES A LOT OF MONEY, A LOT OF EFFORT AND A LOT OF TIME, AND IT'S ENVIRONMENTALLY
THE THING TO DO AS WELL.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Molly Hollar] IT DOESN'T REALLY REQUIRE THAT MUCH UP KEEP
AT ALL.
I DIDN'T REALIZE ALL THIS EXISTED FOR MY PLEASURE AND I WAS MISSING OUT.
I'M GLAD I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT BEFORE I'M 70.
[Birds and nature sounds]
[Molly Hollar] ALL AGES CAN SHARE THIS INTEREST AND LOVE
IT.
EVERYBODY CAN DO IT, IT'S THE EASIEST WAY.
[Tractor plowing]
[Narrator] THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE RURAL LAND IN TEXAS
IS PRIVATELY OWNED AND USED FOR AGRICULTURE OF ONE TYPE OR ANOTHER.
[Cattle mooing]
[Narrator] BUT THIS RURAL SETTING ON THE NORTHERN TIP
OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY IS HOME TO THE MITCHELLS.
[Narrator] FARRIS AND RHEBA MITCHELL HAVE SET ASIDE 120
ACRES OF THESE ROLLING HILLS AS A TEXAS WILDSCAPE.
[Farris Mitchell] ON THOSE OUT TIMES I GO OUT TO SEE THE DEER
I ALSO SEE A LOT OF BIRDS THAT I MIGHT NOT SEE IF I JUST STAYED AT HOME.
IT GIVES ME SOMETHING TO DO AND I LOVE TO DO IT.
I TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY I CAN TO WALK ON THE LAND AND TO TREAT THE LAND WITH RESPECT,
TOO.
[Plastic lid being screwed on]
[Rheba Mitchell] YOU CAN GET AS INVOLVED AS YOU CHOOSE TO GET.
I HAVE CHOSEN TO SPEND A GOOD BIT OF TIME FEEDING THE BIRDS AND THE HUMMING BIRDS ESPECIALLY,
BUT I LIKE TO HAVE A LOT OF THEM AROUND AND SO THAT'S THE PRICE YOU PAY, BUT YOU DON'T
HAVE TO IT'S MINIMAL, MINIMAL, THAT ANYONE CAN DO.
[Deer snorting]
[Farris Mitchell] IT JUST SEEMS LIKE ALMOST EVERYDAY YOU SEE
SOMETHING THAT IS A REAL TREAT.
[Rheba Mitchell] I CALL IT A GIFT.
WE GET AT LEAST ONE DAILY GIFT, OFTEN MORE.
[Farris Mitchell] WE USE THE GUIDELINES IN THE WILDSCAPE TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO AROUND THE HOUSE.
IT'S WATER, FOOD, COVER AND NESTING AREAS.
[Music]
[Rheba Mitchell] OH, GOSH, THAT�S PRETTY.
SO PEACEFUL.
[Music]
[Rheba Mitchell] I THINK I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE
I FELT SO CUT OFF FROM THE WILDLIFE THE 40 YEARS THAT WE WERE IN THE CITIES AND TO KNOW
THAT THEY'RE STILL HERE AND THAT THEY HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BE FREE, IT'S IMPORTANT
TO ME.
[Narrator] TEXAS WILDSCAPES CAN EXIST ALMOST ANYWHERE:
IN CITIES, SMALL SUBURBAN PLOTS, OR EXTENSIVE RURAL LANDSCAPES.
INDIVIDUALLY THESE SPACES MAY BE SMALL.
BUT WHEN THOUSANDS OF WILDSCAPES ARE ADDED TOGETHER IT CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR
OUR WILDLIFE.
[Farris Mitchell] COURSE OURS JUST MAY BE A LITTLE ISLAND, BUT
IF THERE ARE ENOUGH OF THOSE MAYBE THERE WILL BE SUFFICIENT HABITAT SO THAT NOT ONLY WE
BUT FUTURE GENERATIONS GET TO ENJOY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN HERE.
[Crickets and bugs]