(music)
>> FROM THE GULF COAST...
TO THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST TEXAS, BIOLOGIST HAVE FOLLOWED,
TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES, THE HABITS AND LIVES
OF TEXAS' WILDLIFE.
NOW, SCIENTIST CAN BETTER PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE
WILDLIFE TRAVELS BY USING THE NEWEST GPS TECHNOLOGY.
FROM 12,000 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH, SATELLITES ARE HELPING US
TRACK WILDLIFE WITH DETAIL AND EASE.
EACH SPRING, KEMP'S RIDLEY SEA TURTLES COME TO THE TEXAS SHORE
TO PERFORM ONE OF NATURE'S WONDERS BY LAYING THEIR EGGS.
(waves crashing)
MONTHS LATER, THEIR YOUNG HATCH AND BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY
THROUGH LIFE.
EVERY NEW HATCHLING GIVES HOPE THAT THIS ENDANGERED SPECIES
WON'T GO EXTINCT.
THE MOTHERS HAVE LONG SINCE RETURNED TO THE SEA...
BUT THEIR EXACT WHEREABOUTS, A MYSTERY.
UNTIL NOW.
(wind and waves)
>> WE'RE CONDUCTING THIS TRACKING BECAUSE WE WANT TO
GET AN IDEA ABOUT THE HABITAT USAGE BY THESE ADULT FEMALES.
WE WANT TO SEE WHERE THEY'RE GOING IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
WHICH IS WHERE THEY SPEND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR LIFE,
WHERE THEY'RE GOING FOR MIGRATION AS WELL AS
FOR FORAGING WHEN THEY ARE DONE NESTING.
WE ARE AFFIXING SATELLITE TRANSMITTERS
TO KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLES THAT NESTED ON THE TEXAS COAST
SO WE CAN FOLLOW THEIR MIGRATORY PATHWAYS AND LOOK FOR ANY
FORAGING HOTSPOTS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.
ONCE THE TURTLE IS IN HER TRANCE WHILE SHE'S ACTUALLY
LAYING EGGS, WE WILL TAKE A SWIPE SAMPLE FROM HER CARAPACE,
AND THEN WE WILL PUT HER IN A TRANSPORT VEHICLE
AND TAKE HER A BRIEF RIDE TO THE TURTLE LABORATORY AT
PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE.
WE PUT A LITTLE TOWEL OVER THE EYES OF THE TURTLE BECAUSE
SOMETIMES THIS HELPS TO CALM THE TURTLE.
SHE WILL HAVE A BLOOD SAMPLE THAT IS WITHDRAWN AND THERE WILL
BE SMALL BIOPSY TISSUE SAMPLES TAKEN FOR USE
WITH VARIOUS STUDIES.
WE HAVE TO SAND THE SHELL.
WE PUT DOWN THE FIRST LAYER OF THE EPOXY WHICH IS COOL
AS IT DRIES.
AND THEN WE'LL AFFIX THE TRANSMITTER.
THEN WHEN IT'S ON THERE, VERY WELL AND SOLID,
WE WILL PAINT THE SURFACE TO HELP PREVENT BARNACLES
FROM ADHERING ONTO THAT AREA WHERE IT HAS BEEN APPLIED.
THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKES ABOUT THREE HOURS.
(music)
EVERY TIME WE RELEASE A TURTLE, IT IS A MEANINGFUL
EXPERIENCE TO US.
THIS IS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS RELEASED BACK ON THE BEACH
IN VERY HEALTHY AND VIGOROUS CONDITION.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN CONSERVATION WORK FOR
KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLES.
IT'S A COOPERATIVE EFFORT, THAT MAKES IT SPECIAL,
AND IT'S ONE STEP CLOSER TOWARDS HOPEFULLY RECOVERING THIS
SPECIES SOMEDAY SO THAT IT CAN BE ENJOYED BY
FUTURE GENERATIONS.
THE PUBLIC CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE TRACKS FOR THESE
NESTING TURTLES.
THEY GO TO WWW.SEATURTLE.ORG
AND LOOK FOR THE PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE KEMP'S RIDLEY
TRACKING PROJECT AND THEN THEY WILL SEE A MAP FOR ALL OF
THE TURTLES THAT WE'RE TRACKING FOR THIS YEAR'S TRANSMITTERS
DEPLOYED.
AND THEN THEY WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO CLICK ON THE LINKS TO
THE SPECIFIC TURTLES AND SEE THE INDIVIDUAL MAPS.
>> OVER 500 MILES AWAY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST TEXAS,
ANOTHER SPECIES FIGHTS TO SURVIVE.
HISTORICALLY, THE NATIVE TEXAS DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP OCCURRED
IN ABOUT 16 MOUNTAIN RANGES.
BUT BY THE EARLY 1960S THEY WERE GONE MOSTLY DUE TO UNREGULATED
HUNTING AND DISEASE.
TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AND OTHERS HAVE WORKED TO RESTORE
THE BIGHORNS TO THEIR NATIVE TEXAS MOUNTAIN RANGES,
BUT CAPTURING AND TRACKING THESE ELUSIVE ANIMALS IS CHALLENGING
IN THIS VAST WEST TEXAS DESERT.
(helicopter)
>> THE WAY WE CAPTURE THESE IS THROUGH A NET GUN
AND A HELICOPTER.
AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY GO OUT AND SOMEWHAT SELECTIVELY ROUTE
THEM IN A DIRECTION THAT THEY WANT AND THEN THEY FIRE
A NET GUN ON THEM.
AS THEY FLY AND AND THEY BANK AND THEY COME BACK
AND TURNAROUND, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FAST PACED
ROLLER COASTER RIDE.
(gun fires)
WE HAVE SOURCES, IN-STATE SOURCES NOW THAT WE CAN GO TO
AND CAPTURE FROM AND RELOCATE TO OTHER MOUNTAIN RANGES.
YOU LOOK UP AT THE MOUNTAIN AND HERE YOU SEE THE BUBBLE OF THE
HELICOPTER AND THEN YOU SEE THE THING ATTACHED AT THE BOTTOM
AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE SHEEP.
AND AS THEY GET CLOSER THERE THEY ARE.
ONCE AT THE PROCESSING STATION THEY'RE AGED,
YOU TAKE FECAL SAMPLES, THEY ALSO TAKE BLOOD SAMPLES,
AND THOSE RADIO COLLARS ARE THERE TO HELP US
MONITOR THE BIGHORNS.
THAT'S WHERE WE GET MOVEMENT AND IDENTIFY OTHER VARIABLES
SUCH AS TRAVEL CORRIDORS.
(drill)
THE RESTORATION EFFORT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS
AND YOU KNOW IT'S NOW PAYING OFF, WHERE WE HAVE SURPLUS
POPULATIONS THEY'RE THRIVING.
(gate opening)
(music)
WE'RE ALMOST HALF-WAY THERE.
OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE ALL OF THE 15 OR 16 MOUNTAIN RANGES
THAT HAVE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THEM TO HAVE BIGHORNS.
(bighorn running)
IT WASN'T A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO THEY WERE AT ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN
AND NOW HERE THEY ARE IN THEIR NEW HOME.
NOW THEY'LL BE HERE FOR THE PUBLIC TO ENJOY.
AND THAT TO ME IS WONDERFUL.
OUR SATELLITE COLLARS THAT WE HAVE NOW HAVE REALLY KIND OF
AMPED UP OUR GAME AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY GOES BECAUSE THEY
ALLOW US TO MONITOR BIGHORN MOVEMENTS PRETTY MUCH REAL TIME.
YOU CAN WATCH THEM PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
IT'S PRETTY FASCINATING HOW THEY MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
WE SEE THAT RAM CROSSES INTO MEXICO, TRAVELS DOWN THE
MOUNTAINTOPS A PRETTY GOOD WAYS, AT LEAST 25 MILES
FROM THE RELEASE SITE.
THE EWES KIND OF DOING THEIR THING STAYING PRETTY CLOSE TO
THE RELEASE SITE WITHIN SEVEN MILES RADIUS.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING HOW THEY MOVE LIKE THAT.
SATELLITE COLLARS WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE FUTURE.
(ocean wave)
>> BIOLOGIST NOW LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR NATIVE
AND ENDANGERED WILDLIFE FASTER AND EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE.
AND THE MORE WE KNOW, THE BETTER AND SMARTER WE CAN WORK
TO CONSERVE OUR WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.