Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Transcription

>> THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT WAS CREATED 50 YEARS AGO WHEN THE GAME AND FISH COMMISSION AND STATE PARKS BOARD WERE MERGED. TO MARK THIS ANNIVERSARY WE TAKE A LOOK THROUGH THE ARCHIVES TO SEE HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND STAYED THE SAME ACROSS THE DECADES. (music) (music) >> I STARTED TO WORK 30 YEARS AGO THIS JUNE AT 90 DOLLARS A MONTH AND 75 DOLLARS FOR THE USE OF MY PRIVATE AUTOMOBILE. WASN'T A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY BUT THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS. >> WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS LOOKING BACK AT THE FILM? >> I KNEW ALL OF THEM. YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS BACK THEN. WE WERE STILL IN THE KIND OF THE OLD STYLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE DROVE OUR OWN CARS. WE DIDN'T HAVE RADIOS, CERTAINLY NO CELL PHONES. THERE WAS NO WAY TO SUMMONS HELP. IF THEY GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH A BUNCH OF HUNTERS OR ANYBODY, BANK ROBBERS, WHOEVER, THEN THEY WERE OUT THERE ON THEIR OWN. >> I STARTED TO WORK IN '53 AND 220 DOLLARS A MONTH. I WAS A LITTLE MORE FORTUNATE THAN YOU FELLOWS. THEY SUPPLIED UNIFORMS AT THAT TIME. AND I WAS DRIVING MY OWN CAR AT 6 CENTS A MILE. >> WELL 6 CENTS A MILE WOULDN'T COVER ALL OF THE COSTS OF OPERATING A VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY OUT WHERE GAME WARDENS WORKED AND THAT'S IN THE COUNTRY OUT ON DIRT ROADS, BRUSH. BACK THEN GAME WARDENS FURNISHED THEIR OWN VEHICLES, OWN MAINTENANCE, THEIR OWN GASOLINE. IN ADDITION THEY HAD TO FURNISH THEIR OWN FIREARMS. >> STATE GAME WARDEN. PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE TAILGATE OF THE PICKUP PLEASE. >> IF THEY NEEDED ANYTHING ELSE, >> NICE LOOKING BUCK YOU HAVE THERE. >> HANDCUFFS OR ANYTHING THEN THEY HAD TO PROVIDE THAT THEMSELVES. THE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T FURNISH ANYTHING EXCEPT A BADGE AND A LAW BOOK. >> AFTERNOON! >> THE AREA THAT THEY WORKED WAS SO HUGE AT THAT TIME THAT IT'S NOT EVEN COMPARABLE TO A GAME WARDEN'S AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY TODAY. >> HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE A GENTLEMAN UNLESS THE SITUATION DEMANDS OTHERWISE. THEN HE MUST BE CAPABLE OF TAKING CARE OF HIMSELF AND ALWAYS IN CONTROL. >> BACK THEN YOU WERE JUST ON YOUR OWN, EITHER CATCH 'EM OR NOT CATCH 'EM, ONE OR THE OTHER. AND THE BIG PROBLEM WAS THAT WHEN THE DEPARTMENT STARTED FURNISHING VEHICLES IN 1961, THEY BOUGHT SIX CYLINDER FORDS AND THOSE THINGS AT TOP SPEED I EVER HEARD OF WAS 81 MILES AN HOUR. AND VERY OFTEN THE LAWS BREAKER DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE'D BEEN IN A CHASE. I MEAN HE'D JUST DRIVE AT NORMAL SPEEDS AND OUTRUN THE GAME WARDEN. >> THAT'S HOW WE USED TO STOP CARS. NOT EVERYBODY HAD RED LIGHTS AND SIRENS AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO THE DEPARTMENT FURNISHED FLAGS LIKE THAT AND WE WOULD STAND OUT AND HOLD THEM OUT AND PEOPLE WOULD STOP. THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE HAD! >> THE TEXAS COAST LINE IS THE THIRD LONGEST IN THE NATION. IT'S THE DUTY OF THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT'S GAME WARDENS TO ENFORCE THE LAWS CONCERNING HUNTING, FISHING AND WATER SAFETY IN THIS AREA JUST AS THEY DO INLAND. >> IN CORPUS CHRISTI, I WAS STATIONED THERE FOR 11 YEARS, AND WE PICKED UP LOTS OF NETS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FEET EVERY YEAR. THEY'D SET THOSE NETS OUT THERE AND CATCH JUST BUSHELS AND BUSHELS OF BLACK DRUM AND THEN TROUT AND REDFISH. THE NUMBERS STARTED TO DECLINE. THAT'S WHEN SPORTSMEN FINALLY WOKE UP TO WHAT WAS GOING ON AND REALLY COOPERATED WITH THE STATE IN PASSING A GOOD LAW AND PROVIDING THE MEANS OF ENFORCING IT. (telephone rings) >> YES, JUST A MINUTE. IT'S FOR YOU. >> GAME WARDEN WIVES ARE REALLY A BOON TO THE DEPARTMENT. THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME ANSWERING CALLS, GIVING OUT INFORMATION, OPERATING RADIO. >> I'LL BE RIGHT OUT. BYE NOW. >> AREN'T YOU GOING TO EAT SUPPER WITH US FIRST? >> I GOT TO GO TO WORK NOW. SEE Y'ALL LATER. >> AND THEY WOULD DISPATCH GAME WARDENS. EVEN IF IT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEIR HUSBAND, THEY WOULD DISPATCH FOR OTHER GAME GAME WARDENS. AND THEY WERE REALLY JUST A FREE SOURCE OF LABOR. >> ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR... THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT OPERATES ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TRAINING ACADEMIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE GAME WARDENS OF THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT ARE A DEDICATED GROUP OF MEN. >> BACK THEN THE BIGGEST CONCERN OF COURSE WAS FEMALE GAME WARDENS. EVERYBODY THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE HOMES WRECKED AND THINGS WOULD GO DOWN THE TUBES. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. IN FACT I PINNED THE BADGE ON THE VERY FIRST ONE. >> IS THIS WORKING OUT ALRIGHT? YOU DOING OKAY? BRINGING BACK GOOD MEMORIES OF THESE CHARACTERS WATCHING IT? >> OH YEAH, ANY GAME WARDEN WHO HAS BEEN ON FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME HAS STORIES LIKE THAT. >> I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A LITTLE STORY ABOUT, IT'S A TRUE STORY. NOT A BIG STORY BUT A TRUE STORY. I TRIED TO CATCH THEM AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS I WENT OUT ON HORSEBACK ONE NIGHT, A COLD, MISTY NIGHT. AND I WALKED OVER AND POURED IT ON HIS NETS AND SET THEM ON FIRE. AND HE WENT BACK INTO TOWN AND SAID "I MET SOMETHING DOWN ON THE CREEK TODAY." HE SAID "THAT FELLOW'S "SOMETHING ELSE. "HE NOT ONLY TOOK MY NETS "AWAY FROM ME. "HE GOT MY GASOLINE AND BURNED THEM UP." >> THERE'S LOTS OF STORIES STILL FLOATING AROUND. (music) >> I'M LIKE THE REST OF YOU. WHEN YOU TELL THESE STORIES THROUGH THE YEARS THERE'S USUALLY SO MANY HUMOROUS ONES IT'S HARD TO SAY WHICH ONE MIGHT BE THE FUNNIEST AFTER ALL. >> YOU KNOW THERE'S SO MANY STORIES OUT THERE THAT PEOPLE TELL ON GAME WARDENS AND GAME WARDENS TELL ON THEMSELVES. IT'S REALLY NICE TO REMEMBER ALL OF THOSE TIMES. >> THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT IS PROUD OF THESE OFFICERS OF THE OUTDOORS, THE TEXAS GAME WARDEN. (music)