In this episode, we talk to the Park Police and find out why the public is not allowed to swim in Barton Springs anymore. We also find out how the park police are protecting the endangered species of salamanders.
00:00:00.000Due to the salamander's listing as an endangered species, they cannot allow the public to be walking around where they may be apparently harassing or squishing them.
00:00:11.000So that's the salamander's favorite area, the scientists believe is right there below the diving board?
00:00:17.000Just upstream from the diving board, right across from the diving board is an area.
00:00:21.000There's some changes that are happening to Barton Springs.
00:00:23.000We just got done talking to the head of public relations, Jim Hallbrook, down at...
00:00:29.000Austin Parks and Recreation and he told us how they have to save the salamanders so people can't swim down here where they've been swimming for over a hundred years before that where the Indians were swimming.
00:00:38.000So let's go on down there and talk to the park police, who I've heard are very friendly people.
00:00:44.000Generally if they catch you swimming in an area you're not supposed to be, or if your dog's swimming where it's not supposed to be, and let's find out how the feds are saving us from ourselves. and let's find out how the feds are saving us Enforcing the law.
00:03:48.000The last few days, as they construct a fence around the area, a place where people have been swimming for over a hundred years, and before that, the Indians, as we said earlier.
00:03:59.000So let's go down and take a look at the area that the EPA's here to keep us safe from ourselves, because we're so evil.
00:04:30.000You know, as we walk down here to film this historic area where Austinites have been enjoying nature for a long time, this gentleman out of the clear blue said something that made absolute sense.
00:05:50.000And make no mistake, it's aimed directly at private property, watering down property rights, right here in the good old U.S. of A. You know, I have trouble even seeing any salamanders in this pool.
00:06:11.000Salamanders are very common amphibian.
00:06:16.000I would venture to guess, if I could capture one of these salamanders and go compare it with other stream and river salamanders, that you would find that it's a very common salamander.
00:06:52.000Now we're discussing an area what's...
00:06:54.000We were just talking to a lady and we'll talk to her more in the future and she says that earlier this year she was here swimming with her son and they helped save some fish that are getting caught in a crack over here, kind of like what happens to salmon when they go into dams.
00:08:26.000We're told that there are cracks in the rock here that creates a powerful suction that small fish get stuck in and I'm sure a precious salamander could also get stuck in there.
00:08:36.000And we hope that the EPA, they really care about wildlife, will try to check into this, some of the real threats to wildlife.
00:09:12.000This is the last time that any human Unless you're an environmentalist priest of the modern age, that Austinites or anyone else will be allowed in this area.
00:09:26.000And it's, again, been used for a long time.
00:09:28.000people actually built this structure and no longer will it be allowed for public use.
00:09:35.000Well, let's go down here and get this and get out of here because I've got to go. - Woo!
00:09:50.000This entire area is being restricted to human use.
00:09:55.000We hear that there may even be plans to restrict the spillway area where you're allowed to bring your dogs.
00:10:01.000Take a look at the lush Eden that the federal government and pencil-necked bureaucrats, the type of people that tattled on you in high school and would try to steal your lunch money, Are engaged in.
00:13:31.000Teach populations that they don't have access to lands that they pay to maintain, and you've created a public that can be subverted and controlled.
00:14:11.000Showing us who's boss, who controls the situation.
00:14:13.000The bureaucrats downtown, the bureaucrats in Washington, not the people of this country.
00:14:18.000And the way most Americans behave, we deserve what's happening.
00:14:21.000And someday you'll be paying 30 bucks a pop to go in Barton Springs, and there'll be some elitist, cult-like environmental priestess, or priest, who has nothing to do with environment and everything to do with your bank account, making you say some strange incantation.
00:14:35.000Governments need religions, and modern environmentalism is that religion.
00:14:39.000Of course, it's controlled by a bunch of transnational banks that want to steal your property, but that's a little bit too intellectual for most Americans, so we'll continue to go on and be slaves.
00:14:48.000Meanwhile, they'll continue to pillage the third world in the name of environmentalism.
00:14:53.000Just give up your private property and all your problems will be solved.
00:15:47.000They want you to go to the shopping mall with the cameras watching you.
00:15:51.000The last time, some early 20-year-old there, and he said, this is a professional killer because he gets hired to go to Hong Kong and foreign places.
00:18:06.000Yeah, my name is Alex Jones and my friends and others and people have been calling me about what area below Barton Springs that they're going to be closing.
00:19:05.000I just came down here to find out exactly what the rumors are and what I've been hearing about an area below Barton Springs being closed to the public.
00:19:13.000There is an area that is salamander habitat at Sunken Gardens.
00:19:20.000Which is the concentric stone rings that are downstream from Barton Springs that the Environmental and Conservation Services Department has decided they need to put a fence around to keep litter, debris, and people from intruding upon that salamander habitat.
00:19:40.000Well, I know that those springs are natural, but aren't the gardens themselves man-made?
00:20:13.000The water area, which is the salamander habitat, and bringing that fence down from the spring to where the spring flows to the trail itself.
00:20:23.000I heard also that it was to keep some of the vagrants and people from congregating down there at night.
00:20:29.000That's not true, because obviously we're sitting here with endangered species, and if that was the case, if that was a problem, one, we wouldn't deal with a problem that way.
00:20:40.000And you would be seeing fences in other places.
00:20:44.000Now the fences there, the reason for the fence is for salamander habitat.
00:20:49.000Why then have they not shut down Barton Springs Pool proper if it's salamander habitat, but they're shutting down some smaller springs?
00:20:57.000They have roped off areas of Barton Springs Pool and restricted and limited, actually restricted, no access to some of the areas.
00:21:06.000And those areas, the fissures right next to the diving board.
00:21:09.000We'll no longer have any public access to them because the springs are coming up right there, and due to the salamanders listing as an endangered species, they cannot allow the public to be walking around where they may be apparently harassing or squishing them.
00:21:26.000So that's the salamanders' favorite area.
00:21:28.000The scientists believe it's right there.
00:22:53.000You will have, say, some pools in the mountains of Arizona.
00:22:57.000Which are spring-fed, where you'll have a type of fish that has a different color spot, and actually that stopped construction and development and actually made people that have lived in Arizona for hundreds of years have had to move out of their property.
00:23:11.000Of course, they were paid for it for fish that really can't even mate with other fish, but since they're localized to a specific pool and have a few characteristics that are different, I just have a lot of problems with the so-called science.
00:23:26.000Behind this, because I've seen so much corruption, I don't mean you personally, I know you're just a public information officer.
00:23:32.000People that mean well go out and find something like the spotted owl, say, because most people don't want to just clear-cut that beautiful timber, destroy our old-growth forest.
00:23:42.000So they go and say, well, this is hurting this owl.
00:23:45.000And then later they find out that the owl could actually live in barns and many other places.
00:24:00.000Of North America, they're in Guatemala and southern Mexico, but because of the climate changes, which are either cyclical or...
00:24:11.000I mean, I don't mean to be diatribing, it's just that...
00:24:16.000I've heard about the Environmental Protection Agency now trying to actually classify some forms of bacteria as endangered down in the Houston Ship Channel and other areas, and it seems like a Trojan horse.
00:24:28.000This probably won't even be on the air.
00:24:29.000I'm just trying to get to the point of where you understand where I'm coming from, sir, is that I don't understand why we're allowing more and more of our properties, public lands, to be restricted in the name of things like a salamander.
00:24:46.000Do you have any of the Environmental Protection Agency's information about the salamander?
00:24:53.000That information and the questions that you're really presenting, which are good questions, really need to go to Robert Hanson, who's the endangered species biologist on staff who's dealing with this issue.
00:25:03.000No, he's in a different building, but I'd be glad to give you his phone number.
00:25:06.000I mean, it's just that I heard all about Barton Springs over and over again.
00:25:13.000And I heard about how we should do this and we should do that.
00:25:16.000And then they said, well, the people in the springs are hurting the salamander.
00:25:20.000And if we're really going to be honest about it, we need to shut the springs down.
00:25:23.000See, that's not going to happen because people want to use it.
00:25:25.000And they've been using it for 69 years.
00:25:27.000But, again, with the questions about the species and the habitat, I really have to refer you to the Environmental Conservation Services Department because they're who we're getting basically...
00:25:39.000Our instruction from to some degree on this as far as what needs to be done.
00:25:44.000And we're just trying to keep the pools and places open and operational.
00:25:48.000So basically y'all are just doing what you're told.
00:26:23.000You know, we held up some cleanings and then we got permits to...
00:26:27.000The city got the permits to allow our department to go in and clean the pool again while they monitored our cleaning efforts.
00:26:34.000And while they were monitoring, they were evaluating what works, what doesn't work, what harms the salamander, what doesn't harm the salamander.
00:27:40.000Yeah, it's a matter of people being in the salamander habitat just like they roughed off the areas in Barton Springs as well as other things that come with people.
00:27:50.000You know, the trash that gets in there and stuff like that.
00:28:12.000So basically, I guess that's all my questions then, Mr. Holbrook.
00:28:16.000Look, it just comes down to the Environmental Protection Agency is allowing Barton Springs, in their graciousness, in their splendidness, to keep the parks open.
00:28:30.000But there's going to be some restrictions.
00:28:32.000Certain areas are going to be shut down.
00:28:40.000This should stay open because our medical industry, our government industry, is not dealing with the homeless people on the route.
00:28:52.000The ground root level to deal with their blood sugar, to settle their chemistry and blood sugar where the homeless people gather.
00:29:03.000It should be people there to deal with their blood sugar and to help them.
00:29:07.000And then all the other existing organizations is not helping them to do that.
00:29:13.000And this is their last of the oasis here.
00:29:16.000Because that's the only thing healing for them to jump in.
00:29:20.000Get rid of their alcohol and jump out.
00:29:22.000I stay away from them because they might trip on my feet and so forth.
00:29:27.000And this place, since the 30s, man-made.
00:29:32.000And the salamander was once disturbed already.
00:29:36.000And in the winter, my son and I were jumping in this cold water, trying to get the crawfish's claws tight and pull them straight out so we don't yank them.