Texas Brigades was selected as a Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler in 2020. During each Conservation Wrangler program cycle, Texan by Nature provides up to 6 projects with 12-18 months of tailored support in the form of program management, strategic planning, marketing messaging, metrics capture and analysis, professional content production, and partnership development – whatever is needed to accelerate the project. The information below includes results from the time the project was active in the Conservation Wrangler program. It may not reflect the most current program/project information. Please visit https://www.texasbrigades.org for the latest.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Texas has lost 2.2 million acres of native landscapes due to population growth and urbanization. Home to seven of the 15 fastest growing cities in the U.S., Texas’ population has increased over 48% in the last decade alone. With this mass urbanization, less than 1% of Texans are landowners and there’s a diminished connection to nature for urban youth. The average age of the Texas landowner population has been steadily increasing. Over the next 20 years, Texas will likely undergo the largest intergenerational transfer of land in its history.

This profound demographic shift along with the diminished nature connection requires engaging and educating a new generation of conservation leaders to ensure the natural resources and native landscapes our economy depends on are protected. With a vision to create “conservation leaders in every community,” Texas Brigades provides Texas youth with a solution to ensure that land stewardship and conservation are a long-term priority, for urban and rural backgrounds alike.

Texas Brigades was founded in 1993 by Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension Wildlife Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Initially, Dr. Rollins created this program to expand AgriLife Extension’s educational efforts through the development of wildlife ambassadors. This idea came to life with the inception of Bobwhite Brigade (known today as the Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade). This inspirational program has grown and been replicated rapidly since its formation – seven more regionally tailored Brigades camps have expanded across Texas, five other states have imitated this program, and two additional complementary Texas Brigades programs work to educate additional target audiences.

Today, Texas Brigades provides educational programming and leadership development for adolescents through three conservation-driven, statewide programs: Summer Camps, Experiences, and Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D). Each program targets youth of varying age groups and backgrounds, with a focus to foster foundational leadership skills and impart knowledge on nearby, geographically-tailored natural resources. Through these three programs, Texas Brigades molds over 300 youth leaders each year, with participants coming from over 1,000 communities across Texas. Cadets (participant graduates) leave with a connection to the land, informed and ready to make conservation a life-long passion.

PROJECT MISSION:

The mission of Texas Brigades is to educate and empower youths with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy.

To achieve their mission, Texas Brigades has three programs:

1. Summer Camps – Texas Brigades’ premier program consists of eight summer camps hosted in different regions across Texas every year. Each camp’s programming is based on a variety of geographically-specific wildlife and natural resource principles. Texas Brigades’ camps offer five-days of concentrated curriculum, ranging from wildlife habitat and land management principles to leadership, public speaking, and team-building.

• Bass Brigade – inland fisheries and freshwater ecology
• Coastal Brigade – coastal fisheries and marine biology
• North Texas & South Texas Buckskin Brigade – whitetail deer ecology and habitat
• Ranch Brigade – livestock and pasture management
• Rolling Plains & South Texas Bobwhite Brigade – quail ecology and habitat
• Waterfowl Brigade – waterfowl (ducks and geese) ecology and habitat

2. W.I.L.D. (Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development) – this rigorous program is geared toward former Texas Brigades Cadets and Adult Leaders, ages 18-24, to further develop their knowledge of wildlife and natural resource conservation as well as arm them with a skillset to obtain a career in conservation. This program aims to engage and expose participants to natural resource policies and procedures, hands-on field research and data, career-building, and professionalism.

3. Texas Brigades Experiences – this single-day program expands Texas Brigades’ vision and audience, allowing engagement of more participants of a younger age-range and urban backgrounds. By partnering with volunteers and like-minded organizations, the Texas Brigades Experience provides a hands-on learning environment, which gets youths outdoors to foster their passion for Texas’ natural resources.

PROJECT IMPACT:

• 3,500+ Cadets educated and inspired in conservation and leadership
• 1,000+ communities positively impacted by Texas Brigades
• Increased conservation efforts through 8 educational camps, including coastal ecology and fisheries, freshwater ecology and fisheries, sustainable beef production, bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer, and waterfowl
• $40,000+ in college scholarships annually awarded to young conservation ambassadors

PARTNERS INCLUDE:

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Wildlife Association Foundation, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.

PROJECT NEEDS:

Texas Brigades was selected for Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler based on the project’s positive impact to people, prosperity, and natural resources. Through the program, Texan by Nature is working with Texas Brigades to address the following needs:

• Volunteers to gain new support from a diverse pool of conservation and education professionals
• Participation from youths ranging from urban to rural backgrounds, to broaden the scope of future conservation leaders
• Funding to support programmatic operations, educational and marketing materials, as well as sponsorships and scholarships
• Impact Measurement Plan to quantify the impact that Texas Brigades has on conservation stewards
• Conservation partners to strengthen Texas Brigades’ strategy, network, and programming

TEXAN BY NATURE’S VISION AND SUPPORT:

Texan by Nature is supporting Texas Brigades in adapting to a new demographic landscape, broadening the scope of the next generation of conservation leaders across Texas. TxN is working with Texas Brigades to develop an impact measurement framework, assist in strategic planning, as well as developing methods to grow their participant and volunteer base. Since participating in the Conservation Wrangler program, Texas Brigades has made connections in the business and conservation fields and has entered into three new partnerships.

Contact Lauren Hart at lauren@texanbynature.org & 512-284-7482 or Texas Brigades at info@texasbrigades.org if you would like to support Texas Brigades, volunteer, provide resources or connections, are interested in partnering, or would like to learn more.