Texas Brigades is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to educate and empower adolescents with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy. With a vision to create “conservation leaders in every community,” Texas Brigades provides a solution to ensure that land stewardship and conservation are a long-term priority, for urban and rural backgrounds alike by providing educational programming and leadership development through three conservation-driven, statewide programs: Summer Camps, Experiences, and Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D). Through these programs, Texas Brigades molds over 300 youth leaders each year, with participants coming from over 1,000 communities across Texas. Participants leave with a connection to the land, informed and ready to make conservation a life-long passion. Summer Camps: Ages 13-17 Our flagship program, where we host 8 summer camps across the state of Texas. Curriculum will vary based on the camp but each also concentrates on leadership, teambuilding, and speaking skills: • 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 land stewardship • Rolling Plains & South Texas Bobwhite Brigade – quail ecology and habitat • Waterfowl Brigade – wetland ecosystems and waterfowl biology Experiences: Ages 9-17 Single-day programs engage youth across the state with varied and tailored curriculum. By partnering with volunteers and like-minded organizations, Experiences provide outdoor, hands-on learning environments. W.I.L.D. : Ages 18 – 23 Throughout an academic year, participants spend 5 weekends traveling across the state exploring natural resource policy, field research, and honing their personal & professional development.