About Us
Conservation leaders in every community.
The Texas Brigades’ mission 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.
The Texas Brigades is a combination of four educational programs: Bobwhite Brigade (quail), Buckskin Brigade (deer), Bass Brigade, and Waterfowl Brigade (ducks and geese). An understanding of the importance of this program is represented by its cooperating partners, including Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Wildlife Association, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. The Texas Brigades program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
History
Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension Wildlife Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, came up with the idea for the Brigades as a way to expand Extension’s educational efforts by developing wildlife ambassadors. His idea came to life in 1993 with the formation of the Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade.
As the saying goes, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” To that end, the Bobwhite Brigade has been cloned in five other states through collaborations with Quail Unlimited.
The Buckskin Brigade was used as the base model for Pennsylvania Bucktails
The Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society models its own summer camp (initiated in 1996) after the Brigades.
Today
In Texas, the Bobwhite Brigade has expanded from its original camp in the Rolling Plains to the East Texas Feathered Forces, formed in 1996 and finally to the South Texas Bobwhite Brigade, formed in 1998.
The South Texas Buckskin Brigade, an offshoot of the Bobwhite Brigade, fledged in 2000 and the North Texas Buckskin Brigade held its first Battalion in 2002.
The Bass Brigade added an aquatic species and management focus, and was launched in 2004.
The latest addition is the Waterfowl Brigade, which will launch its first Battalion in 2012.
Each camp is 4 ½ days of intense, interactive, fun learning from top wildlife and natural resource professionals in Texas. Subjects covered include everything from biology, habitat management, watersheds, population dynamics, ecology, and botany, to photography, journalism, firearm safety, fishing, communication, critical-thinking, team building, and leadership.
Texas Brigades
2800 NE Loop 410, Ste. 105
San Antonio, TX 78218
Helen Holdsworth, Executive Director
hholdsworth@texas-wildlife.org
855-TXBRIGS
210-332-3560
Kassi Scheffer, Program Coordinator
kscheffer@texas-wildlife.org
855-TXBRIGS
210-556-1391
