Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.)

  • W.I.L.D. Mission Statement:

    To provide a youthful perspective for the further development of the Texas Brigades while enhancing our own ability to influence natural resource conservation.

Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.)

  • Weekend Sessions

    Throughout the class or academic year (September – May), W.I.L.D. participants are required to attend 4-5 separate weekend-long sessions.

    These sessions expose participants to natural resource policies and procedures, hands-on field research and data, career-building, and professionalism

  • Capstone Project (Individual)

    Throughout the class sessions, each participant gathered information, contacts, and knowledge that helped them complete their Capstone Project.

    The project consisted of two final deliverables: a research paper and a presentation in front of a TPWD Committee.

    Each chose to research a piece of current natural resource legislation: (1) Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act (H.R. 2591) , or (2) Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R.4647; S.3223) and made their cases to the committee.

  • Group Project (CYCL)

    The W.I.L.D. Class VII was required to work as a team in order to assist the Texas Brigades office in the planning of the Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL), a national, biennial event that was hosted in November of 2019 in Austin, TX.

    As a group, W.I.L.D. Class VII assisted by designing a schedule for the event, collaborate with venue and meeting hosts, and bring a unique perspective to the planning of the event.

W.I.L.D. Applications are Currently Closed

More about CYCL (Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders)

Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL) is a collaboration between natural resource agencies and youth conservation organizations in multiple states aiming to share ideas and support the growth of youth conservation organizations across the nation.

Every two years a CYCL partner hosts the next CYCL event in a different location in the US. Texas Brigades hosted the 2019 CYCL in Austin, TX. The confluence presents an opportunity to meet and network with other young leaders with a passion for the conservation of natural resources. Previous attendees have come from Texas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia, and South Carolina.

This year, CYCL was held October 20-23, 2022, in Poynette, Wisconsin. We look forward to sharing our participation at the event.