The Texas Brigades is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that strives to empower high school youth with the necessary skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and habitat conservation, land stewardship, team-building, communication, and leadership to become ambassadors for conservation, in order to ensure a sustained wildlife and fisheries legacy for future generations.

The Texas Brigades is a combination of 4 educational programs:

1. Bobwhite Brigade (Quail)
2. Buckskin Brigade (Deer)
3. Feathered Forces (Quail and Turkey)
4. Bass Brigade

An understanding of the importance of this program is represented by its cooperating partners, including Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Wildlife Association, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Texas Chapters of Quail Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The history of TB began when Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension Wildlife Specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension, came up with the idea for the Brigades as a way to expand Extension’s educational efforts by developing wildlife ambassadors.

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. In Texas, the Bobwhite Brigade has expanded from its original camp in the Rolling Plains (initiated in '93) to East Texas (initiated in '96) and finally to South Texas (initiated in '98). The Buckskin Brigade (South Texas), an offshoot of the Bobwhite Brigade, fledged in June 2000, and a second Buckskin (in North Texas) held its first Battalion in 2002. The latest addition is the Bass Brigade, launched this past summer.

The Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society models its own summer camp (initiated in 1996) after the Brigades. Each camp is 4 ½ days of intense, interactive, fun learning from some of the 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.

Summary of Brigade Accomplishments (through November, 2005):

1. Winner of two national and four state awards for excellence
2. Empowered 1,110 youth with critical thinking, networking and communication skills
3. Trained volunteers (i.e., cadets) have presented over 3,194 educational programs, 414 newspaper/magazine articles & TV interviews, and more than 1,765 other educational efforts over the last twelve years resulting in over 160,621 direct contacts of which over 47,551 were youth
4. Six cadets have earned recognition as “Youth Conservationist of the Year” from the Sports Conservationists of Texas organization
5. Trained 200 adult volunteers leaders, many of whom continue to support the program by serving on camp steering committees or as instructors
6. Original Bobwhite Brigade cloned to two additional Texas locations and to five other states; deer version (Buckskin Brigade) initiated in 2000; Bass Brigade started in 2004
7. Featured in 24 TV stories (including features on Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas: An Outdoor Tradition, Texas Country Reporter, and BassPro Shops Outdoor World)
8. Generated full page stories in Sunday editions of Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman, Tyler Telegraphy, Uvalde Leader News, Abilene Reporter-News, San Antonio Express-News, and San Angelo Standard Times
9. Generated feature stories in Texas Fish & Game, Texas Hunting Directory, Texas Wildlife Association, Quail Unlimited, Ranch and Rural Living, Texas Farmer-Stockman, Texas Outback, Texas Sporting Journal, Landscapes, and Covey Rise.
10. Generated extramural support in excess of $400,000 to support camps and yearlong programming.
11. Serves as a model for interagency cooperation and coordination.

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