CONSERVATION LEGACY

The Conservation Legacy programs strive to empower and educate generations of Texans about land stewardship, engaging them in the natural world from the classroom to the great outdoors.

Educating generations of Texas land stewards by:• Fostering a personal connection to wildlife and the land; • Facilitating agricultural and natural resource literacy by providing

meaningful learning experiences within the outdoors;• Educating and empowering Texans with scientific knowledge of

fundamental ecological principles that apply to their life every day.

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Youth Education Learning Across New Dimensions in Science

L.A.N.D.S. OUTREACH (Grades K - 8) ParticipantsStewarding Texas – A Scientific Exploration ............................106Discovery Trunks ....................................................................... 163,879Wildlife by Design ......................................................................... 87,861Critter Connections ................................................................... 192,375On-Demand Webinars ................................................................ 25,289Videoconferencing ....................................................................... 48,290Teacher Workshops (1 day) ............................................................. 982

L.A.N.D.S. Intensive (Grades 4 - 12) Year-long Classroom Program & Field Investigation Days ...... 5,845Quail Necropsy in a Box ..............................................................10,909Trinity River Program ................................................................... 1,233Teacher Trainings (2.5 days) .............................................................84Volunteer Trainings..............................................................................68Volunteers for Field Investigation Days ......................................515

Texas Brigades (Grades 7 - 12) 8 camps (4.5 days) ............................................................................................ 193YOUTH EDUCATION TOTAL ................................ 537,629

Adult Education Emerging Issues Education/Landowner Workshops ......... 1,354Wildlife for Lunch – Webinars....................................................... 566Archived Webinars ......................................................................... 8,415Archived Webisodes .....................................................................15,908ADULT EDUCATION TOTAL .......................... 26,243

PUBLIC PROGRAMS & EVENTS ................. 49,769

CONSERVATION LEGACY TOTAL IMPACT 613,641

Over 2.7MILLION

reached since 2009

Conservation legacy participants

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

02010

148,561

195,447

2011 2012 2013 2014

# O

F P

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PA

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2015 2016

347,287

450,533

502,031538,461

613,641

2 Texas Wildlife Association Foundation

IMPLEMENTATION

INV

ESTM

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Adult EducationLand Management Workshops & Seminars

focus Citizen Decision-Makers

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

focus High School & College

2016 TWAF Funding

$1,327,516Average Cost

Per Participant

$2.16

Texas BrigadesYouth Leadership Development Program

focus High School

L.A.N.D.S. IntensiveYear-long educational program, Trinity River Program, Necropsy in a Box & Teacher Training

focus Grades 4–High School & Teacher

Conservation Initiatives

focus The General Public

Public Programs & Events

L.A.N.D.S. OutreachDiscovery Trunks, Distance Learning, Wildlife by Design & Teacher Workshops

focus Grades K–8 Student & Teacher

Ag &

Natural R

esource L

iteracy

2016 Participants

613,641

focus TWA Directors and Members

TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATIONbuilding a conservation legacy through educatioN programs

Ensuring a Legacy of Conservation and the Heritage of Hunting through Education 3

Ensuring a Legacy of Conservation and the Heritage of Hunting through Education 5

EDUCATION IMPACT 2016(Figures represent the number of participants per program within each TWA Region. For more

information about Conservation Legacy Education Programs, visit www.texas-wildlife.org.)

4 Texas Wildlife Association Foundation

TopicsAnimal Adaptations, Wild Turkey Ecology, Predator/Prey Interactions, Bats, Reptiles, Urban Animal Encounters, Monarch Ecology and more.

VIDEOCONFERENCING & ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Broadcasts educational programs directly to classrooms. Students interact with wildlife and natural resource

professionals.

TEACHER workshops

Provide engaging natural resource lessons, hands-on activities and resources for use in classrooms.

Accredited State Board of Education continuing education credits are available for teachers.

STEWARDING TEXAS - A SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION

Contains forty K-8th grade lessons to be implemented in classrooms and the outdoors. Designed to develop an understanding of land stewardship, instill a stewardship ethic and

inspire conservation action.

L.A.N.D.S. OUTREACH PROGRAMLearning across new Dimensions in science

An integrated program designed to complement statewide formal and informal education. The following components are all Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) aligned.

TopicsExploring Adaptations, Wildlife Investigations, Let’s Talk Turkey, Butterflies Flutter By, More Than a Drop, Bats-A-Billion, Bird is the Word.

Discovery Trunks

Delivered directly to statewide teachers/schools at no cost for two-week periods.

Activities and hands-on materials for teaching natural resource concepts are included.

TOPICSWater Education, Predator/Prey Relationships, Life Cycles, Insight on Specific Species.

Wildlife by Design

L.A.N.D.S. Educators customize and present classroom lessons based on teachers’ specific needs and requests.

Teachers evaluate all aspects of the presentation including content delivery.

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L.A.N.D.S. INTENSIVE PROGRAMLearning across new Dimensions in science

A year-long intensive educational program that strives to facilitate agricultural and natural resource literacy within schools by creating tangible relationships between the outdoors and essential academic skills. All L.A.N.D.S. teaching tools including the hands-on field investigation day are Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) aligned.

INTENSIVE YEAR LONG LESSONS

Taught by L.A.N.D.S. Intensive trained classroom teachers and L.A.N.D.S. Intensive education specialists.

Students have the opportunity to interact with wildlife professionals and explore career opportunities through a classroom quail necropsy and a field investigation day at a local ranch.

QUAIL NECROPSY IN A BOX

Provide teachers with the resources and materials to teach comparative anatomy, habitat requirements, behavior, biology, physiology and adaptations of bobwhite quail through a meaningful hands-on approach.

Inspire students to be responsible for Texas’ natural resources, understand the value of private land and become ambassadors for conservation.

TRINITY RIVER PROGRAM

Equip students and parents with the knowledge, connection to nature, and ability to articulate their values relating to water quality watersheds and land stewardship.

Provide students with an understanding of the impacts land uses have on water quality and watershed health.

EDUCATOR AND VOLUNTEER TRAININGS

1 day and 21/2 day intensive hands-on trainings, held on a private ranch or facility for grade 6-12 educators and volunteer trainees.

Accredited State Board of Education continuing education credits are available for teachers.

Recognized as advanced training hours for Texas Master Naturalists.

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TEXAS BRIGADES PROGRAMconservation leaders in every community

The Texas Brigades’ mission is to educate and empower youth with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for sustained natural resource literacy.

Texas Brigades is an intensive program that combines the principles of natural resource management and stewardship with leadership and life-skills development. The challenging curriculum combined with hands-on learning creates a model for developing conservation leaders. Youth between the ages of 13–17 are selected through a competitive application pro-cess. Wildlife, range and agricultural professionals volunteer their time and expertise to educate and empower the participants.

The camps are held on private ranches and facilities in different areas of the state. In addition to learning animal anatomy and behavior, botany, nutrition, habitat management, population dynamics, campers write news releases, practice public speaking, and learn how to handle radio and television interviews.

In 2016, there were eight camps: Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade, South Texas Bobwhite Brigade, North Texas Buckskin Brigade, South Texas Buckskin Brigade, Bass Brigade, Waterfowl Brigade, Ranch Brigade and Coastal Brigade.

At the conclusion, each camper returns home to become a conservation ambassador, spreading the message of responsible stewardship to members of their community through public speaking engagements, articles, and media appearances.

The Texas Brigades is a cooperative effort of TWA, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Texas Brigades is funded by many organizations, foundations, and individuals.

Texas Brigades and the EIGHT camps generate $400,000 annually to support this program.

2016 outreach numbers:

500 educational programs conducted 14,000 direct contacts 375 research projects and programs 213,000 indirect contacts 160 media activities (news, magazine articles,

radio/TV, interviews) completed

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ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM

A variety of ongoing programs are offered to adult audiences. TWAF supports relevant workshops, field days, symposia, webisodes and webinars about natural resource management topics and issues. All educational resources are intended to increase the land manager’s knowledge and improve their skills through observation, interaction and networking with natural resource professionals.

Field Days & Seminars Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Ranching and Wildlife Expo Brush Contractors Workshops Regional Women of the Land Workshops Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference South Texas Wildlife Conference Private Lands Summit WildlLife Convention 2016

Educational Seminars

Wildlife for Lunch Webinars Development of Toxicants and Delivery Systems

for Feral Swine Understanding Wildlife Leases Identifying Predation on Wildlife and Livestock Getting to Know Your Quail Pond Management Comprehensive Range and Wildlife Management Property Evaluation Basics: Reading the Land Ecosystem Function in the Texas Rice Belt Native Prairies in Texas Coffee Shop Quail Talk: Common Myths

and Misconceptions Because Ranching and Wildlife Go Together Patterns of Supplemental Feed Consumption in

White-tailed Deer

CONSERVATION INITIATIVES

Conservation Initiatives promote landscape-level conservation of habitats and species through empowerment of land stewards and managers and their quest for healthy ecosystems and strong agricultural economies. Through many partner organizations, agencies and land managers, these coordinated outreach efforts are offered across the state.

Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas Environmental Flows

Allocation Process General Conservation Plan

(Policy Committee) Groundwater As A Vested

Property Right NRCS State Technical Advisory

Committee – Wildlife Oaks & Prairies Joint Venture

Management Committee Public Values of Wildlife on

Private Lands

Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan

State Comptroller’s Task Force on Endangered Species

Prescribed Burn Board Advisory Committee

Texas Quail Initiative Texas Parks & Wildlife Department- Private Lands

Advisory Committee Texas Parks & Wildlife Department- Wildlife

Diversity Advisory Committee Texas Parks & Wildlife Department- White-tailed

Deer Advisory Committee

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