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Upcoming Stewards of the Wild Events |
Quail Hunt | Austin | January 26 Join the Austin Chapter for a quail hunt in Dime Box on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. The quail hunt is guided by Mike Schumann and the Schumann Brothers Outdoors at The Dismukes Ranch. Click the link below for more information and to register. |
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Chasing the Tide Screening with Jay and Chrissy Kleberg | Austin | January 29
Join the Austin Chapter at Austin Film Society for a chance to watch excerpts from Chasing the Tide, a documentary series about one couple's trek across the barrier islands of Texas. Chasing the Tide follows Chrissy and Jay Kleberg as they walk every inch of Texas’ 370 miles of barrier islands and peninsulas. Use the link below for more information. |
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Rodeo Night Happy Hour | Fort Worth | January 30
The Fort Worth Chapter is kicking off 2025 with a pre-rodeo happy hour at the Amon Carter Museum! The chapter will offer food and drinks and feature a special guest, James Adams, who will provide an update on the soon-to-be-opened Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. |
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Happy Hour | BCS | February 6
Join BCS Stewards at Holleman Tavern on Feb 6 at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will discuss animal call use in hunting. Show off your favorite animal call if you dare! |
Statewide Conservation Committee Virtual Lunch & Learn | February 11
The SCC will host its first virtual Lunch & Learn on Feb. 11 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. This Lunch & Learn will feature legislative experts from Texas Foundation for Conservation. They will discuss the current legislative session and its potential impact on conservation in Texas. These Lunch & Learns are an opportunity for SOTW members to learn more about critical conservation issues and engage with conservation experts from across the state. |
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Houston Kick Off | Houston | February 8
The Houston Chapter will gather at the Turtlebox HQ again this year for its 2025 kickoff event. The event will include raffle items, food, drinks, and live music by The Flinns. Free to attend, but please RSVP using the link below. Your RSVP gets you one free raffle ticket! |
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Happy Hour | San Antonio | February 12
Kick off the year with the San Antonio Chapter Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Broadway 50/50 before its annual fundraiser, the Annual Sausage Showdown! Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewild_sanantonio for more details. |
Statewide Conservation Committee Capitol Day | Austin | February 20
The SCC invites SOTW to the Texas Capitol on Feb. 20 to hear from legislators and staffers about conservation issues and bills that are winding their way though the legislative process. This event is free for members, but does require an RSVP. Use the link below to RSVP.
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Quail Hunt | Austin | February 23 Join the Austin Chapter for a quail hunt in Dime Box, TX, on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. The quail hunt is guided by Mike Schumann and the Schumann Brothers Outdoors at The Dismukes Ranch. Click the link below for more information and to register. |
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Mentored Fishing Trip at Powderhorn | February 28-March 2 The statewide program will hold its annual mentored fishing trip at Powderhorn Feb. 28 to Mar. 2. This event is sponsored by Dagon. To join the waitlist for this incredible opportunity, click the link below! |
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Crawfish Boil | Austin | March 1 The Austin Chapter will host its annual crawfish boil at Warren Wildlife Gallery on Saturday, Mar. 1. Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewild_austin for details! |
Sausage Showdown | San Antonio | March 9 Save the date for the 7th Annual San Antonio SOTW Sausage Showdown on March 9. As always, this fantastic event will be held at Beethoven Männerchor and feature a wild game sausage competition among Texas game processors, a raffle, cold drinks, and live music. Proceeds from this event will benefit City Kids Adventures. Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewild_sanantonio for more details. |
Camping Trip | BCS | April 4-6 Join the BCS Chapter for a weekend getaway to the East Texas Piney Woods April 4-6. The camping trip will be held at Huntsville State Park for a weekend of hiking, relaxing at the lake, and enjoying fabulous meals. Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewild_BCS for details. |
Annual All-Stewards Dove Hunt | September 5-6 Save the date for the Annual All-Stewards Dove Hunt Sept. 5-6 in Albany. Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewildtx for details later this year! |
Statewide Conservation Committee West Texas Trip | October 10-12 The SCC is headed back to the Caldwell Ranch in far West Texas Oct. 10-12. This trip is open to committee members as well as SOTW members. Stay tuned to @stewardsofthewildtx for details on this incredible adventure. |
BBQ Happy Hour | Houston | Every Second Tuesday Join the Houston Chapter for a happy hour on the second Tuesday of every month at Pinkerton's BBQ at 6:30 p.m. Meet fellow Stewards of the Wild members, hear updates from the Houston leadership, and enjoy some great BBQ. |
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Stewards of the Wild Highlights & News |
Meet Austin Chapter Co-Chair Grace Rivers
Grace Rivers may seem like your quintessential Stewards of the Wild member—born and raised in Texas with a childhood penchant for exploring the great outdoors and hunting. But when she left Texas for college in Oklahoma, followed by the start of her career and a full-time desk job, time outdoors slowly took a back seat. It wasn’t until she joined Stewards of the Wild in 2021 that she finally reconnected with the pastimes and passions of her childhood. |
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A seventh-generation Texan, Grace was born in San Antonio and spent her earliest years in Menard, 150 miles northwest of San Antonio. When she was three, her family moved to Elgin, just east of Austin, where her parents still live today. Both her mother and father had deep familial roots in ranching, cattle-raising, and hunting, and her mother’s side still owns a ranch in South Texas that has been in the family for four generations.
Grace fondly recalls her childhood spent outdoors. No computers, no phones. And she delighted in accompanying her father on hunting trips and cattle rounds—experiences that shaped her appreciation for Texas’ wild things and wild places.
After graduating from high school, Grace left Texas for the University of Oklahoma, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. She then moved to Dallas for five years to start her career before moving back to Austin in 2019.
“When I moved away from Texas and then started working, I kind of stepped away from what I loved growing up. Getting back to Austin and the Texas Hill Country allowed me to find my roots again.” |
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5th Annual Statewide Duck Hunt at Bucksnag Hunt Club
Our 5th Annual Bucksnag Hunt in Garwood was a cold one! Stewards from across the state shot their limits of ducks ranging from teal to pintail to gadwall. A few lucky hunters also had the opportunity to hunt sandhill crane. Thank you to those of you who joined us. And shout out to special guests Justin Hurst WMA Biologist Trey McClinton and Texas Game Warden Captain Logan Griffin for joining us and serving as our on-site conservation experts.
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The annual Bucksnag hunt is always a special trip. Whether you’re an avid duck hunter or just dipping your toe into the world of bird hunting, join us next January and see what it’s all about!
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Updates |
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation 2025 Priorities
TPWF's work is as varied as the myriad of wild things and wild places in Texas. Our far-reaching projects, programs, and partnerships address the full range of conservation challenges and opportunities present in our state, from the Gulf Coast to the Chihuahuan Desert. Our investment in transformative, science-based efforts to restore and sustain native species has improved fish and wildlife populations across Texas.TPWF remains committed to investing in worthy initiatives that conserve and enhance the vitality of our state. Large-scale efforts led or supported by TPWF in the coming year include: - Preparing the Edwin L. Cox Jr, Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC)
- Launching the Bighorn Sheep Coalition
- Developing and leading the Pollinators & Prairies program
- Partnering with Gulf of Mexico Trust for the launch of Trash Free Gulf
- Delivering a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade to Sea Center Texas
- Leading the cultivation of funding for specific research on the native black bear populations in West Texas
- Bringing Palo Pinto Mountains State Park to life
- Accelerating reprieve for ecologically distressed and over-harvested Texas Gulf Coast oyster reefs
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Photo of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park by Jonathan Vail |
Bringing Back the Bighorn: An Epic Texas Wildlife Conservation Tale Desert bighorn sheep in Texas are facing multiple threats, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) is bringing together a coalition of trusted conservation partners and other dedicated Texans to ensure the continued survival of this iconic king of the Trans-Pecos mountains.
Though desert bighorn sheep were hailed not long ago as one of the most celebrated conservation success stories in the state’s history, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists have documented a 50 percent decline in population since 2021. The primary cause for the decline is pneumonia, caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, (M. ovi). Often associated with domestic sheep and goats, M. ovi is also found in West Texas’ exploding population of exotic aoudad sheep. |
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The aoudads are merely carriers, experiencing virtually no ill effects. Bighorns, however, are highly susceptible to M. ovi, with deadly consequences. Outnumbered and defenseless, only geographical features separate them from their fate. A single infected aoudad intermingling with bighorns could infect the entire herd.
Now researchers, wildlife biologists, landowners and many others are searching for answers to this complicated problem. It’s worth reflecting on the history of bighorn sheep in Texas as we prepare to write the next chapter of this epic conservation story. |
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What else has TPWF been up to?
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