Photo By: Earl Nottingham

Upcoming Stewards of the Wild Events

Duck Hunt | Houston | December 14

The Houston Chapter will host its annual duck hunt at Red Bluff Prairie Hunt Club on Dec. 14. Use the link below for more information and to register!

5th Annual All-Stewards Duck Hunt at Bucksnag | Statewide | January 5-7

The 5th Annual All-Stewards Duck Hunt at Bucksnag Hunt Club in Garwood on Jan. 5-7 is sold out. Use the link below to learn more and join the waitlist. 

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. 

Stewards of the Wild Highlights & News

Meet Stewards of the Wild Co-Founder Josh McKee

Josh McKee is a steadfast supporter of Stewards of the Wild. In fact, you could say that that he is one of the godfathers of the program. 

The idea for Stewards was sparked in a South Texas deer blind back in 2012. Josh and his good friend Mac Macfarlan were spending time together doing what they love, when they began germinating the seed of the idea that would become Stewards of the Wild (SOTW).

They wanted to start a program that would encourage young Texans to get involved in conservation, learn about public lands, and connect with one another through meaningful outdoor experiences. 

Macfarlan grew up hiking Palo Duro Canyon with his grandfather, Wales Madden Jr., a respected leader in Texas conservation circles. Madden encouraged the two men to approach Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF). TPWF’s leadership knew a good idea when they heard one, and Stewards of the Wild held its first meeting in Dallas in 2013. Today, Stewards of the Wild is TPWF's successful conservation leadership program, with hundreds of members in chapters around the state. 

McKee served in a leadership role for the Dallas Chapter for several years and was one of the first to be selected as a SOTW Board Fellow. The Board Fellows program offers the opportunity for rising conservation leaders in Texas to gain invaluable experience and mentorship in nonprofit management and board governance by serving a term as a non-voting visiting participant on TPWF’s Board of Trustees. The program is an important element of Stewards of the Wild’s ongoing mission to grow the next generation of conservation leaders in Texas. 

Dallas Hosts Record Number at its Annual State of Conservation Dinner Fundraiser 

On Nov. 7, more than 300 Dallas Chapter members and supporters gathered for the Annual State of Conservation Dinner at The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The evening featured a delicious wild game dinner, performance by Stoney LaRue, dancing, a raffle, and special guest Ben Masters. Thank you to Texas-based filmmaker and TPWF Ambassador Ben Masters for his insightful discussion on federally endangered ocelots and the importance of raising awareness to protect our wild things and wild places. The event raised more than $80,000 to in support of the Stewards of the Wild mission.

Sharing the Hunt by Lydia Saldaña: Stewards of the Wild Mentored Hunting Initiative Featured in TPW Magazine

The hunters converge at their meetup location in La Pryor, just south of Uvalde in South Texas. The Nueces River runs nearby, well into its transition from splashy Hill Country stream to the slower, wider river it becomes as it cuts across the state. Mesquite trees and prickly pear dot the scrubby landscape, which harbors wildlife such as quail, javelina and, most notably, white-tailed deer.

Some members of the group are lifelong hunters. For others, this will be their first time hunting. They are meeting here for a Stewards of the Wild mentored hunt.

Hunting isn't exactly an “I'll-figure-it-out-by-myself” kind of activity. It helps to have some guidance. Mentored programs like this one meet a crucial need in passing hunting knowledge from one generation to the next.

Photo By: Earl Nottingham

There to greet everyone are Katie Spurgin with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) and Matt Hughes with Texas Wildlife Association (TWA). Spurgin manages TPWF's Stewards of the Wild conservation leadership program, and Hughes is the coordinator of TWA's Adult Learn to Hunt Program. TPWF partners with TWA to provide several mentored hunting weekends each year for Stewards members. At La Pryor, some of the more experienced hunters have participated in the program for several years together, and the gathering has the happy feel of a class reunion.

As the final members of the group arrive, La Ceniza Ranch foreman Carlos Gonzalez pulls up to lead the group to their weekend home. The group caravans to the ranch, where they are assigned cabins. An adjacent building contains a dining area where the group will convene for meals. Nearby is a facility for cleaning game once it has been harvested. The camp is nestled in a shady grove of oak trees, inviting the hunters to settle in.

SOTW Spotlight: Jesse Griffiths and Mill Scale Metal Works

As we all get ready to gather with friends and family around the dinner table this Thanksgiving season, we would like to take time to spotlight and give thanks to our favorite Texas chef, Jesse Griffiths, who, with his elevated wild game cuisine, drew hundreds of hungry Stewards to the dinner table at this year’s Annual Dove Hunt. And to Mill Scale Metal Works, who generously provided Jesse with a custom Mill Scale smoker to prepare his menu and entice the crowd with a steady, savory-scented smoke trail.

Griffiths is chef/co-owner of Dai Due Butchery Shop and Supper Club, an internationally acclaimed and newly minted Michelin Guide Restaurant, earning Michelin’s Green Star and Bib Gourmand ratings. Griffiths is also a James Beard award-winning author and head instructor of the New School of Traditional Cookery, where he has dedicated his time to educating and empowering people to utilize wild game and local ingredients to their fullest through ethical hunting, fishing, butchery and cooking classes.

Along with being a TPWF ambassador, Griffiths has selflessly volunteered for various Stewards of the Wild events over the years, from being a guest speaker to hosting local chapter events like pint nights and hog breakdown demonstrations at Dai Due. And, over the last three years, Griffiths and his team have become as integral to the annual All-Stewards Dove Hunt as the fleeting bevies of doves, cooking up wildly delicious and memorable dinners for hundreds of Stewards members since 2022.

For this year’s dinner, Griffiths and Mill Scale Metal Works joined forces, with Mill Scale generously providing the smoker for Griffith’s cook. Just like Griffiths, brothers and Mill Scale co-founders Matt and Caleb Johnson are lifelong Texans. With a curiosity-turned-penchant for welding, the self-taught brothers honed their talent by building custom barbecue smokers and other fire-based cooking devices for some of the biggest names in barbecue. In 2018, they forged Mill Scale Metal Works, their own brand of custom offset smokers for use in the competition arena, or for commercial and residential use. Their built-to-suit 500- and 1000-gallon smokers have garnered a worldwide following, with customers from Texas to Singapore. 

Griffiths is an enthusiastic Mill Scale ambassador, a proverbial chef’s kiss to the Johnson brothers’ craftsmanship and quality of Mill Scale smokers. We were beyond happy and honored to be the beneficiaries of their shared talents last September with a truly unforgettable evening and meal. 

Thank you, again, to Jesse Griffiths and Mill Scale Metal Works for your support of TPWF’s Stewards of the Wild program and the All-Stewards Dove Hunt.

2024 All-Stewards Dove Hunt Photos 

We would like to thank Bar MC Media for capturing the 11th Annual All-Stewards Dove Hunt in Albany. Use the link below to view photos from the event. 

Seeking SOTW Members to Join the Statewide Conservation Committee

Stewards of the Wild, TPWF’s conservation leadership program, equips emerging leaders to actively participate in the stewardship of Texas’s wild things and wild places by providing education, engagement, and outdoor experiences. 

The newly established Statewide Conservation Committee will serve as a volunteer-led group that supports SOTW by way of bolstering the conservation education aspect of the program. The committee will provide educational resources and regional project information to SOTW members, with additional support by TPWF staff. 

The committee will be led by two co-chairs and structured into five subcommittees, Legislative, Game Species, Private Lands, Coastal, and Native Habitats. They will host events throughout the year, including volunteer opportunities, host quarterly virtual “Lunch & Learns”, and send out an educational newsletter three times a year. 

Individuals who are interested in joining the committee must be willing to commit to a two-year term, and they are required to join the committee’s quarterly virtual meetings, along with their subcommittee’s monthly meetings.

We are still seeking 5-7 more SOTW members to join this exciting new committee! For more information or if you're interested in joining, contact Katie Spurgin at kspurgin@tpwf.org

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Updates

TPWF Ambassador Spotlight: Darwin's Bee Dogs

With wet noses, wagging tails, and a home in North Carolina, Darwin’s Bee Dogs aren’t your typical Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) ambassadors, but these talented German shorthaired pointers are best in show for their groundbreaking work with bumblebees.

Founder Jacqueline Staab, an ecologist and bee advocate, has created a buzz with her innovative detection dogs, trained to find bumblebee nests. Darwin’s Bee Dogs are blazing trails that humans and technology have yet to replicate. “These dogs give us and other collaborating scientists access to wild nests like we’ve never had before, allowing us to conduct groundbreaking research on these imperiled pollinators.”

Staab’s journey started while running her own farm in Richlands, North Carolina. “I became a certified beekeeper and couldn’t learn enough about these astounding little insects keeping the world afloat. Bees became my passion,” says Jacqueline. “That’s when it hit me. If I can help save the bees, I could help protect the entire ecosystem, safeguarding not only the environment but all the creatures that depend on it.”

Jacqueline bee-lined her way to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where she pursued her bachelor’s degree in ecology, evolution, and environmental biology. As part of her studies, she joined an ecology lab focused on bumblebees, where she immediately felt called to action.

What else has TPWF been up to? 

• Read TPWF's 2023 Annual Report
• TPWD: Get the Updated Outdoor Annual
• Palo Pinto Mountains State Park
• Supporting Black Bears in the Trans Pecos

Thank you to our statewide program sponsor!

The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is the leading wildlife research organization in Texas and one of the finest in the nation. Its mission is to provide science-based information for enhancing the conservation and management of wildlife in South Texas and related environments.

Stewards of the Wild, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s conservation leadership program, equips emerging leaders aged 21 to 45 with opportunities to actively participate in the stewardship of Texas’ wild things and wild places by providing education, networking, and outdoor experiences.

Copyright © 2024 Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation

6220 Gaston Ave. #700

Dallas, Texas 75214