The Medina Valley Soil & Water Conservation District is offering scholarships to students from Medina County who are accepted to attend the Texas Brigades or the Youth Range Workshop.
The Texas Brigades is a wildlife-focused leadership development program for high school youth (ages 13-17). There are six different camps: Bass Brigade, Coastal Brigade, Bobwhite Brigade, Buckskin Brigade, Ranch Brigade, and Waterfowl Brigade. During the five-day camps, participants will be introduced to habitat management, hone their communication skills, and develop a land management ethics. The state’s leading wildlife and fishery biologists and land managers serve as instructors and mentors. In addition to learning animal anatomy and behavior, botany, nutrition, habitat management, population dynamics, etc., students will develop valuable leadership skills. Participants will practice public speaking and media skills. High school students interested in biology, conservation, leadership, or just appreciate the outdoors should consider applying to one of these camps. The application deadline is March 15, 2025. For more information, visit www.texasbrigades.org.
At the Texas Section Society of Range Management Youth Range Workshop, participants gain a wide variety of useful knowledge and skills. Students will learn about plant identification and collect specimens to take with them. They will learn the fundamentals of grazing management and forage preferences of livestock and wildlife. Other topics include soil health, prescribed burning, carbon cycle relationships, brush management, rainfall effectiveness, entomology, and rangeland health evaluation. Local land steward will provide students with real life experience. Additionally, youth are trained in the areas of public speaking, advocacy, and leadership, so that they are armed with the knowledge they need to effectively educate others in rangeland management. The workshop is open to youth who are 14-18 years old and have completed the 8th grade but have not graduated from high school. The workshop consists of a week-long camp In Junction, Texas from June 8-13, 2025. A limited number of students will be accepted into the program so submitting applications as soon as possible is recommended. For more information, visit https://tssrm-youthrangeworkshop.com.
Medina County students who are accepted into one of the camps may contact the MVSWCD office for scholarship information. Our office is located at in the NRCS office in Hondo or you may contact us by phone at 830-426-2521 ext. 3. The number scholarships and amount of each will be determined once applications have been received.