Foreword from Carter Smith
Table of Contents
Every year, millions of outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the time-honored traditions of hunting, shooting, fishing, and boating within the rich diversity of land and waters of our home ground. Our sportsmen and women understand that fish and wildlife belong to all of us as a sacred trust; their populations and habitats must be managed and conserved for present and future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
Every September, small towns across the state welcome Texas’ quarter-million dove hunters, with the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend, and the thousands of jobs they create. This robust hunter-driven economy extends through the fall and winter deer, quail and waterfowl seasons and wraps up with turkey in the spring. Healthy wildlife and their habitats result from hunter-funded research, restoration, and technical guidance to private- and public-land stewards.
Carter Smith, Texas Parks & Wildlife Executive Director
Texas anglers and boaters in turn purchase fishing licenses supporting programs that guarantee bountiful sport fisheries for generations to come, while infusing millions of dollars into local economies. Lakes, rivers, bays and the Gulf are continuously monitored to assess and enhance these fisheries. Hatcheries annually produce tens of millions of popular game fish fingerlings for inland and coastal water bodies across Texas. Furthermore, freshwater and saltwater habitats from inland reservoirs and riparian areas to coastal marshes and oyster reefs are protected and restored thanks to the funds provided by anglers and boaters.
Harvesting fresh game or releasing a catch-of-a-lifetime is undoubtedly its own reward. But even richer are the memories made with family and friends while sharing time on the water, waiting in the silence of the deer stand for daylight to peak through, or gathered around a campfire at the end of a long day afield telling tall tales, and recounting the day’s events. As any outdoor enthusiast will gladly tell you, life’s better outside!
Suffice to say, Texas’ greatest conservation efforts are deeply rooted in the lives of the sportsmen and women who enjoy the fruits of this bountiful state. As we work to conserve this proud heritage, we can’t forget our future, and particularly those who have never wet a line or peered intently down a rifle scope or bow sight to those who once participated but wish to grow confidence in their skills or gain access to new destinations.
What’s stopping them? That’s the question we, and many others all across the country, are asking as the number of participants lags behind overall population growth and as older generations age out of these pastimes. As we work to conserve, restore, and enhance habitats and species, who’s working to preserve these cherished traditions and welcoming new people from all backgrounds to establish their own outdoor memories?
For starters, we must uncover the impediments and find ways past them. Our Texas plan for recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) aims to connect more people with the outdoors and each other through the generational traditions of hunting, fishing, boating and shooting sports. The responsibility rests on all our shoulders to work together to bring these words to life.
In this Texas R3 Strategic Plan, there is a place for you. I hope you will find it and join in. Our wild things and wild places need us all now more than ever.
