Texas Brigades

I'm back! Previously I discussed about my once in a life time brigades experience, but today I am discussing how you can get involved. If you are interested in the Texas Brigades there are a few things you need to know. Texas Brigades’ mission is to "educate and empower youths with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy" so be prepared to get out of your "comfort zone", work as a team and get your hands dirty. Now to answer a few popular questions:

WHERE & WHEN WILL THE CAMPS BE HELD?

Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade – Centennial Lodge, Coleman, TX
June 7-11, 2019

South Texas Buckskin Brigade – Welder Wildlife Refuge, Sinton, TX
June 16-20, 2019

South Texas Bobwhite Brigade – Buck Horn Creek Ranch, McCoy, TX
June 22-26, 2019

North Texas Buckskin Brigade – Warren Ranch, Santa Anna, TX
July 7-11, 2019

Coastal Brigade – Sea Star Base, Galveston, TX
July 16-20, 2019

Bass Brigade – Warren Ranch, Santa Anna, TX
July 17-21, 2019

Ranch Brigade – Warren Ranch, Santa Anna, TX
July 22 – 26, 2019

Waterfowl Brigade – No 2019 Camp – stay tuned for 2020!

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS?

All students with an interest in learning life and leadership skills, and/or an interest in biology, wildlife, fisheries, conservation, or the outdoors are encouraged to apply. You must be 13-17 years of age and you should also be willing to complete three educational programs when you return home.

HOW MANY CADETS ARE AT THE CAMP?
Because camp facilities vary, 20-30 cadets are selected for each camp.

(below are a few of the students at Coastal Brigades)

HOW DO I APPLY?
Apply online, via our website. By clicking the appropriate application link, you will be directed to the online application. Once submitted, you should receive a confirmation email within 24 hours. If you have trouble with the online application, please contact the Texas Brigades office.
Phone: (210) 556-1391

E-mail: camps@texasbrigades.org
or visit:
https://www.texasbrigades.org/applications/

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Camp tuition is $500 and covers all meals, lodging, and supplies for 5 days (that’s only $100 a day!). We encourage you to solicit all or part of your tuition from local businesses, banks, and organizations, as well as your local Soil and Water Conservation District, or other conservation and agricultural organizations. Don’t let the cost stop you from applying! Texas Brigades will help you locate a sponsor. A form to request Tuition Assistance can be found on our Applications page.

keep in mind you will also receive plenty of prizes, gifts and "goody" bags! (picture below a few of the many items I was given for attending)

Now, there are some important deadlines you should know, here are a few:
Selected applicants will be notified by April 15th, 2019.  The following items must be submitted by the listed deadlines to keep your place at camp:

May 1st – Written confirmation of attendance and $100 non-refundable deposit due for ALL camps. This will be applied toward your tuition payment.

May 15th – Full Tuition and Paperwork Due for June Camps (Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade, South Texas Buckskin Brigade, & South Texas Bobwhite Brigade)

June 15th – Full Tuition and Paperwork Due for July Camps (Bass Brigade, Ranch Brigade, Coastal Brigade, & North Texas Buckskin Brigade)


if you are interested in any of these camps please post a message in the comments or go to: https://www.texasbrigades.org/applications/ for more information or to sign up.
 I hope you enjoyed this post and have a great day!

Coastal Brigade Highlights

Howdy guys, it's me Andrew! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been staying busy with eighth grade! I want to take a few minutes and share a wonderful experience I had this past summer at the Coastal Brigade camp held in Galveston, Texas. The best way I could describe it is a 4 1/2 day crash course covering all aspects of Texas's coastal ecosystem. I'm going to walk you through the typical day and share some of my favorite highlights of the program!

In the mornings we would practice marching, journal writing and photography before breakfast. During the afternoons we had classroom time where different speakers came and shared their knowledge with the class. In the evenings when things cooled down we went outside to fish, practice different casting methods, and ride with Texas Parks & Wildlife experts to shrimp, harvest oysters, view the dangers of gill netting, and learn boat safety. 

Coastal Brigade taught so much, we had little time to sleep! Early mornings were at 6 (or earlier if you wanted to win the room inspection contest) and one night we didn't go to bed until 2:30!!

At first I was a little grossed out when dissection of a 9 foot shark started, but then I realized how neat getting to see the inside anatomy that helps sharks survive!

Here's a picture of me at the front of the classroom meeting the founder of Fish Sticks fishing rods!

Besides just learning about being a ethical angler, Brigades teaches leadership, public speaking, and team building. In this photo we are in teams where we each had a rope that is all attached to a piece of elastic. We were tasked with stacking cans without spilling the water inside. It took a lot of communicating but we were able to finish! 

For the last day of camp, our families came to see us march in for a ceremony where we were congratulated for finishing and becoming conservation ambassadors in our communities!

LEGO Castle

Recently I have been building a Lego castle in my spare time. It is equipped with 15 minifigures, a working portcullis, garden and pond, two carriages, kings room, secret door, and catapult. Hope you enjoy! 😃🐶🐶

portcullis raised.

portcullis closed.

"his majesty's" room. 

(top) peasant's cart (bottom) prison cart with two hidden gold stashes.

picture from above.

stand back! this catapult really launches small bricks.

"secret door" phh! what are you talking about.

Ok, fine it really is a secret door when you take of the branches.

garden and water source.

 

book report 1

Happy Halloween! Today is book report day so I have decided to post on The Vikings Revenge, a book I found at my local library. I would highly recommend this book. It is about two boys who go back in time to fix different people's past. Along the way they face different dangers and meet new people.

There are 6 books in the series as of October 31, 2016. Here are the current topics:

• Vikings
• Egyptians
• Spartans
• Samurai
• Knights
• Gladiators

One of the things I really like about this series is that it teaches about the weapons used in history and about the religions they practiced.

The Great Outdoors

Hello viewers I am very sorry I have not been able to post sooner.  From now on I'm going to try to post every Wednesday and do a book report every Monday.

Lately I have been outside a lot working on my fort. I have been enjoying the weather because its perfect for going outside. My first shelter I made from smaller trees I cut down and striped, along with large limbs I found. Then I cut down small cedar trees to cover my shelter. My second fort I am still working on, instead of cedar trees is going to be covered in leaves. I have additionally made a bark container out of hot cedar resin, bark and a thin piece of wood along with another container I made out of twine and sticks. I happened to find a giant rock and lugged it to my fort. I also have a bench way up in a pine tree but it is not shown in the pictures. I recently found I have neighbors, a huge hive of bees. We have a truce if they don't bother me I won’t bother them. you might notice I have charcoal in an old pan I found it is to rub on my hands when I make a trap to keep my scent off of it.

I'm beginning my second fort

fort from outside

were great friends heh heh..

my "furniture"

charcoal and stick/twine basket

bark container [for blackberries in summer]

inside of shelter

 

9 Srange Facts

          ~FAMOUS PEOPLE~

1.    Most people know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb but...not many people know that he invented cement furniture! His company molded a piano, bathtub and cabinets. Also, not many people know he invented a cigar with a flame that never went out!
2.    Samuel Clemens, known for his work as the author Mark Twain, patented suspenders!
3.    If you've been to school (which by law you have to) then you probably know that John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln - but you probably don't know that John Wilkes Booth tried to kidnap him three times before to trade for Confederate soldiers!
4. Lydon Baines Johnson gave people electric toothbrushes if they promised to vote for him. He said that then people would think about him first thing in the morning and last thing at night!
5. The famous song 'twinkle, twinkle,little star' was written by 6year old Wolfgang Mozart!  

                  Famous Gangsters  

1. The famous gangster George "Machine gun"Kelly never used a machine gun!
2. Al Capone could never be proved guilty for his crimes.The only reason he went to prison was because of taxes!

                       weird facts   

1. the largest bubble was 22 inches
2. a boy waS ONce  sleep walked 10o milES AwAy from his home 
3. thank you for reading this post goodbye  

   

Chicks

To start I would like to apologize for not posting in a long, long, long,[you get the point] long time.
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For one of my brothers birthdays, he asked for an incubator [a machine which hatches eggs]   my sister and I thought he was crazy why would want a incubator for his birthday? we already had chickens that were laying eggs so we put the eggs into the incubator. After 21 prolong days a chick!! after experimenting several times we were able to hatch quail, chickens, bantams, and were working on hatching peacocks and guineas. when they hatch I will post a picture off them

                   chow for now 
                     ~Andrew~