Wings Over Texas
Vol 4April - June 2026Chainsaws and Community
On May 7–9, our Texas staff and chapters joined forces to host an incredible event. The 2nd Annual High Plains Conservation Weekend represented the true heart of our organization’s mission: staff and local volunteers working side by side to combine youth education, community outreach, and hands-on habitat restoration. With this model in place, our goal for FY27 is to bring similar habitat and education events to communities across the entire state.
Over the course of the weekend, teams completed a massive, three-day education and habitat restoration initiative, made possible by a close collaboration between Texas Staff, the Palo Duro and the Top O’ Texas Chapters.
Day 1: Youth Wildlife Education
We kicked off the weekend by hosting our very first Youth Wildlife Education Field Day. 60 students from nearby schools explored 10 interactive stations led by our expert wildlife biologist team, gaining hands-on exposure to conservation practices and wildlife skills. We concluded the day with a collaborative native pollinator/wildflower seed distribution across a 1/4 acre plot
Days 2 & 3:
Hands-on Habitat Restoration
While a burn ban prevented us from conducting prescribed fires, 40 dedicated volunteers stepped up with a dozen chainsaws to clear 4 acres of invasive juniper trees plaguing the Palo Duro Water District. This vital groundwork opens the door for our team to safely execute future burns across 800+ acres as soon as conditions allow
James Culp, President Top O’ Texas QF
Jordan Davis, CWB Paducah
Chapter Spotlight
Lone Star QF Banquet
Bringing the upland community together: President Al Stover welcomed Ricky Wolfe, founder of the North Texas Bird Dog Club, as a special guest at this year's Lone Star Banquet in Grapevine.
North Texas Annual QF Clays for Conservation
Rain couldn't stop the North Texas Chapter at their 2nd Annual Spring Clay Shoot. Shooters simply adapted and brought the fun inside at Elm Fork’s indoor range. Events like this are made possible by gracious, ongoing sponsors like Scheels, who help us keep things fun and affordable for the local Dallas area
Chapter Launch
Medina Quail Forever President Chance Brauchle (right) hosted the chapter's inaugural event alongside his close friend, Robert Braden (center), President & CEO of the Texas Grain & Feed Association. Braden drove in from DFW to deliver a presentation on the latest updates regarding the New World screwworm. Head over to the Medina Quail Forever Facebook Group for more information!
A Year in Review
Texas Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters wrapped up a stellar FY26, bringing in 371 new memberships through chapter-led efforts across the state!
Leading the charge was High Plains PF, generating a statewide high of 149 new members. They were followed by Top O’ Texas QF (64), Lone Star QF (63), North Texas QF (40), and Heart O’ Texas QF (35).
While growing our membership base is vital to our organization, our true focus of our chapters remains anchored in our 4 Strategic Priorities:
Improve Wildlife Habitat
Advance Conservation Policies
Expand Public Access
Engage & Educate Our Communities
To put these priorities into practice, we encourage every chapter to drive three flagship initiatives each year:
Youth Event: Educating and inspiring the next generation of conservationists
Hands-On Habitat Event: Putting volunteers directly on the land for real, on-the-ground restoration.
Annual Banquet/Fundraiser: Raising critical funds to power local conservation programs and chapter efforts.
As we close out FY26, we want to recognize two outstanding chapters that went above and beyond. These teams didn't just host successful banquets, they delivered year-round programming and spearheaded local habitat projects. Their relentless dedication and consistent efforts set the standard for our mission across Texas.
Top O’ Texas
Quail Forever
In addition to leading an active chapter in Amarillo, President James Culp represented Texas at our inaugural Upland Caucus in May.
The Top O’ Texas Chapter has cultivated a strong local community and remains determined to support the region through Hands-on Habitat projects and youth conservation education
Chapter Statistics
#1 in State Conservation Support (TX Con Ops)
#2 in Memberships Garnered
220 Acres of Local Habitat Impact
Hit the chapter “Triple Crown”
Youth Mentor Hunt
Hands-on Habitat Event
Fundraising Banquet
High Plains Pheasants Forever
For nearly a decade, this chapter’s core identity has been hosting large, engaging banquets. The funds raised from these events enable President Danny Glenn and his team to directly support local habitat restoration and youth programs.
Chapter Statistics
#1 Supporter of Advocacy
#1 in Memberships Garnered
300 Acres of Local Habitat Impact
Record Year for Con Ops
Con Ops Accolades
Our staff have helped provide technical guidance on HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of acres that we have not worked on before
100+ Burns Club: State Coordinator Thomas Janke and Fire Coordinator William Burkhead both surpassed 100 lifetime prescribed burns with PF/QF.
10,000+ Acres: Taylor Daily exceeded 10,000 acres treated with prescribed fire.
Lead Roles Unlocked: Nolan Talkington, Jacob Nelson, and Andres Rosales successfully served as lead technical advisors on their first burns.
100% Team Participation: Every member of our Texas team participated in burn operations this year.
Year-Round Fire: Conducted burns across 12+ consecutive months, proving fire is an effective tool year-round in Texas.
7 Ecoregions: Safely executed burns across 7 distinct Texas ecoregions.
Essential Operations: Participated in 64 total burns—providing crucial staffing, equipment, or leadership on 54 of them (84%).
For more: visit our FY26 Rx Burn Report
THANK YOU!
Everything our staff achieves starts with you, our amazing members and volunteers. Thank you for your support over the past year! With our new burn trailer and truck, we are expanding our reach across Texas to deliver on our mission. We look forward to reaching even greater habitat goals in FY27. Thank you for making this work possible!
