How Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is helping support Texas Game Wardens to preserve the places, wildlife and outdoor traditions that define the Lone Star State
Don’t mess with Texas.
It's a belief as much as a catchphrase.
It's reflected in the pride Texans have for their coastlines, rivers, grasslands and wide-open skies. It's reflected in a shared commitment to protecting the places that make the state unlike anywhere else.
And it's reflected in the work of Texas Game Wardens.
Across the state, their impact can be seen in moments both ordinary and extraordinary—rescuing injured wildlife along the shoreline, responding to natural disasters, and helping communities through some of their most difficult moments.
For more than 35 years, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has worked to connect people with the outdoors while supporting efforts to conserve the landscapes, wildlife and traditions that make Texas unique.
One recent example can be found along the Texas Gulf Coast.
While many people associate game wardens with protecting fish and wildlife, they also play a critical role in emergency response across Texas.
“When there’s a hurricane, flooding event or search-and-rescue operation, Texas Game Wardens are often responding right alongside other emergency personnel,” says Austin Taylor, program director for the S. Reed Morian Gear Up for Game Wardens program, an initiative of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
To help support those efforts, an Enbridge grant was used to purchase a Can-Am Commander utility terrain vehicle for Texas Game Wardens, serving the greater Corpus Christi area. Designed to navigate beaches, shorelines and other rugged terrain, the vehicle helps officers reach areas that traditional patrol vehicles cannot safely access.
An Enbridge grant was used to purchase a Can-Am Commander utility terrain vehicle for Texas Game Wardens, serving the greater Corpus Christi area. Photos courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
According to Capt. Wesley Groth, the UTV is already helping wardens respond more effectively to both wildlife and public safety incidents.
“These off-road vehicles allow wardens to cover more shoreline efficiently, quickly locating stranded or injured sea turtles and other wildlife in need of urgent assistance,” says Groth.
For Taylor, the value of investments like this goes far beyond a single piece of equipment.
Modern tools, from search-and-rescue drones to side-scan sonar technology, help game wardens respond faster when lives are at stake.
“Years ago, that process could take days. Now you’re talking about that process taking maybe hours, and giving that family that final resolution that much more quickly is hugely important,” Taylor said.
Enbridge has also supported Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation's Celebrating 100 Years of Texas State Parks initiative, helping fund wildlife observation blinds at Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area and telescopes at Kickapoo Cavern State Park. These enhancements give visitors new ways to experience Texas wildlife and some of the state’s darkest night skies.
Whether through state parks or the work of Texas Game Wardens, these efforts help preserve the landscapes, wildlife and outdoor traditions that make Texas unique.
Because protecting Texas isn’t just about conserving land.
It's about investing in the people and communities that help bring it to life.
