Students Dive into Conservation at Exploring Baffin Bay: A Texas Brigades Experience

RIVIERA — Students from across the Coastal Bend gathered at Kaufer-Hubert Memorial Park on May 3 for Exploring Baffin Bay: A Texas Brigades Experience — an event dedicated to conservation education, outdoor exploration, and hands-on science.

Organized by the Harte Research Institute’s (HRI) Bringing Baffin Back™ initiative in collaboration with Texas Brigades, the free, one-day event immersed youth ages 9-17 in the unique Baffin Bay ecosystem. Throughout the day, participants explored the connections between watershed health, bay water quality, and the coastal environment through a series of outdoor activities.

“When kids get hands-on experience in Baffin Bay it just builds a lifetime of appreciation for the water, the coast, and the bay,” said Allie Biedenharn, Executive Director of Texas Brigades. “They are set up for a life appreciating conservation and the outdoors … just staying curious about what’s going on around them.”

Texas Brigades is a nonprofit organization that provides educational outdoor programs, including 5-day summer camps, the Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.) program, and single-day Experiences.

The Experience began with rotating stations combining recreation, science, and conservation. On the water, students boarded Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) patrol boats with Game Wardens and HRI scientists to collect water quality samples and practice boat safety.

Back on land, kids took a closer look at the water samples under microscopes. They also learned about watershed and soil health through interactive models that demonstrated how land management, erosion, and everyday human activities upstream influence downstream coastal ecosystem health.

At the pier, participants honed their fishing skills with guidance from experienced anglers, while nearby, guided birding walks introduced them to diverse coastal and migratory bird species that rely on healthy habitats.

“For a lot of these kids, they’ve never really been on the water down here at Baffin Bay and we wanted to give them an opportunity to experience how special this bay is,” said Mike Wetz, HRI’s Chair for Coastal Ecosystem Processes. “For the older kids we hope it sinks in how what they do on the land will affect the bay.”

As the event wound down, the group took part in a shoreline cleanup. For Morgan Butler and Shyloh Smith, that was the Experience’s highlight.

“(My favorite part) was probably the trash pickup,” said Butler, a student at Kaufer Early College High School, “because we are helping our environment, and I also made some really good friends.”

Smith agreed: “I really liked doing the trash pickup. It was fun, and it felt good to pick up trash knowing it’s helping the beach.”

The Experience was made possible by volunteers from local organizations including CCA Texas’ Brush Country Chapter, Coastal Bend Audubon Society, Keep Kingsville Beautiful, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Kleberg-Kenedy Soil and Water Conservation District, Nueces River Authority, Kleberg Kenedy Agrilife Extension Service, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, TPWD Game Wardens, and Texas Master Naturalists-South Texas Chapter. Lunch was prepared by Amberosa, a private chef service owned and operated by Chef Amberdawn Sargent. Food was generously donated by H-E-B’s Our Texas Our Future campaign.

Brian Koch, a regional watershed coordinator for the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, and his son volunteered for the event, educating the attendees on watershed and soil health. Koch said being able to reach children with a message of conservation can have a long-lasting effect.

“Their minds are at a point where they can take in the information and really learn it, and develop it,” Koch said. “The children are at a point where they are like sponges, and if you can give them the right stuff to put in that sponge, they take it and they run with it.”

For participants such as Jimmie Jones of George West, TX, the Experience offered more than just fun — it deepened a personal commitment to stewardship.

“I was already in a few programs like this,” Jones said, “but this just further extends my knowledge and helps me give more back into the community.”