On January 25, Senior Meagan Hooker had the unique privilege of speaking for former First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, at the Taking Care of Texas Reception in San Antonio. Mrs. Bush chose Meagan to speak about her personal experiences with youth education programs that focus on the subjects of wildlife, natural resources, and conservation because of her continued involvement and dedication to these programs.

Taking Care of Texas is a program focused on communicating the benefits of conservation for our natural lands through educational programs and the connecting of influential leaders in this field.

Meagan’s speech can be found below.

“The history of every nation is eventually written by the way in which it cares for its soil.”
 
bq. I first heard this quote by President Franklin Roosevelt while attending a week long youth conservation leadership camp sponsored by several organizations represented in this room.  Both the camp and President Roosevelt’s words made an impression on me because I believe it is our job to steward the natural resources that we dependent upon and to foster a knowledge and stewardship mentality in the next generation for the future prosperity of our state and our nation.
 
bq. My life has been enriched by outdoor experiences.  As a young child, I was introduced to the outdoors by my father as we spent time together outdoors hunting and fishing.  I’ll always remember sitting in my dad’s lap at the age of 8 as I harvested my first white tail deer at our deer lease in the beautiful Hill Country area of Texas. For me, it was these special experiences that fueled my interest in conservation.  I want every child to have an opportunity to make memories in the outdoors with family or special mentors, so they too can learn the importance of conservation.
 
bq. The love of the outdoors my Dad sparked in me led me to seek out and participate in organized conservation education programs. I began by getting involved with Texas Brigades, the Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development or (W.I.L.D.) program of the Brigades, and the Texas Youth Hunting Program.  The Texas Brigades is a youth leadership program that uses wildlife conservation as a focus of the education at week long summer camps.  After experiencing the brigades, I was chosen to participate in the WILD program. WILD is a group of 12 conservation ambassadors who have graduated from the Brigades program and now serve on the youth advisory board, participate in a natural resource policy forum, and work to hone their leadership skills at a greater level.  The Texas Youth Hunting Program is a conservation driven program that uses the heritage and traditions of hunting to teach the valuable lesson of conservation.  I have loved becoming a volunteer huntmaster with TYHP, because it has given me the chance to become a mentor and share the outdoors with other youth. Nothing can replace the experience of taking a child on their first hunting, fishing, or camping trip, and last weekend I got to take on the role of mentor and guide. Because of these programs I have had the unique opportunity of being able to develop my knowledge on the subject of conservation practices instated by the leaders of this field, while also helping other youth develop a love for the natural world. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to “give back” a little of what has been shared with me.
 
bq. My involvement in the outdoors and these outstanding programs has impacted my life in a way greater than I could ever have imagined.  I have learned values and leadership skills and am now hopefully on my way to fulfilling a life-long goal of a career in natural resource management.  This fall, I begin my freshman year at Texas A&M University as a Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences student.  I look forward to deepening my knowledge of the land, water, and wildlife resources of Texas and eventually pursuing a career in this field.  Without the opportunity to involve myself in programs like these, I would not have had the skills or confidence to make the decision to pursue a career of safeguarding the natural resources of this beautiful state. 
 
bq. To me, the term conservation simply means: the sustainable use and management of natural resources including wildlife, water, air, and minerals so that they are around for future generations. Making an effort to communicate the importance of conservation to our next generation of youth through education and leadership development programs is very important to me.  I believe it is my job to gain all of the knowledge I can and use it as I go out and share with our government officials, general public, other enthusiasts in the field, and the youth of tomorrow my passion for natural resource management. I believe many of you are in the room tonight because you share that same passion. Thank you for what you do to support conservation education programs for our schools, our nature centers, our private lands and our communities. 
 
bq. I know that my life is extremely blessed due to my involvement in conservation and it is my hope that with continued efforts to expand youth development and literacy programs and partnerships, we will be able to see a change in my generation and the next.  I would love to see all Texas students have the opportunity to experience the outdoors and study our natural resources so that we have a generation of caring and knowledgeable land stewards and decision-makers.  
 
bq. I think Mr. Roosevelt was right when he said, “The history of every nation is eventually written by the way in which it cares for its soil.” Our country has a great history of conservation thanks to the remarkable accomplishments of many leaders, including Presidents and First Ladies who appreciated the outdoors.