If you want to see where the next generation of conservationists is coming from, don’t look in a lab or a boardroom.

Look at a kid with a paintbrush.

This summer, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is aiming to turn that simple idea into something big—Texas big. Plans are underway to make the 2010 State-Fish Art Contest Expo at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens the largest and most memorable event in the contest’s history. And to pull it off, they’re calling in a little help.

In a move that speaks volumes about the program’s growing reach, Wildlife Forever has agreed to relocate its national competition and expo from Minnesota’s Mall of America to Texas for the July 17 showcase. That alone would make headlines—but TPWD has something even bigger in mind.

The vision is a full-day outdoor celebration—part art show, part hands-on festival—where students, families, and the public can experience the outdoors through both creativity and action. To make that happen, organizers are inviting sponsors, businesses, and organizations to step in and help build something special.

The Toyota Bass Classic Foundation already supports the Texas division, including prize funding. Now, TPWD is looking to expand the stage—adding booths, demonstrations, and interactive exhibits that bring the outdoors to life.

Think outdoor cooking, camping skills, archery, casting, fly fishing, fish printing—even rock climbing. The goal isn’t just to entertain. It’s to connect.

And at the heart of it all is art.

Organizers are especially interested in artists whose work reflects a connection to the outdoors—sculptors, painters, woodcarvers, potters, jewelry makers, and more. These aren’t just displays; they’re opportunities for young people to see what’s possible when creativity meets the natural world.

“We want to showcase a broad range of outdoor activities and types of art to acquaint students with the variety of artistic endeavors, recreation, and career opportunities available to them,” said Zoe Ann Stinchcomb, coordinator of the Texas division of the contest. “The ultimate goal of the contest is to foster a lifelong interest in conservation and the outdoors through art.”

Artists are invited not only to display and sell their work, but to demonstrate the techniques behind it—passing along knowledge the same way the outdoors has always been taught: hands-on, face-to-face.

The contest itself is open to students in grades 4 through 12—public, private, and homeschool alike. Entries are judged at TFFC, with a submission deadline of March 31. Details and entry forms are available online for those ready to put brush to canvas.

Because in the end, conservation doesn’t always start with regulations or research.

Sometimes, it starts with a single drawing of a fish—
and the realization that it’s worth protecting.