Local youth attends Brigade camp

By Sam Waller

Albany’s Connor Smith spent a week earlier this month attending the Bass Brigade camp, one of eight summer camps conducted by Texas Brigades.

Smith, who will be an eighth grader at Albany Junior High this fall, spent the week learning conservation methods in addition to honing his angling skills.

“A lot of people think it’s a fishing camp, but it’s really not,” Smith said. “It’s more about learning about the habitat and environment and what you can do to preserve all the fish in the habitat.”

Texas Brigades is a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate and empower adolescents with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy.

Texas Brigades provides a combination of educational programs, including summer camps, its advanced Wildlife Intensive Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.) program, and single-day programs, Texas Brigades Experiences.

Bass Brigade is designed to educate participants about aquatic ecosystems and natural resource management. Field professionals educate youth on topics such as botany (terrestrial and aquatic plants), biology, pond and lake management, water quality strategies, and land and water stewardship.

In addition to Bass Brigade, camps include Bobwhite Brigade, Buckskin Brigade, Coastal Brigade, Waterfowl Brigade, and Ranch Brigade.

Smith said he learned of the program through Shackelford County 4-H.

“Riley Reames went to it before, and told me about it,” he said. “I did some research on it. To apply, I had to write a 400-word essay and take a test. Then I was accepted into the camp.”

Smith said Bass Brigade was an easy choice among the other programs.

“I enjoy fishing, and I thought it would be cool to try something new,” he said.

The camp was held July 6-10 at Warren Ranch near Santa Anna.

“While we were there, we also learned how to keep surveys on the population and health of the fish,” Smith said. “One of the things we did to learn that was go electrofishing.”

Among the other lessons learned at the camp were ways to improve fish habitat.

“One of the biggest problems is pollution,” Smith said. “Another is that people mow around their ponds, and you need to keep grass tall for about 10 feet around ponds for vegetation to grow into the pond. It will help fish grow bigger because the vegetation’s in there to help preserve the habitat better.”

The camp also included a meeting with a professional fisherman.

“He talked to us about sonar and fish finders on his boat,” Smith said. “He also told us what fish you need to fish for in different seasons of the year.”

Smith hopes to return to the camp next year as an assistant leader. Four of this year’s 27 cadets will be selected based on a points system. Points are earned for completing projects associated with Bass Brigade in the coming year.