Community Education Outreach Programs

Our Mission

The mission of the Community Education & Outreach Programs is to inform and involve new constituencies in the activities and programs of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This involvement will provide these new constituencies a service and a tangible, long-lasting product that builds a solid foundation for social and economic prosperity. The focus of the educational programming is directed to the inner-city communities and the youth of Texas. The outdoor educational programs blend the natural and cultural patterns of early Texas and explain how these patterns influenced the way of life.

Texas Buffalo Soldiers

The "Texas Buffalo Soldier" Educational Outreach Programs emphasize our multi-shared western heritage about the "9th Cavalry" and the "24th Infantry" Buffalo Soldiers, Vaqueros, Negro Cowboys, Frontier Women, Native Americans, and other cultural groups in Texas during the 1800s.

Exploring Texas Roots

The "Exploring Texas Roots" Project has ongoing Cultural Research that identifies minority citizens, sites and properties having historical significance in Texas. The research includes archival, genealogical, oral history, and ethnography. Research is also ongoing on the "9th cavalry" and "24th Infantry" Soldiers, the first Negro regiments to arrive in Texas after the Civil War.

Blazing New Trails

The "Blazing New Trails" Outdoor Educational Programs emphasize outdoor skills training and instruction that includes the Texas State Parks. Park Rangers and other Department personnel and volunteers teach camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and other outdoor skills.