Wild Women for Good: Stories of Conservation in Texas (Kathie and Ed Cox Jr. Books on Conservation Leadership, sponsored by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University)

Women have been shaping the conservation movement in Texas since the nineteenth century, though their stories are rarely told. Women played an invaluable role in the establishment of parks, protection of wildlife, developing policies that value nature, and defending communities against pollution and destruction of habitat. Their efforts enriched and reinforced the natural heritage of Texas. Wild Women for Good: Stories of Conservation in Texas celebrates those who dared to step forward to make a difference and to tell the complex story of conservation in the Lone Star state.Wild Women for Good spans a century and a half of conservationists―rural and urban―and the differences they made. Opening with the first conservation movement in Texas and the effort to stop the millenary industry’s slaughter of birds for their plumage, the book shows how early advocates broke down barriers and opened doors for other women to save and protect species, land, and water for future generations. Author Jennifer L. Bristol then highlights innovative women who championed the establishment of the state park system, preservation of prairies and forests, grappled with pollution, protected water systems, and dedicated their private lands for public purposes―significant because 94 percent of Texas is privately owned. Wild Women for Good concludes with an eye toward the future as the next, more diverse, generation is called upon to shape and define the conservation movement in Texas.Bristol covers more than sixty individuals and groups: environmental policy makers, famous first ladies, early land trusts champions, and educators. These are women whose stories are as integral to the state’s history as the natural landscapes they worked to preserve. Read more