| Environmental education programs have been evaluated to assess short-term effects on participants; however, few studies have examined long-term impacts. This study aimed to determine how the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society's Wildlife Conservation Camp (WCC) has impacted high school students. A web-based survey questionnaire was created to measure attitudes and behaviors of participants towards wildlife conservation and natural resources. A subset of questions was taken from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation to evaluate current participation in wildlife-related activities and provide comparison groups. Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multiple regression analyses to explore associations among demographic data, sources of influence, and career path. Most respondents (85%) reported that the WCC had or will have a major impact on the course of their lives. The majority of respondents reported moderate to large increases in knowledge (89%) and interest (80%) of wildlife conservation and observation from the WCC. Most respondents (86%) who went into a conservation-related field reported the WCC influenced their career path. The majority of WCC respondents (66%) took special interest in wildlife around the home compared to 75% of Texas residents. Most WCC respondents (70%) also took special interest in wildlife away from home compared to only 23% of Texas residents. The WCC can have an impact not just in recruitment into conservation-related fields, but also in helping to create citizens who are active stewards of the land with a knowledge and appreciation of wildlife and natural resources. |
