Houston Chapter Co-Chair Wyatt Powell is an eighth-generation Texan and lifelong Houstonian. Raised in the Sugar Land area, Powell spent his childhood moving between the lake and his family’s deer lease. Summers meant waterskiing and wakeboarding, while fall and winter meant dove, quail, and deer hunting in South Texas.
“My dad was going hunting and fishing with or without me,” Powell recalls. “I went with him when I could, from as early as I can remember.” His family has maintained a deer lease between Freer and Laredo since the ‘80s, which helped Powell build a deep connection to Texas’ wild places and an early enthusiasm for hunting. Today, that connection has evolved into a passion for helping others experience the same outdoors he has grown to love.
Powell joined Stewards of the Wild in 2020 after a colleague introduced him to the program. He attended a local happy hour and quickly got plugged in, eventually joining the Houston Chapter Advisory Council in 2022. Today, he serves as the chapter’s co-chair.
“It’s been a great role to take on,” Powell says. “I have been introduced to new events and people that I likely wouldn’t have ever otherwise been exposed to, which has just been great in deepening my knowledge about conservation and what’s going on here in Texas.”
One of the ways Powell has gotten involved is through the chapter’s popular annual Matagorda Fishing Tournament. While he is quick to credit the event’s original organizers, Powell has come to play a pillar role from an operational standpoint. The tournament typically brings together about a dozen boats and gives Stewards of all experience levels an opportunity to get on the water. Powell manages the complex task of coordinating guides, boats, and logistics.
“What’s great about the Matagorda Fishing Tournament is any level of fisher can join this tournament,” he says. “All you have to do is show up to the dock and get on a boat with a licensed guide and have a good time.”
That philosophy of making the outdoors more accessible is key to keeping Powell engaged with
Stewards of the Wild. “There can often be such a barrier to entry in the hunting and fishing worlds,” Powell says. “Through Stewards, we are really trying to make it as easy as possible for somebody to experience those things.”
Powell has witnessed this firsthand, both through Stewards events and by introducing friends to hunting on his family’s South Texas lease. “For the longest time, I’ve been on this deer lease with my family, and I’ve always been chasing the bigger buck,” he says. “Most of the time, the bigger buck doesn’t come. So, what else is really enjoyable? I have tried to bring as many of my friends over the years and put them in a deer stand with me.”
“I try to help them take down their first big buck. The most fun part of it all is sneakily recording their reaction.” For Powell, being able to be a part of his friends’ first experiences is about more than just hunting or fishing. It’s about building relationships, creating a deeper connection to Texas, and cultivating the next generation of conservationists.
“We’re just looking to help people get into the wild, get connected to this great state and its resources, and help them become the next generation of conservation leaders,” he says.
It’s a fitting mission for this eighth-generation Texan whose family roots reach back to Martin Palmer, one of the original signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Through Stewards, Powell has found a meaningful way to honor his own heritage while helping more people discover, appreciate, and care for the wild places that make Texas such an extraordinary home.
