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It’s a gentle, misty morning on the lower Colorado River, near Austin. Fly-fishing guide Alvin Dedeaux makes a striking figure against the gray backdrop, fly rod in hand, dreadlocks streaming from the back of his red baseball cap. A former musician who spent time in nature to counter the stress of concert tours, Alvin’s fishing hobby soon turned into his vocation. He’s now one of the top professional fly-fishing guides in Texas. “I’ve been fishing since I was a kid,” says Alvin. “After moving to Austin in the mid ‘80s I got a canoe, which opened up a whole new world … miles and miles of water you could never get to otherwise. Now I spend every day I can out on the river.” Alvin’s passion for the waterways of Texas is one of the reasons he’s serving as an ambassador for Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s (TPWF) We Will Not Be Tamed campaign. The campaign calls us to appreciate the wildness of Texas, the vastness of our Texas spirit and why we should be inspired to conserve it. Find out how you can join us at WeWillNotBeTamed.org The official state fish of Texas needs a little help. Guadalupe Bass can be found in the cool, clear waters of the Texas Hill Country, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has identified the fish as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Because of the rapidly increasing population in Central Texas, among many other factors, Guadalupe Bass have been extirpated from many Hill Country rivers where they once thrived. That’s why TPWF is partnering with the Department on a Guadalupe Bass Restoration Initiative. TPWF members help support the effort, and the project is a favorite among fly-fishers. Just last month, a fly-fishing film tour came through Austin, featuring national and local films, including a film produced by We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Alvin Dedeaux. More than $2,000 was raised for the Guadalupe Bass Restoration Initiative. You can help support the state fish of Texas by becoming a member today.  Alvin Dedeaux isn’t just passionate about fishing Texas’ rivers. He’s also passionate about conserving them.  As one of Central Texas’ premier fly-fishing guides, Alvin is driven by a deep passion for Texas’ land, water and wildlife, and he’s also transformed by it. “You have to get to where all you can hear is the wind and the birds,” Dedeaux reflects. “Get some quiet, so you can hear yourself think.” Alvin’s passion and pride in conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas should inspire us all. Partnership efforts -- like Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s support of the Guadalupe Bass Restoration Initiative to conserve the state fish of Texas -- is why Alvin is proud to be an ambassador for TPWF’s We Will Not Be Tamed campaign. And, it’s support from TPWF members that make these projects possible. Will you join Alvin and TPWF and help conserve the lands, waters, and wildlife we all love by becoming a member of TPWF today? If you join or renew your membership with TPWF by April 30, you will be entered into a TPWF drawing to win a half-day fly-fishing trip with Alvin and a $250 gift card from Howler Brothers to outfit yourself for the experience.* Join TPWF and help protect the wild things and wild places that make Texas so special. *The price of membership pays for TPWF membership only and not for the chance to win the half-day fly-fishing trip with Alvin Dedeaux and $250 gift card from Howler Brothers. Members who join by April 30 are automatically entered in the drawing.       Alvin Dedeaux isn’t the only fly-fishing guide in his family. His wife, Lenée is an accomplished fly-fishing guide in her own right and is an integral part of the family business, All Water Guides. TPWF’s podcast crew caught up with the two of them on a rare day when they were both at home at the same time.   2914 Swiss Avenue Dallas, TX 75204 | Tel: 214.720.1478 © All rights reserved. Donate | Forward to a friend | Visit our website | Email Preferences | Unsubscribe