Grace Rivers may seem like your quintessential Stewards of the Wild member—born and raised in Texas with a childhood penchant for exploring the great outdoors and hunting. But when she left Texas for college in Oklahoma, followed by the start of her career and a full-time desk job, time outdoors slowly took a back seat. It wasn’t until she joined Stewards of the Wild in 2021 that she finally reconnected with the pastimes and passions of her childhood.
A seventh-generation Texan, Grace was born in San Antonio and spent her earliest years in Menard, 150 miles northwest of San Antonio. When she was three, her family moved to Elgin, just east of Austin, where her parents still live today. Both her mother and father had deep familial roots in ranching, cattle-raising, and hunting, and her mother’s side still owns a ranch in South Texas that has been in the family for four generations.
Grace fondly recalls her childhood spent outdoors. No computers, no phones. And she delighted in accompanying her father on hunting trips and cattle rounds—experiences that shaped her appreciation for Texas’ wild things and wild places.
After graduating from high school, Grace left Texas for the University of Oklahoma, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. She then moved to Dallas for five years to start her career before moving back to Austin in 2019.
“When I moved away from Texas and then started working, I kind of stepped away from what I loved growing up. Getting back to Austin and the Texas Hill Country allowed me to find my roots again.”
It was during this time that her best friend’s husband, Ben, encouraged Grace to give Stewards of the Wild a try. Ben was on the Advisory Council for the Austin Chapter, and after lots of convincing, Grace finally joined in 2021. “I work from home for a software company, sitting at a computer all day while I really want to be outside. And so that’s originally why I got involved in Stewards.”
“Once I joined, I just kept going to events, and I also liked the conservation aspect and getting outdoors, going on hunts at different properties.” Grace wasted no time brushing up on the hunting skills she first learned in her youth by signing up for her first Stewards mentored hunt. “On my parents’ ranch, we don’t have very many deer, so when I joined Stewards, I hadn’t been deer hunting in over 15 years due to lack of access. I really wanted to get back into hunting, so I did my first mentored hunt with Stewards and TWA.”
Grace then started doing more hunts and events with TWA, too. And though she hasn’t yet been a mentor, she still volunteers on these hunts, most recently helping out as an assistant cook at a King Ranch mentored hunt.
After several years of active involvement, Grace was invited to join the Advisory Board. “I’ve always loved event planning, which is something I don’t get to do in my career. I also started running the chapter’s Instagram page, and here I am now, co-chair of the chapter along with Dalton.”
Some of Grace’s favorite aspects of the Austin Chapter are its ability to provide a diverse array of events, from happy hours to hunts, film screenings, crawfish boils, and more. She also loves its wide variety of members from various walks of life. “We have people who work at the Capitol, people who work in conservation, and people like me who work for software companies.”
She also loves the growing representation of female Stewards members. “Over time, I’ve met so many women who are equally passionate about the same things. We have so many women in our chapter right now, and across chapters.”
Her advice to others interested in getting involved? “Just give it a try. There’s something really cool about meeting and making lifelong friends, whether in your local chapter or even if you may only see them once a year at the annual dove hunt. Stewards is just so inclusive, and anyone who is passionate about the outdoors can find a place to belong.”
