Chuck Naiser, a native of Mobile, Alabama, was born during World War II at Brookley Air Force Base. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Texas, where he was raised in a small town called East Bernard, a German-Bohemian Czech farming community outside of Houston. His father, who was the superintendent of the schools, was a significant influence in his life. Naiser grew up hunting, fishing, and being a diligent student, activities that were encouraged by his father. His early fishing experiences were primarily with farm ponds and creeks, where he fished for catfish and bass.

Dr. Paul Montagna is a renowned marine biologist with a particular focus on freshwater inflow. Born and raised in New York City, he pursued his undergraduate studies at Stony Brook on Long Island before earning his Master's degree at Northeastern University in Boston. He later completed his Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Montagna's journey into the field of science was somewhat accidental. Initially, he aspired to be a high school biology teacher, but after a student teaching course, he realized that he was more drawn to the scientific aspects of biology.

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon is a renowned climatologist who has dedicated his career to the study of weather and climate, particularly in relation to Texas. Born and raised in Northern California, he developed an interest in weather at a young age, conducting his own weather observations and experiments from the age of ten or eleven. He pursued his passion for weather and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied for ten years before completing a postdoc in Albany, New York.

Emilie Payne is a dedicated birder, conservationist, and former Audubon warden based in Texas. She moved from San Antonio to Corpus Christi in 1960, bringing with her a copy of the Roger Tory Peterson Field Guide to Birds. Her passion for birding was ignited in 1961 when she and her daughter attended a bird walk in Blucher Park, where they experienced a fallout, a day when the park was filled with a variety of birds. Payne's interest in birding quickly grew into a lifelong commitment. She and her daughter joined the Audubon Outdoor Club and participated in the Christmas bird count].

Dr. Ken Kramer is a native Texan, born in Brenham, a small city about seventy miles from Houston. He grew up in Houston, but his parents were from Austin and Washington Counties in Central East Texas, and they both grew up on farms. This gave him the unique experience of both urban and rural environments from an early age. Dr. Kramer's interest in environmental issues began to take shape during his time in the Army and later in graduate school at Rice University.

Dr. David McKee is a biologist with a deep-rooted history in fishing, hunting, and outdoor activities, primarily in South Texas. Raised by his grandparents and mother, he was taught to fish, hunt, shoot, braid leather, sharpen knives, and train dogs by his grandfather, a long-serving South Texas sheriff. His upbringing was deeply influenced by his family's connection to the outdoors and law enforcement, which included unique experiences such as training bloodhounds to track prisoners for exercise. Dr.

Joe Trungale is an environmental engineer with a focus on water issues. Born in Chicago, Trungale moved around the Midwest and East Coast before settling in Dallas for high school. After high school, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he earned an English degree. Following his undergraduate studies, Trungale spent time traveling and volunteering in Latin America, specifically in Nicaragua, where he worked on water issues.

Captain Billy Sandifer was a renowned conservationist and environmentalist based in Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi, Texas. He was adopted and raised by his grandparents on a 368-acre farm southwest of Agua Dulce, Texas, where he learned the value of hard work from a young age. His early life was marked by labor-intensive work, including picking cotton in the fields alongside migrant workers. Sandifer served in Vietnam in 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1970, where he was exposed to Agent Orange, leading to several health issues in his later years.

Myron Hess is a native Texan, born in 1955, who grew up in the small town of Muenster, North Texas, near the Red River. His early life was spent on a farm, where he developed a deep appreciation for the natural world and the importance of water for both agriculture and the environment. This early interest in water and ecology influenced his later career in environmental law, with a particular focus on water and freshwater inflow issues in Texas.

Dr. John W. ("Wes") Tunnell, Jr. is a third-generation Texan, born in Biloxi, Mississippi, where his father was stationed during World War II. His parents, both physicians, practiced in Texas from the mid-forties to the mid-eighties. Dr. Tunnell credits his father for encouraging him to pursue a career that he would enjoy and excel in. Dr. Tunnell began his higher education at Adams State College in Colorado, initially pursuing pre-dentistry with the aim of earning a high income that would allow him to enjoy his hobbies of hunting and fishing.