DALLAS (TNS) — People from all over the world travel to Texas for hunting.

Kevin Mote, Texas Park and Wildlife’s private lands and public hunting program director, credits the state’s appeal to its great land stewards and diverse environments. There’s a wide range of opportunities from pronghorn antelope in West Texas to an alligator on the Gulf.

Mote said that people who spend time outdoors, like hunters, usually develop an appreciation for the land and animals in a way that pushes them to protect wildlife.

Hunting is an integral part of conservation in the Lone Star State, according to the Texas Wildlife Association, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refers to hunters as the “driving force” funding many of the nation’s conservation efforts.

“Conservation is at its strongest when hunters and non-hunters are allied together for wildlife,” the group’s website says. “That is why TWA is so dedicated to maintaining Texas’ rich hunting heritage and encourages others to support and engage in ethical, regulated hunting.”

Hunters and anglers help fund conservation programs through fees for hunting permits and licenses. Taxes on sporting goods in Texas also pay for wildlife management, habitat conservation and hunter education.

Hunters have contributed more than $5.5 billion for conservation in less than 60 years, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The department says funding like this, especially through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs, has included the creation of about 50 wildlife management areas, the release of millions of red drum and spotted sea trout fish fingerlings and restoration for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, pronghorn and bighorn sheep.