How Two Young Brothers Started an Inspiring Movement: ‘You’re Never Too Young to Make a Difference’
Their simple idea became a mission to protect wildlife, clean beaches and inspire the next generation
Key Takeaways
- Two brothers turned a family hiking trip into a lifelong wildlife conservation mission.
- They built monofilament bins and rescued a 300-pound sea turtle trapped in fishing line.
- Building nesting boxes helped wood duck populations bounce back after Hurricane Michael.
After seeing wildlife harmed by litter, two brothers built collection bins, cleaned beaches and created nesting boxes to protect Florida’s wildlife. Here, they share their story with Woman’s World.
“Look at all that trash,” John Carl Tilghman, 7, told his brother, Wesley, as the family hiked through Yellowstone National Park.
“Somebody should do something,” Wesley said.
“Maybe that somebody could be you,” the boys’ mom, Nancy, said. “Maybe you guys could start a foundation,” she suggested.
Right away, Wesley and John Carl knew what their first project should be.
How the Conservation Brothers fight pollution in St. Andrew’s Bay
The brothers loved fishing in St. Andrew’s Bay near their home in Panama City, Florida. They always disposed of their used fishing line properly, but others did not. Too often, they spotted seagulls hopelessly tangled, with hooks and line dangling from their mouths. The boys worked hard to free them.
Once at a local marina, the boys helped Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission workers haul in a 300-pound sea turtle strangled by fishing line. While workers held the turtle steady, John Carl removed every strand before it was returned to the Gulf.
Inspired, the boys called themselves the Conservation Brothers and began constructing sturdy monofilament collection bins. They placed them at marinas with instructions explaining why safe disposal matters.
Every time they checked, the bins were full.
Next came beach cleanups with friends and classmates and collecting water samples from the bay and its feeder creeks so the state could test for harmful red algae.
Inspiring the next generation with protection for habitats
When Hurricane Michael toppled all the trees surrounding their backyard pond, the brothers worried: What will happen to the wood ducks? Without trees to nest in, the ducks were easy targets for predators. So Wesley and John Carl built nesting boxes on poles with protective collars to keep them safe. Soon, mother ducks were leading broods of 10 to 12 ducklings in and out of the water.
“Every time we check things out, 50 or 60 wood ducks are swimming around,” John Carl said proudly.
Today, Wesley is a college senior, and John Carl, 16, works summers on a charter fishing boat. He still organizes beach cleanups, collects water samples and builds more monofilament bins and nesting boxes. He’s also training his cousin so the Conservation Brothers mission will carry on when he heads to college.
“We learned you’re never too young to make a difference,” John Carl said. “And if more kids do their share, we can change the world for the better.”
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