Environment Texas Blog

The good news is that Austin is starting to get the message that Texans are fed up with our parks being treated like a redheaded stepchild. Governor Perry, Speaker Craddick and dozens of other legislators have voiced their support for making a substantial investment in our natural and cultural heritage and helping give Texas the world class parks system we deserve.

Outrageously, although the Legislature currently spends less than one-tenth of one percent of the budget on state parks, some politicians and lobbyist organizations think that’s too much (See op-eds in Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News).Even though spending on the rest of state government has gone up 68% since 1990 while spending on parks has gone down by 34%, these folks would have the Legislature slash funding even further.

Their solution? They propose selling off state parks, even though a major study by Texas Tech University concluded that with only 52 acres of state parks per 1,000 Texans (and only 15.9 acres in the greater Dallas area), “the current acreage available for outdoor recreation does not meet demand,” a situation which only worsen as our population continues to grow. These short-sighted lobbyists also propose raising fees at other state parks, even though Texas already ranks in the top 10 in the nation for revenue generated by entrance fees and though higher fees would mean fewer Texas families able to visit our parks.

They’re also ignoring the parks’ role as an economic engine for the state. With an investment by Texas taxpayers of only $20.5 million a year, almost 13,000 jobs have been created in the tourism, hotel, sporting goods and other industries. 

The bigger point is that parks were never intended to be money makers. Unless prisoners start paying us for the privilege of living in Huntsville’s finest seven foot wide cells, our prisons are never going to be a money maker for the state. Similarly, we don’t expect our parks to make money, unless we are willing to allow oil rigs in the middle of our swimming holes and billboards hanging from every tree.

No, for the 99% of us who don’t own a stretch of land, we rely on state parks to give us a place to go to get away from the hustle and bustle and concrete of the modern world. We invest in our parks because we’re glad wild places still exist, even if we don’t get out to visit them often enough. We’re willing to pay to protect our parks because we want to be able to show our children what life was like back when Texas was first settled.

This summer, a blue ribbon committee of eminent Texans recommended the Legislature increase funding for state and local parks by $85 million per year. These funds will help prevent lay-offs of park rangers and the subsequent closure of some parks, help the parks department catch up on the backlog of repairs plaguing our parks, and allow them to start investing for the future by acquiring new park lands.

The overwhelming majority of Texans want a state where there is abundant parkland, our rivers and streams are protected, and wildlife has a place to survive and thrive. Next year, the Legislature has an opportunity to help meet these goals by appropriating all $85 million to our parks system. By doing right by nature, they will make all of us proud