Great American Outdoors Act is bringing more nature to Texas

Media Contacts

Environment Texas

AUSTIN – Texas parks are getting a badly needed infusion of cash thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, signed into law one year ago today. Big Bend National Park will get almost $77 million to repair or replace the Chisos Mountain Lodge, described as in “critical condition” by the National Park Service, and park water systems needed to provide water to campsites and to fight fires. The “Texas White House” at LBJ National Park, closed to the public since 2018 due to mold and structural concerns, will get rehabilitated. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using $4.5 million of the funds to “acquire a 1,687-acre tract of native Tamaulipan brush and wetland habitats” for Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, a premiere bird watching destination in south Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which will receive $17 million annually, is using their money to boost grants to cities for sports complexes, butterfly gardens, and trails, and to support our state parks.

“One year after being signed into law, the Great American Outdoors Act has been an important victory for Texas’ lands, wildlife and communities,” said Environment Texas Conservation Associate Seth Billingsley. “It has allowed us to protect endangered habitats and secure the public’s access to our state’s breathtaking natural and historical treasures.” 

Amid a tense election year, deep polarization and a global pandemic, leadership from both aisles of Congress came together last summer to pass a landmark conservation legislation into law. The Great American Outdoors Act secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually and $9.5 billion over five years to update America’s aging public lands infrastructure. Texas will benefit from this funding for many years to come.

“Demand for our parks is only increasing as Texas grows, and Texans seek refuge in the great outdoors, but unfortunately our parks and open spaces face chronic underfunding which threatens their very existence,” continued Billingsley. “According to a report commissioned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas needs to add more than one million acres of land to our state parks system by 2030 in order to keep up with demand. This new federal funding helps a lot, but the job isn’t done.”

Billingsley called on the state of Texas to boost funding for land acquisition, currently budgeted at just $3.5 million per year, and for Congress to support efforts to reconnect habitat with wildlife corridors and to fund state wildlife action plans for species of greatest conservation need. 

“There is bipartisan support for protecting our beautiful outdoor spaces,” concluded Billingsley. “We need more nature throughout Texas.”

Environment‌ ‌Texas ‌is‌ ‌a‌ non-profit advocate for ‌clean‌ ‌air,‌ ‌clean‌ ‌water,‌ ‌clean‌ ‌energy,‌ ‌wildlife‌ ‌and‌ ‌open‌ ‌spaces,‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌livable‌ ‌climate.‌