Victory on Parks

AUSTIN – As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “the budget for the state’s beleaguered parks system is set to more than triple under legislation given final approval Monday by the Texas Legislature.

Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger released the following statement.

“Today, on the final day of the Legislature, the Texas House of Representatives approved HB 12, which ensures that a substantial funding increase for parks provided for in the state budget can move forward.

How appropriate that on a day when many Texas families are enjoying the holiday by camping, boating or picnicking, that the Legislature approved a substantial increase in funding for state and local parks. After decades of neglect, the Legislature has put our parks on the path back to excellence. The additional funds will allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to rehire laid off park rangers, re-open campgrounds, repair decaying facilities, and acquire sensitive lands to create new state parks.

Environment Texas thanks HB 12 author Rep. Harvey Hilderbran for his leadership, the staff and management of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for their dedication, our allies at the Sierra Club, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society, Texans for State Parks, Texas Coalition for Conservation and many other groups and people for helping provide the momentum needed to pass this bill. Winning an increase in funding for Texas parks was Environment Texas’ top legislative priority. The organization helped build support for HB 12 by documenting the plight of the parks in two reports (here and here), producing a short film narrated by Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, sending the State Parks Express RV on a 1500 mile roadtrip around Texas, educating more than 100,000 Texans about the issue through a door to door canvass, telephone calls and direct mail, and generating thousands of phone calls, e-mails, and petitions in to key legislative offices.”