According to a recently released report by Texas Tech University, Texas urgently needs more state and local parkland as well as more protected wildlife habitat to meet the demand for green space in rapidly growing urban areas. The report presents strong justification for the goals of the Wide Open Spaces Campaign initiated by the Lone Star Chapter last July.

Titled Texas Parks & Wildlife for the 21 Century, the report is the result of an extensive study on conservation and recreation issues in the state that was conducted by Texas Tech University. The Tech study included an inventory of public lands and historic sites in Texas, a public opinion survey about natural resources issues, and graphic representations that depict the current status and projected change in native habitat, biodiversity, and land use as the population expands over the next 3 decades.

The study is intended to establish a foundation for future planning efforts by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (Texas Parks & Wildlife), the state agency responsible for meeting the conservation and recreation needs of the state. The agency is currently developing a Land and Water Resources Conservation Plan for Texas (see below) that is intended to address those needs.

The Tech study found that a comprehensive solution is necessary to address the increasing need for outdoor recreation opportunities and for conserving natural resources in Texas. Due to the size and population of Texas, state and local parks are in short supply. In addition habitat conservation and restoration efforts have not been conducted on a scale large enough to preserve biologically sustainable habitats in all of the ecoregions of Texas.

The Tech study also found that while private landowners play an important role in habitat conservation efforts they alone cannot meet the state’s total outdoor recreational needs. According to the public opinion survey a majority of large landowners (64%) in Texas are not interested in opening up their land to provide more outdoor recreational opportunities.

While Texas is the second largest state in the union and 85 percent of its population is concentrated in urban areas, it ranks 49^th in per capita spending on state parks. To meet the need for more state parks the Tech study recommends that Texas Parks & Wildlife adopt the goal of providing 55 acres of state parkland per 1000 people. To achieve this goal the state would need to acquire an additional 1.4 million acres of parkland by 2030.

Because the shortage of outdoor recreation lands is particularly acute around the major population centers of Texas the Tech study recommends that cities, counties, and special districts establish more local parks. The study recommends that Texas Parks & Wildlife and local governments adopt a goal of establishing 25 acres of local parkland per 1000 people. This goal would require the acquisition of an additional 558,000 acres of local parkland by 2030.

The public opinion survey indicates that there is substantial support among Texas citizens for acquisition of additional lands for recreation and habitat protection. According to the survey 77% of Texans support more funding to buy additional land for conservation of natural resources and outdoor recreation.

In order to meet the growing demand for more parkland and to ensure the protection of wildlife habitat Texas Parks & Wildlife is now working on a Land & Water Resources Conservation Plan that will guide state efforts to acquire and protect parkland and wildlife habitat. While the Conservation Plan will rely heavily on the large volume of data that was generated by the Tech study, it is unclear whether or not Parks & Wildlife will embrace the major recommendations of the Tech study regarding state and local parkland acquisition. It is also unclear whether or not the Conservation Plan will include recommendations for funding parkland acquisition.

The Tech study recommendations regarding park acquisition and funding for such acquisition should be for the backbone of the Conservation Plan. If the Tech study recommendations are not included it is unlikely that the plan will adequately address the long-term conservation and recreation needs of the state.

Texas Parks & Wildlife must complete a draft of the plan by May 31, at which time the Parks & Wildlife Commission will choose whether or not to propose the draft plan in the Texas Register for public comment. The public comment period is slated to last between June 1 and July 1. The Commission will then adopt the final plan by August 31.

Public Input Needed for State Plan

As part of the Wide Open Spaces Campaign the Lone Star Chapter will undertake a major effort to generate public comments and mobilize citizens to attend public meetings on the Conservation Plan. The public comment period will provide citizens with a unique opportunity to voice their support for an increase in the amount of land acquired for parkland and protected wildlife habitat. The Lone Star Chapter will alert citizens throughout the state about the opportunity to voice their opinions on the Conservation Plan as soon as the public comment period is announced.

This spring the Lone Star Chapter will provide updates on the development of the Conservation Plan and information on how you can get involved on its web site

For more information about the Conservation Plan or the Wide Open Spaces Campaign, contact Brian Sybert at 512/ 477-1729 or briansybert@earthlink.net.

Texas Parks & Wildlife should develop a statewide master plan to guide future programs to conserve the rich biodiversity of Texas; to maintain the optimum range of natural; cultural, and historic sites of statewide significance; and to provide services to the citizens of Texas.

The state should manage its programs of water conservation and allocation to sustain its ecosystems as well as its people and to allow for sufficient instream flows and sufficient flows into bays and estuaries to sustain aquatic life.

The state should address the needs of urban Texans for access to nature and for opportunities of outdoor recreation.

The state should step up efforts to protect and make available to the public a growing inventory of cultural, historic and natural sites that reflect the state's ethnic diversity and the diverse interests of its population.

Texas Parks & Wildlife should aggressively enhance programs to educate urbanites, and especially youth and ethnic minorities, about natural, cultural and historic resources in Texas.

Local governments and organizations should receive assistance in achieving the goal of 25 acres per 1,000 people for local parks in Texas. To meet this goal an additional 550,000 acres of will need to be acquired by 2030.

Texas Parks & Wildlife should establish and maintain a level of service of 55 acres per 1,000 people for state parks in Texas. To meet this goal an additional 1.4 million acres will need to be acquired by 2030.

The state should ensure that in each of its 11 ecoregions there is a characteristic area of 100,000 acres that is protected, using a variety of strategies, in order to conserve native plants and animals.

Texas Parks & Wildlife should continue to work in partnership with other agencies and organizations to expand incentives for conservation programs on private lands.