Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s (TPWD’s) plans for the future could bring new attention and resources to the Houston area. The agency’s draft Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan prioritizes the Gulf Coast for conservation efforts. It also focuses recreation improvements on the state’s major urban centers.

The plan, which was commissioned by the state legislature, outlines TPWD’s role, the conservation and recreation needs of different areas, and priorities and strategies for meeting those needs. “The plan will guide the bigger decisions on providing for recreation and conservation in Texas over the next 10 years,”explains Jeff Francell, Director of Land Acquisition at TPWD.

Prioritizing the Gulf Coast
Due to the rich biodiversity of the Gulf Coast and potential threats from urbanization, the TPWD plan ranks the region as having the highest priority for conservation efforts. The plan ranks Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes second among the 10 Texas ecosystems in Biological Value, based on the number of vertebrate species. The Gulf Coast came in as the second most protected ecosystem based on percentage of acreage protected, but also as the second most threatened by future population growth and associated development.

About 9 percent of Gulf Coast lands are protected under wildlife management plans, and about 6 percent as public and non-profit conserved lands, according to TPWD. The coastal marshes and barrier islands are much better conserved than the inland prairies, coastal woodlands, and beach habitats, which should receive more attention in years to come.

Of particular concern are the region’s 24 rare plants, all of which grow in the less-conserved inland areas. The report also mentions the need to further protect the Attwater’s prairie chicken, whooping crane, aplomado falcon, white-tailed hawk, Gulf Coast hog-nosed and eastern spotted skunks, and migratory birds.
TPWD’s plan for increasing park accessibility and recreation opportunities focuses on urban population centers, especially those experiencing significant population growth. And, TPWD acknowledges that Houston, like most urban areas in the state, is underserved by outdoor recreation opportunities. There are 40.3 acres of state parkland per 1,000 people within a 90-minute drive; the state average, however, is 52 acres per 1,000 people. Houston also has the fewest per capita campsites, hiking trail miles, and biking trail miles of any urban area in Texas.

But other cities fare much worse in terms of park acreage. For example, San Antonio has only 9.9 acres of state parkland per 1,000 people within a 90-minute drive. Dallas and Austin have 15.9 and 17.5 respectively.

Because of the plan, “the Houston area will probably see at least one, possibly two, new state parks over the next 10 years that are around 5,000 acres,” notes Farcell.

A Good Starting Point
Conservationists and park advocates, who pushed elected officials to require the plan, are pleased that the process is moving forward. “The state was really dealing with conservation and recreation issues on an ad hoc basis,” explains Brian Sybert, Natural Resources Director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. “It is clear that, given population growth and rates of development, a much longer term planning process is necessary.”

However, there is still work to be done. Sybert calls the draft “a good starting point,” but emphasizes his desire for the plan to go further, especially in terms of parkland acquisition.

Brazos Bend State Park, slated for expansion, courtesy of TPWD

Although the Sierra Club applauds these efforts, the group would like to see TPWD set the goal of maintaining 55 acres of state parkland per 1,000 people, even as population grows. Texas Parks and Wildlife for the 21st Century, a more lofty strategic plan for TPWD produced by Texas Tech University, advocates this goal, and projects that it would require obtaining an additional 250,000 acres of state parkland over the next 10 years, and 1.4 million acres over the next 30 years. Sierra also wants TPWD to aspire to assist local governments with acquiring 25 acres of local parks per 1,000 people.

Instead of focusing on land quantity, Farcell feels TPWD needs to focus their limited resources on making sure Texans, who increasingly live in urban areas, can access state parks. “Adopting a per acre standard for land isn’t the whole story,” he says.

Sybert also notes that the draft plan neglects to propose finance mechanisms for funding land acquisition and conservation of private lands. Lifting the cap on the sporting goods tax, which was originally imposed to fund parks, would be a start, says Sybert. TPWD currently is only allowed to collect $32 million annually from that tax, although the tax generates more than $80 million each year, with the excess going into the state’s general funds. Selling additional bonds is also a possibility.

Farcell says TPWD didn’t include funding mechanisms in the plan because the legislature did not request them. He is confident, however, that money will become available from a variety of sources.

And finally, the Sierra Club is pushing TPWD to set specific goals for acquiring water rights and support limits on new water diversions to protect habitat.

TPWD will host public meetings on the draft Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan all around the state. The Houston meeting will be held Tuesday, August 6 at the Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway. Written comments can also be sent by August 16 to Land and Water Plan, TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. The public may also send a prewritten, editable email prepared by the Sierra Club to TWPD by visiting http://lonestar.sierraclubaction.org/showalert.asp?aaid=98. The entire draft plan is available online at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/plan.