|
Texans for State Parks
TfSP E-News
|
|
Citizens working to preserve and enhance the state park system for the benefit of the people of Texas and their guests.
The Voice Online ~ TfSP News
The Texans for State Parks board met via teleconference May 27 and set the date for the Annual membership meeting. The 2008 meeting will be at Lake Brownwood State Park November 14 and 15. This will be the first opportunity for many of you to meet the new Parks & Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith. The meeting will also give Park Friends Groups the opportunity to show off some of their projects to everyone, especially Carter Smith and Parks Director Walt Dabney, who continue to voice strong support and appreciation for all the work being done by them and other volunteers. We hope to have a strong presence of group representatives to show off their projects. Watch your e-mail for more information as details are worked out. Nominations Sought for TfSP Directors Ballots for TfSP Board elections will go out to members in October. Everyone is encouraged to submit nominations for directors who have lots of time, energy and creative ideas! If you are interested in serving as a director, or wish to nominate someone, you can contact Linda Evans, leevans@texas.net , 512.444.8079 for information and to forward names of nominees to the to the current Board of Directors. TfSP Directors Plan Ahead TfSP members recently met with Executive Director Carter Smith and Parks Director Walt Dabney to discuss the future of TfSP and how best to continue to support parks now and in the coming legislative session. Although the 80th Legislative Session provided significant funding for parks for the current biennium, stable park funding sources, and an acquisition program to support the growing population of Texas, will require continued efforts to ensure adequate resources are devoted to these special places. With your support, TfSP will continue to educate the legislature on the many benefits provided by the park system. ----------------------------------- Capital Construction and Repair Funds Available Soon House Bill 12 from the last legislative session required an outside evaluation of the TPWD capital construction and repair programs as a condition of the bond funds. The evaluation has been satisfactorily completed, and the Legislative Budget Board has now OK’d the sale of the Proposition 4 bonds and the funding for the major capital improvements included under Proposition 4 and the remainder of the Proposition 8 bonds, totaling $44 million. There is another $25 million for the Battleship Texas. Many of the projects should be underway soon. Sporting Goods Tax Review: The 2008 legislative session required a joint legislative task force to review the definition of "sporting goods" in the state tax code, and to determine the amount of sales tax revenue needed from sporting goods to fund state and local parks, historic sites and related programs. The study will determine items defined as “sporting goods”. For example, currently, boats are not counted as sporting goods -- but athletic shoes are. Both Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Tom Craddick have completed their appointments so this review process can begin. --------------------------- TPWD News Releases The following summaries of news releases relating to parks include links (underlined) to the complete story on the Parks and Wildlife website. Funding: TPWD has created an online Texas State Parks Getting Better news roundup detailing how increased funding is benefiting visitors at individual state parks across Texas. The roundup lists information on parks grouped near major cities, and also features a clickable map grouping parks by region. In addition to news resources, TPWD has been sharing the parks "getting better" story through magazine ads, Passport to Texas radio episodes, video productions and a new State of Parks Web portal that bundles all related materials for easy access. Click on underlined items to access in the TPWD web site. ------------------------- Amistad Rise Fuels Economic BonanzaTravel U.S. 90 through Del Rio and out to Amistad International Reservoir and it’s obvious there’s something going on in this border town. New motels and restaurants are going up, and parking lots of old ones are crowded. Skeletons of houses under construction dot hillsides overlooking the lake. Del Rio and Val Verde County are experiencing an economic boom based on a commodity that’s normally scarce in this area perched on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert: water. Following a 10-year drought, soaking rains refilled Amistad beginning in 2003. The rising water flooded vegetation that had grown up on the dry lake bottom, and submersed vegetation such as hydrilla expanded as well, making lots of hiding places where baby bass could grow up. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) took advantage of the rising water and stepped up its fish stocking program, putting 874,000 largemouth bass fingerlings into the lake in 2004 and 2005. Photo Editors: Images associated with this news release are available on the TPWD Web site (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/news_images/?g=amistad_rise_fuels_economic_bonanza) [TPWD News] ---------------------------- Plan Summer Outings with New Guide to Texas State
Parks — Plain Text ----------------------------------- Eisenhower State Park Celebrates 50 Years of Public Access to Outdoors — Park Hailed as a Symbol of Outdoor Legacy, Testament
to Private-Public Partnership — Plain Text ----------------------------------------- For other Parks & Wildlife news items, see www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/. --------------------------------------------- If you have news or an event you would like forwarded to Texans for State Park members, send to leevans@texas.net. TEXANS FOR STATE PARKS invites you to join with us in protecting our Texas treasures. Whether you are an individual, organization, school group or represent a small business or a major corporation, membership categories provide a way for you to become involved. For information and a membership application, see www.texansforstateparks.org or e-mail leevans@texas.net. Texans for State Parks – P. O. Box 41480 - Austin, TX 78704-0025
· Parks Leadership Meeting Honors Parks Advisory Committee · Governor Perry Appoints Duggins to the P&W Commission · Texas Buffalo Soldiers Events Set for Spring, Summer· Texas Independence Celebration · Bastrop SP Hosts CCC Veterans 75th Anniversary Celebration· Hueco Tanks SHS Closes Climbing Site to Protect Resources · Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center Earns Award · Outdoor Family Workshops Scheduled Parks Leadership Meet in Wichita Falls, Honor Parks Advisory Committee Parks Leadership Meet in Wichita Falls, Honor Parks Advisory CommitteeState parks regional directors, program managers, park superintendents, assistant park superintendents, and office managers all came together in Wichita Falls for a non -stop two and a half day work shop January 29 –31. The purpose of the meeting was to make sure park staff members understand current TPWD issues including the State Auditor’s report, legislative mandates and the Sunset process, as well as providing a budget overview and a chance to meet with department leadership. At a Wednesday luncheon the State Parks Advisory Committee (SPAC) was recognized for their efforts on behalf of state parks. Commission Chairman Peter Holt spoke about why he supports parks, saying parks have long been under funded and that HIS job is to get parks the resources they need. The new P&W Executive Director, Carter Smith, was there to visit with everyone Wednesday evening. The general consensus seemed to be that having the Commission Chairman Holt and the Executive Director Carter Smith attend the Parks’ meeting is an indication of a ‘new day’ for the park system. In addition to the lunch and recognition ceremony, the first SPAC meeting since Chairman Peter Holt re-appointed the Committee was held Wednesday. The meeting included a briefing of the previous funding recommendations which became the basis of the Legislative Appropriations Request, what the Legislature actually provided, and where the division is in executing the budget appropriation. A briefing on the recommendations and actions related to the State Auditors’ report was also presented to SPAC member. TfSP President Beth McDonald is a member of the SPAC, but was unable to attend the meeting. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Governor Perry Appoints Duggins to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Governor Rick Perry appointed Ralph H. Duggins of Fort Worth to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. The commission preserves and promotes Texas’ natural resources and oversees sporting and recreational opportunities in the state. Duggins is a senior partner at Cantey Hanger L.L.P. He is advisory director of J.P. Morgan Chase in Tarrant County and serves on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. He is also a director of the Lena Pope Foundation Inc. and the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show. Additionally, Duggins is past chairman of the Cook Children’s Healthcare System and past member of Texas State Bar Federal Judiciary Appointments Committee. Duggins replaces Philip Montgomery of Dallas for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2013. -------------------------------------------------- Texas Buffalo Soldiers Events Set for Spring, Summer 2008In the spirit of Black History Month in February, the Texas Buffalo Soldiers will begin a series of statewide educational events to entertain and inform Texans of all ages about the contributions made and the challenges faced by black soldiers on the western frontier of Texas. For more information, see Texas Buffalo Soldiers Events Set for Spring, Summer 2008 — Plain Text ------------------------------------ Texas Independence Celebration A free two-day festival on March 1-2 will celebrate the 172nd anniversary of Texas’ declaration of independence from Mexico. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at WASHINGTON-ON-THE-BRAZOS, Texas. For more information, see Festival to Celebrate Texas Independence Scheduled March 1-2 at Historic Site — Plain Text ------------------------------------------------ Bastrop SP Hosts CCC Veterans 75th Anniversary Celebration in March Most of the men whose skilled hands during the 1930s and early 1940s helped build the structures that form the backbone of the Texas State Park system have passed on as the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps approaches. Those CCC workers who are still alive today are in their 80s and 90s. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is trying to track down as many surviving CCC workers as possible to invite them to a special event on March 28-29 at Bastrop State Park. The event coincides with the 75th anniversary of the CCC’s creation in 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order to put the Depression-era’s young men back to work conserving the nation’s natural resources by planting forests, building parks and other means. Former CCC workers are invited to contact Janelle Taylor (512-389-4665), so she can extend an invitation to the March 28-29 celebration. Bastrop State Park is one of only six state parks in the United States built by the CCC designated a National Historic Landmark. For more information click on the following link to the TPW website. Call Goes Out for CCC Veterans to Attend Bastrop State Park Celebration of Federal Work Program’s 75th Anniversary — Plain Text ------------------------------------ Hueco Tanks SHS Closes Climbing Site to Protect Resources Hueco Tanks State Historic Site near El Paso closed the Mushroom Boulder climbing area to all activities Dec. 22, 2007. Archeological resource protection necessitated the closure. Signs are in place to identify the sensitive area, and rangers are available to answer public questions. For more information on Hueco Tanks SHS , see Mushroom Boulder Climbing Area At Hueco Tanks Closed — Plain Text ---------------------------------- Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center Earns ‘Green Building’ Award Many of the 7,500 or so students who visit Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center each year see the solar power arrays and wind turbine generating clean electricity, but probably few of them know this site recently became the first Texas Parks and Wildlife Department building to get a prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. See Sheldon Lake ELC Earns LEED "Green Building" Certification — Plain Text --------------------------------------- Outdoor Family Workshops Morph City Slickers into Nature BuffsAccording to recent research, a record number of children are spending more time engaged in electronically oriented indoor activities instead of outdoor activities. In an effort to encourage families to get outside, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is hosting several Outdoor Family workshops. For more information on the importance of connecting children with nature, visit |