Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials are fanning out across the state, hat in hand, pleading with people who enjoy the outdoors to help keep state parks afloat.

The ugly little secret is that Texans already have paid more than enough to maintain the parks, but that money has been diverted elsewhere.

On top of that, TPWD officials, hoping to cut their losses, appear to have made a bad bet that will cost Texas outdoorsmen even more.

The problems started in this year's legislative session when lawmakers, facing a $25 billion shortfall over the coming biennium, cut the TPWD's budgets by 20 percent, with the Parks Division getting an 8 percent haircut.

Combined with reduced revenue from hunting and fishing licenses, boat registration fees and other money streams that are drying up because of the ongoing drought, TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith and others are asking Texans to help close a $4.6 million funding gap in the Parks Division.

Many outdoorsmen are saying that shouldn't be necessary. The Legislature passed a tax on outdoors apparel and dedicated 94 percent of the revenue to fund state parks. That tax is expected to raise $125 million annually, says Gene McCarty, deputy executive director of administration for the TPWD.
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http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/dec/10/diversion-of-money-leaves-tpwd-needing-help/

They should take note from the Feds and take out a loan. Or quit funding dumb projects, or sell off portions of state land so the private sector can manage it better.

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http://eyeonwilliamson.org/?p=10294

Medicaid. Prison healthcare. Direct payments for social programs increased.

Education, parks and wildlife, txdot and law enforcement got slashed...

It all needs to get slashed

it should be no different than a tax paying business when times are tough they need to slow down on the spending like we have to.

Stop spending and common sense is not in a politicians vocabulary. They are foreign words.

Wow!

Tell us more about these dumb projects their funding and the diversion of funds from TPWD?




How much of this revenue was diverted from TPWD to GAO Black Hole?



Are we even going to have APH, Draw Hunt Program, Texas Safari, MLD Permits, Quail, Turkey Restoration, Hatchery moneys next year? Legislature just keeps diverting more and more of the license, permits, stamp, gate, hunter, sportsman fees, gun and ammo excise tax, to fund GAO.

Bighorn project, share lunker...hatcheries for sport fish.. cheap draw hunts on land they can't afford the upkeep on, etc.

Heres one. This thing has been a money pit since day one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Spring_State_Park_(Texas)



Texas State Parks need $4.6 million to help keep parks open.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/parki..._source=SPPages

Shut it down and sell it off.

Not many options left with BSSP. Spring / aquifer dried up when railroad and Cosden Oil Refinery and oil field drilling moved in during the 1920s. Aquifer recharge rate was exceded by industry. Its not much of a draw for the public and tourism since spring is gone and water for SP has to be piped in. And state/city /community is probably not interested continuing to buy water? One SP employee from what I hear. Maybe some of the diverted money could have helped with improvements, making BSSP a community / tourism draw?

It's a travesty that sportsmans money is being diverted for things unrelated to the outdoor experience,then you see stupid chit being considered for construction like a formula-one racetrack,giving taxpayer money to private- sector companies such as Countrywide mortgage,Perry's own version of TARP through the Texas Enterprise Fund.The $342 million of taxpayer money he has given to companies like Convergen life sciences ,through the 'Emerging Technologies Fund',-Basically a taxpayer based slush fund for his political donors.Questionable land deals,Insider trading allegations,75% reduction in $ going to volunteer firefighters and equipment they need,(Guess he did a cost benefit analysis and figured they weren't worth the trouble)as Texas fires raged on.Over and over and over,he has proven to be no friend of TPWD or the taxpayers of Texas.He needs to go away.

Gov. Perry started the decline of the State Parks during his early years and not until a total uproar from Real Texans did he start to re-fund the parks a few years back to try and get them back up to par. Get the idiot out of office and get someone in there that will support the Parks (not just when there's an election on the line!).

For years 2009 and 2010:
236 Million dollar revenue from:
Pittman-Robertson Act: Friend Of The Hunter & Hunted
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=103

82 Million went to TPWD

154 Million was diverted to GAO BH

That does not include License, Gate fee, Permits, stamp, etec sales revenue.

about 75% of our money is being diverted into the GAO BH.

If you are old enough to recall when Bubba Reed was the Head of
Texas Parks, ect..you'll recall they found a way to get rid of
him when he called the DPS who they are funded under for removing
the Game Wardens and TPW funds...Said he had a wetback working on
his ranch...ect...Texas Politics...

Forgive me for asking but what is GAO BH?

I don't think I have ever and I mean ever needed TPWD assistance in any circumstance. Slash them and that will be the end of several senseless topics on this forum.

Perry should know all about Ponzi schemes he has been running one of the largest in the state of Texas. Is it the 10 million to remodel the govenor's mansion or the 10,000 a month he spends on his home that he is renting while the renovations are going on at the goveners mansion. Perry took the stimulus and put it in the rainy day fund so that he could probably keep the interest for himself.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noelle-cigarroa-perese/governor-perry-caught-in_b_663923.html

I RV with the family quite a bit. As such, I'm a member of TPWD's "frequent camper" program. That's not the name of it, but I pay an annual fee, have a card, and use it to book camping spots at TWPD parks all over the state.

I say all that to get to: Ironically, I got an email today from the director of TPWD informing me of the dire situation they're in and prompting me to please either make donations or get out & visit TPWD parks frequently.

Sad that it's come to that.

Texas state parks are the envy of the country and account for a SUBSTANTIAL amount of revenue from out of state campers,birdwatchers,snowbirds,etc. The economic impact is in the multi-millions. They are safe,affordable,well maintained(normally)and a real value in todays economy. I hear people on the forum bashing TPWD,would they like ALL of Texas to become private and only wealthy people enjoy the outdoors? I can assure you the private sector could not-would not do what is in the campers best interest. Think corporate takeover of our park lands. All they would do is drive up the cost to maximize profits for shareholders...Not a good situation. If you hunt in Texas,thank TPWD for re-stocking efforts of WT deer ,Turkey,and other critters,and the best bass fishing in the WORLD. Of course it's impossible to rationalize with people who come to their own conclusions IRRATIONALLY. Perception is reality,their perception is their own reality.

Do you hunt,Tloves2hunt? Thank the parks and wildlife dept.(and of course license purchasers)I believe some folks need a history lesson on the state of wildlife after the great depression. ALL of the great deer hunting we enjoy today is a direct result of the work of landowners AND TPWD. Public and private sectors working together for a common goal.There would be far less animals to hunt in Texas without TPWD.

typical state run deal they need to do like everybody else in business make the neccessary cuts our local state park just invested in a solar panel deal to operate electricty the office no telling how much that cost no telling how long or if it would ever pay off just another waste of a lot of money if they cant figure out a way to make them sustain themselves they should shut down an sell them not only would it stop the drag on the budget if it was private the new owners would be also paying propety taxes just a thought.

Most of the parks are self sustaining,it is called the Texas PARKS and wildlife dept.for a reason. When you buy a license it's known in advance what you are paying for. The problem is the diversion of monies to the General fund which has NOTHING to do with state parks or hunting and fishing. I can't be any more clear than that.

Here is Just another reason for the Hunter, Fisherman, License buyer, Outdoors person, Sporting Good dealers, Gun& Ammo Manuf. to be upset with misappropriations of funds and mismanagement of programs.