seeing as the state keeps taking our licence fees away from the TPWD there will never be money to open more lands for us

Heck, existing parks are closing during various times of the year. I've heard for years that TPWD doesn't really want anymore land for parks because they can't afford to develop them. Didn't they just sell off a bunch of the Big Bend Ranch SP? Our politicians are not making parks a priority. And they won't unless people speak up.

wow that is not good to hear.

You guys may think this is new..but I remember a TPW director who
lost his job because he protested the DPS taking part of his budget...they said he had WETS on his ranch in Pleasanton...Him
and every rancher there had them then...Welcome to politics..DD

TPWD is a gov. agency as well. If you go to a state park you will discover a lot of waste there too. Gov. employees from the national to the local level don't worry about money. They just want to stay on the teat as long as they can. Privatize it all.

I'll never understand why people do some of the things they do.

I think that TPWD should entertain the idea of leasing ranches out they are not using. TPWD could take the funds from this to enhance the land and develop it into a WMA.

I agree. I drive by 3k's a couple of times a month. I have seen some exceptional Whitetail bucks along the inside of the H.F. it has along Hwy. 46. It doesn't take a lot of money to have it available for a drawing to hunt in Nov.

Texas Parks and Wildlife spent a bunch of someones money to remodel the new what I was told regional office at the 3k ranch and I saw 4 new Texas Parks and Wildlife Vehicles at the ranch when I stopped by to visit and inquire when they might open up to the public, maybe they are keeping it for themselves. I was told no time soon.

I rest my case. You fans of the TPWD should dig a little deeper before you speak.

The gentleman and his wife who gave this gift to the State was a
fine man. I had crews work on some of his plant at Gebhardts Chili in SA yrs. ago..and he paid like a slot machine..He also has given many gifts locally in Banderal and Boerne to the Schools, ect..Too bad we and everyone else is blessed with politicians...Never will be enough for them to spend, and the only way they can generate revenue is steal it, or have it given
to them...DD

The monies that go to TPWD get split between Parks(which get the least amount of $)and the hunting and fishing divisions(which get the majority of the $)It's not the park divisions fault that they get treated like the stepchild...Privatize the parks and turn them into a Disneyland type atmosphere. How does that save sportsmen money? A business that's only interest is gouging customers. like those pay to fish places where you have to keep every fish you catch at $7.00a LB. I grew up going to Texas parks and there is not a better value out there for your hunting and fishing dollars. More people need to get outdoors with their families and take advantage of them. That would help them more than anything.

This


How many companies do you think would be lined up to lease a park? I'd guess not many. Thats why the state is running them or we would have them. As mentioned before, it the money that was SUPPOSED to got to parks would, there would be no question!
And in our FWIW... I'm a government worker. I shop around and get the best price I can, no matter what it is. I would much rather have the money to buy 5 of something instead of 3!

Looks like Rick Perry may have found a new deer lease!!

What good would that do for TPWD if the Legislature is going to continue diverting most all revenue from TPWD?

The legislature diverts most all the sports license, fee, permit, federal money from TPWD into the General Accounting Black Hole? TPWD Revenues are around 125 Million per year and Legislature budgets them (Last few years)25 Million.

Vote them out and put some people in there whom support TPWD and sportsman......

X2

Unless people study the politicians and there postion, and then get out and vote them out, TPWD and sportsman fund will keep getting diverted. And pretty soon legislature will cut more fund because attendance and upkeep has fallen for some reason. Then Legis will wonder why people are going out of state for hunts. And Motel and Resturants, License, Guns, ammo, Sporting goods sales are going down!!!!!!!
Then they will audit TPWD and tell TPWD they need to generate more revenue for the GAO Black Hole.
People wonder why hunting and fee are getting expensive in Texas and there is not much Public land open for Hunting. We have lots of State lands that should have been open for hunting draws or public but funds were diverted.

I had to hunt up an old post of mine. It is a sore subject with me what the state is doing with our money.

This started when the state required state parks to be self sufficient. This resulted in fee increases and budget cuts that have compounded for 20 years now. As maintenance fell, staff reduced, hours shortened, and fees increased, naturally attendance falls. Fees will increase and budgets will be cut with no change in how our parks are funded. Attendance will continue to decrease because of it and operating costs will continue to increase. It is a downward spiral that will not stop until funding and management is changed. The money, our money, is there. The legislature justs needs to let TPWD use it.

1990
http://www.window.state.tx.us/tpr/btm/btmnr/nr11.html
"Recommended Policy
TPWD should not receive appropriations from the General Revenue Fund. TPWD should be required to recover at least the costs of programs currently supported by General Revenue Fund appropriation through fee collections. The services provided by the department benefit definable user groups, (hunters, fishermen, campers, etc.), and the general public should not be burdened with the cost of those services. In addition to the fee increases adopted by TPWD, there could be further increases in its combined hunting/fishing license, general hunting license, general fishing license and park entrance fees."

2007
http://www.chron.com/life/travel/article/State-parks-funding-a-tough-issue-1829629.php
"But costs of running the state park system have been climbing steadily the past several years while funding from the state's general tax revenue, as allocated by the Legislature, has remained static or decreased.
Since 1995, state law has capped TPWD's annual allocation from general tax revenue at $32 million, with as much as half of that going to local parks grants.
The current state budget allocates only about $20 million to TPWD for parks programs — about $15 million for state parks and $5 million for local parks.
The money is considered a portion of the general sales tax revenue collected through the sale of "sporting goods," a wide category that includes items as diverse as bicycles, hunting and fishing gear, billiard tables and baseball equipment.
The general state sales tax on sporting goods — the same tax paid on almost all goods and services — now annually generates more than $100 million."

2011
http://www.texashunting411.com/texas-hunting-truth-behind-a-misguided-myth/
"Every year, tens of millions of dollars in hunting and fishing license fees are left sitting in the state account used to fund Texas wildlife, fisheries and boating programs. Those millions of dollars in Fund 9 account balances – $31 million at the end of this month, jumping to an estimated $48 million this time next year and as much as $64 million by Aug. 31, 2013 – are there because the Legislature holds those millions hostage in the scheme used to produce, on paper at least, the balanced budget that it is required to fashion."

And then last year when they asked the public to donate 4.6 million to keep our parks open while there is 10 times that sitting in our Fund 9 meant for Texas wildlife, fisheries and boating programs. How sad is it that TPWD has to do that. There is even hints that events leading to Andy Sansom's departure was partly due to him harping on our lawmakers to address it.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/outdoors/its-a-shame-tpwd-has-to-ask-for-2160352.html

I don't know what it will take to get our lawmakers to release our money for what it was intended for. Maybe a coming together of all texas outdoors related individuals, organizations, and industry to do a well timed mass protest at the State Capital to demand them to do something.

More of the same John

Diversion of money leaves TPWD needing help
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2845325/Diversion_of_money_leaves_TPWD


No funding, no trespassing
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2796467/No_funding_no_trespassing


Proposed Cuts Texas Legislature wants to impose
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2084982/Proposed_Cuts_Texas_Legislatur

State Budget Proposal for TPWD announced
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2056333/State_Budget_Proposal_for_TPWD

Reckon TPWD funds were used to build the defunct Formula one track at SA??

Legis spent 25 million of taxpayer GAO money on [project and then had to shut it down because of Public opposition to project.

I believe this to be true. Sad, very sad. Politicians are full of carp,all they care about is the next election cycle. Sportsmen need to come together and demand a change. Look at the impact the GCCA had in changing things up. We should do the same.

Amarillo foundation donated large ranch w/ large home to TPWD a couple of years ago that joins the Palo Duro state park. Heard they spent a ton of money remodeling the house so big wigs w/ the state can hunt and take their families.I think it's time for Perry to retire.He allows water on the Brazos river chain to be sold to large companies on the coast and lets the economy around the lakes and rivers dry up, but I'll wager he is getting his share.