Message from Executive Director Carter Smith
Record drought and heat, devastating wildfires, and a drop in visitation have led to a critical situation for state parks.
We need to raise $4.6 million to keep state parks operating, and we can’t do it without you.
There are three simple ways you can help:
- Make a year-end, tax-deductible donation.
- Make a donation when it’s time for you to renew your vehicle registration.
- Most importantly, because visitor fees pay for about half of all park operating costs, visit a state park this holiday season.
Please act now, to help keep Texas State Parks open for everyone to enjoy. Our state parks won’t be the same without you.
Thank you,
Carter Smith
TPWD Executive Director
Editor’s note
If you were wondering about the sporting goods tax that was supposed to be used to fund state parks but the majority of which had been diverted to the General Fund for many years, leaving state parks underfunded, here’s the scoop according to the 2011 TPWD budget, “In 2007, the 80th Legislature passed House Bill 12, which directed 94 percent of
total sporting goods sales tax proceeds to TPWD and the remaining 6 percent to the Texas Historical Commission.”
But here’s the catch, no matter how much sales tax is collected, the amount that goes to TPWD is still capped by statute, so it may be that substantial funds collected ostensibly for TPWD via the sporting goods tax are still being diverted to the general fund, while our state parks are threatened with closure. Until the law is changed so that all of the taxes collected for TPWD are allocated to TPWD, our parks will continue to be underfunded.
For the 2011 TPWD Budget click here.
