For Immediate Release: January 17, 2001  Contact:  Brian Sybert or Fred Richardson 512/477-1729

Parkland and Wildlife Habitat Plan Moves to Front Burner at TPW

Agency Scraps Controversial Fee Increase

AUSTIN¾ The Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission announced today that it would not move ahead with a controversial fee increase that could have drastically raised the price of visiting Texas state parks. That pushes to the forefront of the Agency's business a longterm, comprehensive plan to address the shortage of parkland and protected wildlife habitat across the state.

In order to meet the growing demand for more park space, and to ensure the protection of wildlife habitat as Texas' cities sprawl outward, Parks and Wildlife is now working on a plan to acquire and protect new lands and waterways. The plan, called the State Land and Water Resource Conservation Plan, is based on recommendations made in a comprehensive study completed at Texas Tech University in November. The plan and the study were authorized by the legislature in the TPW sunset bill passed in May.

"We're facing a real lack of parklands and wildlife habitat in Texas, and as the state population surges over the next two decades that demand is going to get even stronger," said Brian Sybert, Natural Resources Director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. "There is strong public demand for more greenspace, and we need to start planning for that biggest our cities just keep getting bigger and bigger.

The Conservation Plan, as it is generally known at TPW, is currently a work in progress. The agency must complete the draft by May 31, at which time the TPW Commission will choose whether or not to post the draft plan in the Texas Register for public comment. The public comment period is slated to last between June 1 and July 1. In order to become reality the plan must be adopted by the Commission by August 31.

"This plan is an exciting opportunity to acquire more park space for Texas," said Sybert. "We have a beautiful state, but not enough public places for ordinary Texans to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Hopefully we can make some serious improvements on that with this new conservation plan."

Some key findings of the Texas Tech study include:

· 94% of all land in Texas is privately owned, while 85% of state residents live in urban areas.

· The state needs to acquire 1.2 million acres of new parkland by 2030 to keep pace with the state's growing population.

· Shortages of recreation lands will be particularly acute around major metropolitan centers of Texas.

· State residents support the acquisition of additional lands for parks by TPW.

Copies of the report can be obtained by contacting Nick Parker at Texas Tech University. Telephone: (806) 742-2851. Email: nparker@ttu.edu