Keep Texas Parks Open—

Texas has 91 state parks, historical sites and natural areas that contain a total of 586,501 acres in 98 counties.

There are over 8 million visits to Texas parks annually.

Few states can match the breadth of activities offered by Texas state parks. From horseback riding and aerial tram rides to world-class fishing, mountain biking and beautiful scenery, our state parks have it all.

An extensive 80 park study conducted by Texas A&M University and commissioned by the Texas Conservation Coalition concluded that parks have a significant impact on economic development:

• Generated $793 million in sales
• Accounted for $456 million impact on residents’ income
• Created 12,000 jobs

The Texas Comptroller estimates that out-of-state tourists pump $283 million into our economy annually.

The 1993 Texas Legislature adopted the sporting goods sales tax to provide supplemental funding for state parks. Unfortunately, the Texas Legislature has never appropriated the full 94 percent of sporting goods sales tax that was intended for parks. The closest it ever came was in 2010, when parks got about 60 percent of the tax. In the past few years, the agency has received about a quarter — or less — of the tax.

For the 2014-2015 biennium, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has said they need an additional $11.2 million to prevent the closure of 20 state parks. The initial House and Senate budget proposals provide $6.9 million, a good start but still not enough to keep all 91 state parks open.