Texas Parks And Wildlife Conservation

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, has been around since 1895, just not in the form that we recognize today. The department got its roots when Texas legislature created what was known as the Fish and Oyster Commission to better regulate fishing within in the state. It was later on, in 1907 that the next phase of the department was added on as the Game Department. It was added to give the original department more reach to protect not only the fishing in Texas, but also other forms of hunting. Beginning in 1923, the state of Texas decided to create the State Parks Board as a separate entity and in the 1930’s the CCC added a considerable amount to the parklands within the state. It was in 1951 that the word oysters was dropped from …show more content…
They came out with the original plan in 2002 and editions to those plans have come out in 2005, 2010, 2013, and 2015 in the attempt to best carry out these conservation efforts. In the latest edition the plans go into detail about the biodiversity of Texas, “800 species of fish, 425 species of butterflies, 634 species of birds, and over 4,600 species of native plants. With 12 distinct eco-regions covering approximately 268,500 square miles, Texas has an astounding array of climates, soils and habitats.” (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2017) And then proceeds later in the document to establish the four goals that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employs to conserve the state: 1) Practice, Encourage And Enable Science-based Stewardship of Natural And Cultural Resources 2) Increase Access to and Participation in the Outdoors 3) Educate, Inform & Engage Texas Citizens In Support Of Conservation & Recreation 4) Employ Efficient, Sustainable And Sound Business Practices. Under each of the four goals are subsets that detail exactly how they are going to be carried out. The TPWD moves itself steadily forward in the direction of “every child (having) the opportunity to climb a tree, catch a fish or roast marshmallows over a campfire.” (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, …show more content…
(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Resource Protection Division, 1962-2006) I believe many of the obstacles that are faced when taking on such an overwhelming task could be resolved by simply having more manpower to delegate within the department. The TPWD, like a vast majority of state departments, likely has budget cuts yet not enough people to do the work. So my solution for finding more manpower would be to find volunteers. There is nothing that a Texan loves more than Texas, and when coaxed with the idea of living in a future that has a less beautiful Texas I am sure there would be a decent amount of people willing to volunteer. These volunteers could easily take on smaller roles, like entrance fees to state parks and cleaning up trash and campsites in the areas. Once there is more manpower through the volunteer network, this would free up those with RPTS degrees who are equipped for the more trying aspects of parks and wildlife could focus on the bigger issues, such as the plans for how to best conserve the state and its