Passport to Texas

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Drought, heat and wildfires of the summer dried up water, killed vegetation and kept visitation and revenue to a minimum…which is why we need your help. Our State park guide Bryan Frazier has details.

60—The record heat wave that we had—and the drought and the wildfires combined—so that we saw for the first time in a long time a drop in visitation and corresponding revenue toward the end of the summer that’s carried over into the fall and into the months where we are now, and it’s made for a 4.6 million dollar gap in our existing budget. And what we’re wanting people to know is that there are ways they can help…and that they can go online on our website any time and make a donation. They can also as of now, donate five dollars or more when they register their vehicle with the DMV and their county tax office. But the most important way that people can help is to simply go out and visit their state parks as much as they can. The fees that we collect amount to more than half of our operating dollars ion state parks. And, when people pay the entrance fees, when people pay their camping fees, or their cabin rental fees, or even when they buy a t-short in the state park store as a souvenir—they’re helping support their parks when they’re out there visiting them.

Go to texasstateparks.org/helpnow to donate.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.