Three years ago, Texas lawmakers approved $1 billion in funding to usher in a new era of state park development. Since then, the state’s unveiled plans to double the size of Enchanted Rock State Park near San Antonio, and last month, it opened its first new North Texas state park in 25 years.
Good news for those who cherish the outdoors.
However, Texas is falling short when it comes to protecting the natural areas it already has, according to new research from a pair of environmental nonprofits.
Released Tuesday, the report Investing in Nature: Tackling the Maintenance Backlog in America’s State Parks shows Texas’ parks face a $700 million maintenance backlog, which means its outdoor areas and historical sites suffer from aging infrastructure and deteriorating facilities that are only getting more decrepit over time.
“This is a problem that’s been decades in the making, and without significant investment, the cost of the maintenance is just going to keep growing,” said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, which released the report along with fellow advocacy organization Frontier Group.
Texas voters approved Proposition 5 in 2019, which helped stabilize funding for state parks through a tax on sporting goods. However, the backlog for maintaining that parkland had exploded to $800 million by the time the proposition passed, meaning the majority of needed repairs remain unfunded, according to the report.
While the funding was a win for state parks, it’s primarily dedicated to basic park operations and was never intended to clean up the sizable backlog on repairs, Metzger said.
The delayed maintenance includes fixing deteriorating roads and trails, replacing outdated water systems and patching up rundown cabins and restrooms, according to the report. Crumbling facilities can force parks to shut down or close off access to land. Meanwhile, upkeep delays can lead to snowballing repair costs.
Beyond natural wear and tear, Texas hasn’t fully addressed damage to parks devastated by floods, storms and wildfires — events becoming more frequent due to climate change. As evidence of that growing threat, Metzger points to the devastation hurricanes Harvey and Ike did to coastal parks and damage last year’s July 4 floods brought to natural areas north of San Antonio.
“There’s a long history of these kind of climate-fueled disasters, and as the climate continues to warm, the damage will only get worse,” Metzger said.
The report recommends Texas and other states bolster dedicated funding streams for their parks and avoid tying them to a single source.
Further, the Lone Star State should adopt a model similar to that of the National Park Service, which weighs the maintenance expenses for facilities against the cost of paying for their replacement — something that allows the agency to set timely repair goals, according to Metzger.
“What we’d like to see is Texas set some clear goals in terms of making sure it doesn’t keep falling behind on its backlog,” he said. “We’d like to see them have an objective to make sure most facilities are in good or at least fair condition.”
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
