Presenters: Mike Jensen

Commission Agenda Item No. 2
Action
FY2010 Approval of Projects Funded from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Capital Account (Account 5004)
November 5, 2009

I. Executive Summary: Section 11.043 of the Parks and Wildlife Code provides that money in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Capital Account (Account 5004) may only be spent on projects that have been individually approved by the Commission. This item seeks Commission approval of proposed FY2010 projects funded from this source.

II. Discussion: The Commission approved FY2010 operating and capital budget (approved August 2009), included funding related to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Capital Account. While overall amounts were approved at the August meeting, the individual projects funded from these sources were not explicitly discussed.

In compliance with statutory requirements, staff requests Commission approval of the specific projects to be funded from Account 5004 as listed in Exhibit A.

III. Recommendation: Staff recommends the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopt the following motion:

"The Commission approves expenditure of FY2010 Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Capital Account funds, including any additional amounts realized in FY2010, for the individual projects shown in Exhibit A."

Attachments - 1

  1. Exhibit A - FY 2010 Project Listing

Commission Agenda Item No. 2
Exhibit A

FY2010 Texas Parks and Wildlife Capital and Conservation Account Project Listing

Division Project Name Project Description
Inland Freshwater Resource Management Develop fish stocking plans, habitat improvement, and research to improve the statewide fisheries program.
Infrastructure Infrastructure Program Administration Provide capital construction project management, professional planning, design, construction, and technical services.
Infrastructure Support Services Provide statewide radio and vehicle management, headquarters facility management, headquarters complex security, and coordination for statewide energy conservation and safety programs.
Implement Capital Improvements and Major Repairs Deliver capital construction projects.
State Parks Vehicle Replacement Acquisition of Vehicles.
Wildlife Implementation of the Texas Wildlife Action Plan Projects will involve the following areas: (1) nongame inventory and monitoring on private lands (2) endangered plant surveys on private lands (3) invasive species monitoring and management (4) priority species and habitat technical assistance (5) habitat restoration for priority species on public and private land (6) climate change adaptation strategies (7) conservation easements and (8) land trust training and technical assistance
Sponsorships for Wildlife Diversity Partner Programs Co-sponsorships for various conferences, initiatives, or outreach programs to partners at the state and national level (Partners for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Southern Wings, Partners in Flight, Texas Plant Conservation Conference, Texas Birding Classic, other)
Statewide freshwater turtle assessment Continued research on commercial turtle harvest
Unspent Nongame Wildlife base budget for Prairie Dog Status Report Inventories on private lands using habitat models
Conservation action for nine endangered invertebrates at Government Canyon SNA Fire ant control around caves and karst features
Research to Enhance Mule Deer Population Surveys Funding for flight hours for mule deer sight ability model research, to enhance confidence intervals for current population estimate.
Research to Improve Pronghorn Sampling and Herd Unit Determination Funding for 3-year pronghorn genetics study and to enhance current survey efforts for pronghorns.
Hardware to Implement Science Review Recommendations Purchase miscellaneous research and survey hardware to supplement current survey efforts, test advances in technology for potential hardware purchases as current hardware becomes obsolete, and purchase "real-time" GPS collars for use on a study related to white-tailed deer distance sampling surveys.
TWIMS Development Development of big game applications within Texas Wildlife Information Management Services to assist in permit administration and issuance, data collection and storage, and information dissemination to customers.
Human Dimension Contract Cost share efforts to obtain human dimension information regarding big game management and hunting.
White-tailed Deer Research Contribute to research projects involving white-tailed deer.
MLDP Permits Purchase paper and fund mailing of MLD Permits
Marketing Deer License Plate Marketing White-tailed Deer License Plate
Deer and Habitat Management Publications Funding to pay for printing of mule deer management guidelines for distribution to west Texas landowners/managers and for publication of a flyer describing development and use of the Stem Count Index to evaluate browse utilization in South Texas.
Communications License Plate Marketing for Conservation Plates Funding to pay for various marketing efforts for all conservation plates.