Getting Better all the Time

Kickapoo Cavern State Park "Getting Better All The Time"

Park System Improvements Reflect Support From Voters, Legislature

BRACKETTVILLE, Texas — Kickapoo Cavern State Park is adding three staff positions to help build new trails and facilities, thanks to new funding provided last year by the Texas Legislature. The new changes will greatly increase public access and improve visitor experiences at a park which for two decades has only been open for reserved tours and special overnight occasions.

This year, the park has hired two park rangers, with a park peace officer on the way. The new staff will increase outreach efforts and expand bird watching and cave tours. Also, the park received additional minor repair funding for projects like improving existing hiking trails and creating new interpretive signs to help explain park features to the public.

"The funding is helping us gear up and get going," said Mike J. Knezek, Kickapoo Cavern State Park superintendent. "We’ve been behind a locked gate for over 20 years, and this year we’re going to be able to expand our service to the public. It’s really an exciting time. I’ve been here for nearly eight years working toward the point where we can open up to the public and run Kickapoo like a regular state park, and we’re really getting closer to that this year."

State investments at Kickapoo Cavern should generate a strong return for the host community, based on Texas A&M University research which proved state parks draw tourist dollars from outside their host counties. A university research report in 2005 focused on 80 state parks studied in the project. Statewide, these 80 parks generated an estimated total of $793 million in retail sales, had a $456 million impact on residents’ income and created roughly 11,928 jobs.

Researchers say investing money on facilities upkeep, interpretation and services to enhance the visitor experience can boost the economic value of parks.

"State parks are analogous to retail stores," said John Crompton, Ph.D., with the university’s Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences. "Economic success depends on what happens inside the facility. Investments in park services and amenities mean more visitors and higher per capital expenditures, which equals higher revenues to the state and more jobs and income for local residents."

The complete "Economic Contributions of Texas State Parks" research report, including fact sheets on each of the 80 parks studied, can be downloaded from the TPWD Web site (422KB PDF).