Radio News
Posted Dec. 6, 2011 (Through Dec. 6, 2012)
State Parks Donations
Record drought and heat, devastating wildfires, and a drop in visitation have led to a critical situation for state parks. Texas Parks and Wildlife must raise $4.6 million dollars to help keep parks open, and Texas citizens can lend a hand.
Below find a complete story and sound bites about this issue from Carter Smith, Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife.
1:05 [Complete Story 
(MP3 254.4 KB)]
TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith explains why your help is needed at Texas State Parks now more than ever.
:23—We’ve had a season of record drought and devastating wildfires, and all of that has caused declines in park visitation and revenue. We depend upon our state park visitors to help keep our state parks open so that all Texans can use and enjoy them. But, if we’re going to do that, we’ve got to raise $4.6 million dollars, and we need to do it very quickly if we’re going to keep these special places open for all Texans to enjoy. [Sound Bite
Helping your state parks is easy.
:24—For all of us who cares about these special treasures, there’s three simple ways we all can help. You can go to our website and make a tax deductible contribution to help support your state parks. Coming January when you go to renew your vehicle registration, you’re going to be given an opportunity to make a $5 or more contribution to support your state parks. And also, most importantly, take your family out and go visit one of your state parks and do it as often as you can. [Sound Bite
The best thing any Texan can do is to visit their state parks, because unlike some other states, Texas depends on visitor fees to help support the operations and maintenance and stewardship of state parks.
:13—So by the simple act of you taking your family out and going out and enjoying and visiting a state park, you’re actually helping to support those same state parks and so those fees which are dedicated to help support the parks are am important way for all of us can help. So by the simple act of all of us going out and visiting a state park you’re helping to keep your parks well stewarded and well cared for. So go out and have fun and take your family out and enjoy your state parks. It will help all of them. [Sound Bite
See also:
Posted June 23, 2011 (Through June 23, 2012)
TPW Magazine July 2011 Water Issue
See also:
- Website: http://www.texasthestateofwater.org/
Texas: The State of Water
Poll after poll shows Texans care deeply about making sure we have enough clean water. Each July (for the past 10 years) Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s annual State of Water issue has examined the multifaceted nature of this ongoing tale.
The big questions about water we’re grappling with as a state include:
- Where’s our water going to come from?
- Who’s going to get it?
- How much will they get?
- How do we balance human needs with the needs of fish and wildlife?
Below find sound bites about this July’s special magazine issue from:
- Carter Smith, Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Andrew Sansom, Executive Director of the River Systems Institute at Texas State University, and former Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Dr. Larry McKinney, Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and former Director of Aquatic Resources with Texas Parks and Wildlife
During the 10 years Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine has published its State of Water issues, we’ve seen increased public consciousness and action regarding water conservation in our state.
Carter Smith:
:13—We’ve made a lot of headway. I think one of the most important things that we have done is to help elevate public awareness and consciousness about the criticality of conserving that water—not only now—but in future generations when we’re going to need it the most. [Sound Bite (MP3 211.7 KB)]
Andy Sansom:
:19—Since the department has committed itself to an annual water related issue that, among other things, has raised the profile among water issues substantially among the community of people who are in a position in Texas to do something about it. And that has been enormously beneficial. [Sound Bite (MP3 300.7 KB)]
Dr. Larry McKinney:
:14—When we wrote the first article in that series, we were in the middle of just trying to get the Texas Legislature to come up with a method for including environmental issues—and all the other concerns—for evaluating water needs in the state of Texas. [Sound Bite (MP3 215.8 KB)]
Conserving water is something each of us can do to help ensure an adequate supply of water for today and for future generations.
Carter Smith:
:22—We can make choices with respect to how much water we use, what kind of appliances we choose to buy, what kind of grass we plant in our yard, the vegetation that we choose; making sure that water is not needlessly running off into our storm drains and into our rivers and creeks and streams. And so, these are important things that every one of us as a citizen and steward can take to help ensure the vitality of this water for the future. [Sound Bite (MP3 345.2 KB)]
Andrew Sansom
:23—But even more important… everyone during the course of a year can take a child fishing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, to the beach—to expose a child to water in the natural systems. So that they can understand what incredible joys are to be found there, but also that they must take responsibility for it. [Sound Bite (MP3 372.6 KB)]
It’s imperative to understand that while household, commercial and agricultural needs must be met, so must we meet the needs of the environment.
Dr. Larry McKinney:
:17—I think now more and more people understand we have to have water for the environment. I hear that from our political leaders; I see a commitment from our legislature to move in the right direction. So, it’s all positive. The question is: Can we move quickly enough to make sure that we hit that balance before we get into a situation where the options are very, very limited. [Sound Bite (MP3 270.1 KB)]
:19—We have to commend the legislature for the framework that they put in place for us to balance out our environmental water needs. What we have to have now is the political will to make that framework go forward. And that’s what it will take people to do. It will take people to make that point to our political leadership that we have to solve this problem, then move on it. [Sound Bite (MP3 303.2 KB)]
Carter Smith:
:19—Texans care about their fish and wildlife. Every single attitudinal survey demonstrates that. Also, there have been some legislative developments over the span of the last 10 years that have helped put science and stakeholder processes together to help ensure that we are going to have strategies for water that will be available for our fish and wildlife. [Sound Bite (MP3 297.5 KB)]
Andrew Sansom:
:27—Everything is connected. People don’t often grasp the reality that when we approve hundreds of new wells in the Hill Country we potentially adversely affect the estuaries on the rim of the Gulf of Mexico. So, I think the most urgent thing we need to do is to have people understand that both the upstream and the downstream are all part of the same cycle of life. [Sound Bite (MP3 423.2 KB)]
How much water is needed to keep an estuary healthy or a river flowing are just two of many big science questions that need answers. But waiting to take action until all the answers are forthcoming is not an option.
Dr. Larry McKinney:
:14—And that’s always a difficult and scary thing to do. But in this case, we just don’t have the luxury of waiting until we have all the answers in order to move forward. We have to put this process into play now, or we will not have the opportunity to do so later. [Sound Bite (MP3 221.1 KB)]
:15—We don’t really have a choice. We have to solve this within the next ten years, because by then the population will have reached such a level that our options to balance the environmental water needs with industry and agriculture and municipalities will be…will be… frankly gone. We will not have another chance. [Sound Bite (MP3 253.8 KB)]
Carter Smith:
:18—We’ve got a window to act, and the time is now. We can’t afford to wait until tomorrow or the next day or to put off sensible water conservation strategies. We’re going to make decisions right now that are going to affect not only our kids, but our grandkids, and their kids after that. So, it is of absolute paramount importance that we act now. [Sound Bite (MP3 399.1 KB)]
Andrew Sansom:
:37—Anyone who recalls the aerial photographs of the Rio Grande not reaching the Gulf of Mexico several years ago should take that as a wake-up call that we are potentially in a time when we could basically dewater incredibly iconic rivers like the Guadalupe, or the San Marcos, or the Frio. Some of the most beautiful and environmentally rich resources in our state could well be destroyed, and once they’re dewatered they won’t come back. And we’ve got a narrow window in the years ahead to bring some permanent protection to them. [Sound Bite (MP3 580.7 KB)]
