(State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas
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State parks are part of a larger system of parks within Texas that includes national parks, refuges and forests, as well as city, county and other public parks. State parks serve as natural classrooms and provide opportunities for visitors to enjoy large natural areas. Visitors can participate in recreational activities like mountain biking, hunting, horseback riding and experiencing the state’s cultural heritage that are typically not available in local parks and may not be available on national parks or wildlife refuges.
State parks must balance recreation and conservation. Recreational use must therefore be maximized in ways that do not degrade the resources through incompatible use or overuse. State parks do not pay for all their own operation or maintenance, but they have direct and indirect economic benefits locally and statewide. In many communities, state parks are a significant economic engine for tourism and service-related businesses. State parks also provide other intangible quality-of-life benefits, such as opportunities for physical fitness and a healthy environment.
Wildlife management areas
(WMA) are also an important
public resource where visitors
can experience, learn about
and enjoy Texas’ natural
heritage. Given that private
landowners own most of the
state’s wildlife habitat
and that wildlife management
is a growing land use, WMAs
provide essential research
and demonstrate sound wildlife
and habitat management techniques.
Wildlife management areas are also important for wildlife and habitat conservation, public hunting and other outdoor recreational opportunities.
