THE FUTURE OF OUR OUTDOORS
Texas voters have a chance to approve a history-making
$1 billion measure for state parkland acquisition.
At a February event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Texas State Parks, Gov. Greg Abbott recalled the magic of visiting Caddo Lake State Park as a kid growing up in East Texas.
“When you go to Caddo Lake, you think, ‘The hand of God designed this — this is what a park should look like.’ It blew me away to see the Spanish moss and the bayou and all the different types of animals, fish and other things that are in that park. When you’re a kid, that’s like Disneyland, going to someplace like that.”
Abbott said he wants future generations of Texans to have the same opportunity he did — to go fishing, share a picnic with family and enjoy the grandeur and natural wonders of places like Caddo Lake, Palo Duro Canyon and Mustang Island.
Texas voters will have the historic opportunity this fall to approve a $1 billion endowment fund to create new parks across the state, the largest investment in parks in our state’s history. Using part of the state government surplus, the Texas Legislature approved the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund. Abbott signed it on Memorial Day, and it will go before voters as a constitutional amendment in November.
“Senate Bill 1648 seeks to establish the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to provide stable, long-term funding for new park acquisition that will empower us to protect Texas’ unique natural and cultural treasures while making them accessible to our growing population,” said Sen. Tan Parker, sponsor of the legislation.
The measure passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support.
