Steve Knight

It may be the result of a perfect storm, but Texas' state parks are enjoying a resurgence in visitation this year.

Faced over the years with a lack of funding to maintain facilities, equipment and even staff, the state park system has been in a downward spiral for years. But a public-led push to squeeze more funding through the 80th Texas Legislature led to an unprecedented amount of publicity a year ago for an agency that has no advertising budget.

Then with spring gas prices accelerating upward, it is leaving many families looking for a close alternative vacation site.

"I think it is some of all. We are really starting to look better," said Walt Dabney, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Parks Division director. "We just got our proposition 8 and 4 money released and will start doing some of the big things right after Sept. 1."

With the bond money approved by Texas voters, the department will conduct a major renovation campaign statewide. The $100 million-plus statewide list of items needing repair includes basics such as restrooms and shelters. Tyler State Park is in line for $2 million worth of upgrades including replacement of old restrooms, renovation of one camping area, repair of a group facility and the conversion of screen shelters to more desirable cottages.

In the interim, Dabney said the division is spending an additional $4 million it received in its budget on cosmetic improvements. The department has also been in a hiring campaign to replace some of the hundreds of staffers released in recent years because of budget woes.

"Now we have the staff to do things. We have parks back open. We had 50 parks closed either part-time or the overnight capability was closed. Two of those, Cooper and Somerville, are back open," Dabney said.

The early impact is noticeable. Memorial Day weekend reservations were up 22 percent this year from last. The 7,369 reservations filled parks statewide. The department's inventory includes about 7,200 campsites and about 500 additional cabins, lodge rooms and shelters.

The department has also seen an increased interest in its annual Texas State Park Pass. Sales are up 12 percent or an additional 3,000 passes for the year.

State park regional director Ellen Buchannan said park visitation is up across Northeast Texas. This translates into an additional 22.8 percent revenue in May this year compared to last across the region.

"They are inundated with people," Buchannan said. She attributes the increase to having water in area lakes that are adjacent to state parks, high gas prices and good weather.

Total revenue is up 50 percent at Bob Sandlin State Park. A year ago Lake Bob Sandlin was down and park attendance suffered because of it.

Similarly, Tawakoni State Park was the only access to Lake Tawakoni last year. This year all the other ramps are open, but gate revenue at the park is still up 26 percent.

Landlocked, Tyler State Park isn't impacted by water levels and this year gate revenue is up 15 percent from 2007.

Dabney said it may be too early to see what impact gas prices have on visitation, but he does think he can see some positives.

"My impression of gas prices is that people are looking for ways not to burn as much gas so they are going to a park and staying a while. Places where we have water and rent canoes, kayaks and stuff that doesn't require gasoline, they are being used tremendously. I don't know what day use is going to do. People may not run to the beach for the day. The overnight use is going to stay strong," Dabney said.

Annual passes cost $60, but they include admission for the entire car on each visit.

"If you think about it, if you take someone to a movie twice and buy popcorn, you have bought an annual pass," Dabney explained.

With the parks headed back to more functional condition, Dabney is looking at ways to keep attendance up in the future. One effort will be expansion of the Texas Outdoor Families program. Dabney said he is assigning staff to the program and is partnering with Texas PTA to conduct additional programs to teach families how to camp.

"We need to do this. Parents don't know how to take their families camping. This is a program that is going to let you come out with people who know how. We will furnish the gear and you can learn how to cook and camp, fish, go geohiking or maybe kayaking," he explained.

Dabney added that programs like this are important.

"If we don't do this it is going to be about another generation or two and the outdoors is going to be irrelevant," he noted.

He said the family camping idea is something that can be used by a lot of groups, including churches looking for a family retreat.

One of the seminars was scheduled for Tyler State Park this spring. However, a midweek date while school was still in session forced it to be postponed.

To increase year-round attendance in state parks, Dabney said the targeted audience is not the families who are restricted to weekend and summer outings. Instead he wants to court retirees who can come anytime during the year.

"There are more people who are retiring who want to come to Texas and stay in parks," Dabney said.

However, before going after that crowd and risking them not returning for another visit, Dabney wants to get well into the reconstruction program. That includes the construction of a group facility big enough to accommodate about 100 in a select number of parks around the state. Those facilities, which can be used for other purposes as well, are highly sought by the retirees as a place where they can meet in mass each date for meals and other activities.

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Contact Outdoor Editor Steve Knight at 903-596-6277 or by e-mail at outdoor@tylerpaper.com

Steve Knight
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