AUSTIN, Texas — “An incredible victory for wildlife and all Texans who enjoy spending time in the great outdoors,” Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger said.

Metzger and his team believe the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund couldn’t come at a better time.

“State parks, for a long time, have been running on a shoestring operation and basically had just enough to keep it afloat,” he said.

SB 1684 received large bipartisan support for the billion-dollar investment, a critical contribution for a state that, according to the organization, ranks 35th in park acreage per capita, and is one of 12 states currently without a fund of this nature.

North Texas Senator Tan Parker spearheaded SB1684, which would create a $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to purchase land across the state. (Spectrum News 1/ Dylan Scott)

“According to a Texas Tech study, we need to add more than a million acres of state parks by 2030 in order to keep up with public demand for recreation, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of that need,” Metzger said.

It's a demand the Nature Conservancy Texas External Affairs Director Hillary Lilly said was highlighted during the pandemic when Texans reconnected with the outdoors.

“A huge thrill, a gigantic win for Texas,” Lilly said. “We’ve seen our state reservation systems completely overrun. Sometimes, it’s hard to find a reservation, so state legislators looked into how to solve that.”

State Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, spearheaded the legislation to handle those demands, and now the state awaits the November ballot item to make the fund official.

According to several environmental studies, Texas ranks 35th in park-acreage per-capita and is one of 12 without a fund of this nature. Texans will be able to implement this investment as an item on the upcoming November ballot. (Spectrum News 1/ Dylan Scott)

“When Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) identifies new opportunities for a beautiful state park, they’ll now have the resources to act on it,” Parker said. “They won’t have to wait for another legislative session to try and appropriate funds. They now have a deal-closing fund that they can take action on and acquire beautiful properties that will be transformational for generations of Texans to come.”

For a state that has been divided by many decisions this legislative session, it’s a breath of fresh air for all at home in the beauty of the Lone Star State.

“Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, young or old, people love our parks,” Metzger said. “We want them preserved so it’s something we can all come together for and support.”