Overview Of The Texas Park And Wildlife Department

911 Words4 Pages

The Texas Park and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a state agency based in Texas that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. Mainly, the department’s responsibilities include a range of activities. State law permits TPWD to plan, obtain, improve, operate and maintain a system of public lands, including historical and cultural areas. Notably, these resources encompass approximately 1.4 million acres of parks, wildlife management areas, recreational areas, historical or cultural sites, and natural areas. Additionally, the department serves as the state agency with prime responsibility for conserving, protecting and enhancing the state’s fish and wildlife resources whereby, it monitors and assesses habitats, surveys fish, and game populations, …show more content…

The Private Lands and Habitat Program seeks to avail advice and resources to private landowners involved in the conservation and establishment of wildlife habitat on their land. The Wildlife Management on Private Lands Program guides the protection of individual areas and habitat. On the other hand, the Wildlife Habitat Assessment Program that provides information and recommendations that will conserve fish and wildlife resources to local, state and federal agencies that approve, allow, license, or construct developmental projects. Additionally, the agency runs a student internship program that seeks to provide students with a realistic view of what a career with TPWD entails. This program comprises the agency’s efforts to uphold the corporate responsibility to the local …show more content…

Notably, the budget development process commences during the spring and culminates in the adoption of the budget by the commission in August of each year. The amounts budgeted by the agency for any given year exceeds the original appropriation authority as stipulated in the General Appropriations Act (Financial Overview: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 11). Primarily, this is because the budget will reflect increases in funding authorized in riders and general provisions. Also, the budget encompasses amounts associated with employee compensation, which is not reflected in the TPWD appropriations. For example, the Fiscal Year 2013 combined budget totaled approximately $357.5 million, which included operating expenses, capital projects, grants, and employee