State Budget and State Parks

It's no secret there is a budget crunch in Texas and the state is looking for ways to cut spending. Our state parks may be a target. A proposal is that the TPWD budget be cut by approximately 25%. That would just about gut the department, especially maintenance and improvement of our parks.

Texas doesn't have much public parkland as it is. Texas ranks 47th among the states for the percentage of land owned by the Federal or State government. Although we have a lot of open space, that space is privately owned. Overall, I think most state landowners do their best to protect and preserve their property, but the bottom line is, those lands are not open to the public and are not for the recreational use of the people of the state.

Texas was contemplating a sell off of some wonderful parks not that long ago. For those of us to whom public land is a vital legacy for the future--we need to be paying attention.

I believe the state budget needs to be balanced, but we also need to be balanced in how we approach the problem. I also know the state has many necessary and important needs to fund. We tend to look at parks as a "nice to have" instead of a "need to have" and we tend to think in the short term instead of taking a long view.

This is also an example of why we are working hard to set up a Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park group to help raise funds and do a lot of projects at the park that may not get done any other way. Don't forget the meeting on March 3, mentioned in the previous post. Lake Arrowhead is close to the city of Wichita Falls and for many residents is the only state park they are close enough to visit at little or no expense.

Snow and Ice--Reschedule Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park

Well, we seem to have one bad storm each winter, and we definitely had it last week. I haven't left the house in days. However, the thaw did finally set it Friday and by the end of yesterday, the roads seem to be safe enough. Which is a good thing as I need to make a trip to the grocery before the next round of predicted storms tonight and Wednesday.

Texas had a round of rolling blackouts during the very cold weather (single digits, with below zero wind chills--brrrr!) We obviously aren't set up for this severe winter weather. Fortunately, people had the good sense to stay home and off the streets. Usually, it seems people try to ignore the weather--Texans just aren't cold weather people and pick ups (the vehicle of choice) isn't the best vehicle for driving on ice. But many seemed to have learned their lesson with the Christmas Eve blizzard last year that left many people stranded on the roads for many hours.

But because of the bad weather, several events were cancelled. One of those was the Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park. That meeting for February has been cancelled. The next meeting will be March 3, 7 PM in the Dining Hall at Lake Arrowhead State Park. Bring your dues ($10 per person or $15 per family)--we are official with the state and are working on the 501(c)(3) designation. Hope to see you there.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Today is the first-ever National Swap Day. Wish I had heard about this earlier; perhaps we could have set up a swap event here is Wichita Falls. Anyway, the intent is to recycle stuff you no longer want by swapping it for something else--the good ol' barter system.

I have lots of stuff I want to get rid of. Most of us do. We can have a garage sale, sell big items in the paper, give the things to charity or throw them away. Or we can trade them. The goal is to keep usable things out of the landfill, reduce the amount of resources we use to make new things, and keep more money in our own pocket. Sounds like a win-win for most except the consumerist economy.

Swapping with our neighbors would be the best alternative, but you can always try Swap.com. So consider reducing your impact on the environment by recycling your unwanted items for things you can use.

Sustainability for Everyone?

I came across an article today that sums up some of the concerns I have been having lately. When we talk sustainability, we're talking about a life style that allows us to live in such a way that we don't "use up" vital resources that others need to live on, now and in the future. But it does seem that many of the sustainable actions that get all the fanfare are high end and create the impression that they are the exclusive recourse of the well-to-do instead of the common person.

For now, organic is more expensive. Many of the devices that save energy, water and money have a high front-end cost. True, many things we can do to have a more sustainable lifestyle are not out of reach to many, but they are not what are in many of the articles about sustainability talk about. So some food for thought today.

Two Great River Bend Programs Saturday

River Bend Nature Center has two great programs coming up on Saturday.

The Science Saturday program continues with a program on freshwater fish. Science Saturday programs are targeted to the 5 - 12 year old age group, although anyone can attend. The program begins at 1:00 PM and ends at 2:00. Admission is $3 per participant--accompanying adults for children under 12 (required) are free. There is an art program following at 2:30 PM for those who are interested.

If you are interested in native plants, Paul Dowlearn of Wichita Valley Nursery will be doing a program, "Native Plants in the Conservatory," from 10 AM - noon. Admission is $3 per person; members and children under 2 are free.

Pollinators

Just like many other living things today, pollinators are having a rough time. However, since we rely on pollinators for our food supply, their struggle should be of special concern. I have a membership in the Xerces Society, which is concerned with the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. The organization publishes a fascinating little magazine called Wings.

The Xerces Society has been a champion of pollinators for years. They have several publications for sale and for free at their website. Their newest publication, Attracting Native Pollinators, is available for presale now on their website. I bought my copy and can't wait for it to get here.

Whether you purchase the book or not, look over some of the other downloads and fact sheets and consider improving your yard habitat to support these important invertebrates.

Like to Eat/Grow Herbs?

The North Texas Unit of the Herb Society of the US is holding an educational session on February 26. Contact me at green.wichitafalls@gmail.com if you're interested in going. I am thinking about it.