April 7, 2000

Too many people and not enough outdoor and recreational opportunities. That’s the challenge facing Texas.

Governor George W. Bush responded to the challenge in February by creating a task force on conservation. The panel is to recommend strategies to conserve Texas natural resources and promote outdoor recreation in the state. The 13-member task force on conservation held its first meeting on March 23 in Austin.

Ninety-seven percent of Texas land is privately owned, and 78 percent of Texas land is considered farm and ranch land. A number of factors, including a rapidly growing population, a vibrant economy, and estate tax laws are causing the breakup of prime farmland, natural areas, and wildlife habitat, according to Governor Bush.

The task force is charged with examining these factors that contribute to the loss of open space; review current state conservation efforts; and recommend new ways to encourage responsible stewardship and private conservation while protecting property rights. The task force will also study ways to expand recreational opportunities and nature tourism to meeting a growing public demand.

The task force has a strong Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TP&WD) presence. Four of its 13 members have direct affiliations with the TP&WD or its commission: Carol Dinkins, current TP&WD Commission vice-chair, is serving as task force chairman, Lee Bass, current TP&WD chairman and Alvin Henry, current TP&WD commissioner, are members; and Andrew Samson, executive director of TP&WD, is serving in an ex-officio capacity on the task force.

Texas Farm Bureau will testify at an upcoming task force meeting to ensure that our policy positions relating to conservation and property rights are articulated and considered. It appears that the April 12 meeting in Austin, when the task force discusses land fragmentation, conservation incentives, and landowner incentive programs, will be our first opportunity to address the panel.

Other meetings of the task force on conservation are scheduled on May 19 in Austin (enhancing state’s Parks system, public testimony), June 29-30 at a site not yet determined (endangered species and nature tourism), and in August in Austin to review and act on a final report.

If you have interest in knowing more about the work of the Governor’s task force on conservation or want to attend one of its meetings, please let us know and we will be happy to help. We’ll keep you updated as the group begins to formulate its recommendations to the Governor.

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The March 14 primary elections across the state produced victories for 19 of the 22 candidates endorsed by Texas Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund, Inc. (AGFUND). In addition, two other AGFUND-supported candidates are in runoffs on April 11—John Culberson for Congressional District 7 and Bill Callegari for Texas House District 130, both in Harris County seeking the Republican nomination.

Turnout figures for the March primary are interesting to note. A total of 1.9 million Texans cast their ballot, representing a statewide turnout of 16.9 percent. In the Republican primary, a record 1.14 million votes were tabulated (previous record was 1.02 million). In the Democratic primary, 780,000 votes were cast. That figure is down considerably from the 1.7 million Democratic votes counted in the party’s 1988 primary election. State Democratic officials point to the fact that the party did not field any candidates in six of the 10 statewide races on the ballot as one factor for the low turnout.

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On a sad note, State Rep. Ronny Crownover, a Denton veterinarian who battled leukemia while serving his first term in the Texas House of Representatives, died March 26 in a Dallas hospital.

Representative Crownover, 54, learned of his disease shortly after he was elected in 1998. He served on the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock and on the House Committee on State Recreational Resources.

He was a respected member of the Texas Legislature and a strong supporter of agriculture and rural values. He will be missed.