Texas Game Warden (c. 1972)The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department develops regulations protecting the state’s natural and wildlife resources, and game wardens from the agency’s Law Enforcement Division criminally enforce those regulations. As formally recognized peace officers, game wardens also conduct investigations and respond to natural disasters. Produced by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this 1972 government film opens … Read More
Park Ranger
Fisheries and Wildlife Division | Continuing the Heritage (1991)Fish and wildlife management is the oldest function of what is now the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Texas Legislature created the Fish and Oyster Commission in 1895, adding the Game Department eight years later. As this 1991 government film segment explains, dedicated park rangers from the Fisheries and Wildlife Division … Read More
Wildlife Biologist
Texas Bat Colonies | World of Wonder (1995)Texas state parks are home to thousands of plant and animal species, including approximately 800 species of fish, 400 species of butterflies, 600 species of birds, and 4,600 species of native plants. Wildlife biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are responsible for studying the state’s abundant biodiversity and natural habitats, assisting … Read More
Legislator
Senator Ralph Yarborough on Padre Island’s Importance | The White Island (1963)National parks can only be created through acts of Congress. Meaning that, in order to establish a new national park, proponents much first find an advocate in either the US House of Representatives or US Senate to introduce the necessary bill and campaign for its passage. For many of … Read More
TPWD Planning Team
Planning Parks for People (1970s)Turning a piece of land into a park requires careful evaluation. What are the recreational needs? Natural resources? Environmental consequences? Produced by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this 1970s government film segment profiles the team responsible for creating a master plan for development, operation, and maintenance. Following multiple environmental and geological studies, the planning team … Read More
Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps | Parks Under the Lone Star (1933)Established by the Emergency Conservation Work Act of 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps was a New Deal public work relief program that hired unmarried, young men to work in land conservation and park development under the supervision of the National Park Service and United States Army. More than 50,000 of its … Read More
National Park Service
National Park Service Promo | Fort Davis National Park Archives (1969)The management of national parks and monuments originally fell to multiple executive departments. To realize the dream of a national park system, Congress needed to consolidate operations under a single governing entity: the National Park Service. Created by the 1916 National Park Service Organic Act, the agency carries out the … Read More
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Continuing the Heritage (1991)Similar to the National Park Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department operations were originally carried out by multiple state entities. The Texas Game and Fish Commission, established in 1895, regulated fishing and hunting, while the Texas State Parks Board, established in 1923, oversaw the parklands and historic sites. The Texas Legislature merged the two in 1963 to … Read More
Amistad National Recreation Area
Established 1965 | Val Verde County | 58,500 acresEstablished 1965 | Val Verde County | 58,500 acresAmistad Dam (1960s)The naturally changing course of the Rio Grande has been a source of border disputes between the United States and Mexico since the nineteenth century. Amistad Dam was the second of two dams built along the lower Rio Grande to stabilize its … Read More
Big Bend National Park
Established 1944 | Brewster County | 801,163 acresEstablished 1944 | Brewster County | 801,163 acresTerlingua | Big Bend Country (1939)When Texas established Big Bend State Park in 1933, the land was largely inaccessible. The US Army twice rejected requests for a Civilian Conservation Corps camp because of the area’s remote location and unreliable water supply. The majority-Latino Company 1855 arrived … Read More