Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report: Texas Parks and Wildlife ...

Support
•••
TPWD has leased
the Parrie Haynes
Ranch from TYC
since 1993.
The Department leases the Parrie Haynes Ranch from the
Texas Youth Commission for youth outreach and education.
Upon her death in 1957, Parrie Haynes left the Parrie Haynes Ranch
(Ranch) in Killeen, Texas to “the State Orphan Home of Texas to help
orphan children.” 1 That same year, the Legislature had changed the
name of the State Orphan Home of Texas to the Corsicana State Home,
and later delegated the management of the home to what is now the
Texas Youth Commission. As such, TYC holds the property, and, based
on documents and personnel available for review and interviews, TYC
also serves as the trustee for the Parrie Haynes Trust. Because of recent
structural changes at TYC – including the placement of TYC in and out
of conservatorship, dissolution of the Board, and creation of the executive
commissioner position – some confusion exists about who is currently
responsible for the Trust.
In 1993, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began leasing the
property from TYC and the Department’s current lease with TYC
terminates on March 31, 2018. TPWD uses the property to provide
youth hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities, and to
conserve and manage the natural and cultural resources on the land. The
Department pays TYC $48,000 a year for the lease.
In addition to the lease, the Department has entered into an Operation
Agreement, approved by TYC, with the Camp Coca-Cola Foundation,
now the C5 Youth Foundation. Under this agreement, the C5 Youth
Foundation uses the property each year from May to August for a camp
for 8th through 12th graders from disadvantaged communities who would
not otherwise have an opportunity for outdoor recreation and leadership
experiences. 2
•••
The Department
provides
conservation
and recreation
outreach to Texas’
urban and youth
population.
In fiscal year 2008, TPWD had four employees at the Ranch, and
expended $362,836 on Ranch operations. TPWD pays for the operations
of the Ranch through revenue acquired from facility rental fees to outside
groups, revenue from TPWD’s base budget for salaries, and intra-agency
transfers for other divisions’ use of the Ranch. To ensure that the
Department is able to provide as many opportunities to youth as possible,
it offers youth groups discounted rental rates, and augments that revenue
by renting the facilities to private groups at a higher rate.
TPWD is well positioned to operate the Ranch in accordance
with Parrie Haynes’ wishes.
The Department’s mission is to manage and conserve the state’s natural
and cultural resources and to provide recreational opportunities to
Texans. As part of this mission, the agency provides outreach programs
to promote conservation and recreation in Texas, particularly focused on
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Sunset Staff Report
Issue 6 November 2008