'All The Stars Aligned.' How Fort Worth Conservationist Paved Path For Constitutional Amendment To Fund Texas Parks

Arlington TX

28 April, 2022

8:31 PM

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By Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report April 27, 2022 Just over 20 years ago, George Bristol was finishing a six-year term on the board of the National Park Foundation, the charitable arm of the U.S. National Park Service. Following his appointment by President Bill Clinton, Bristol focused his energy on creating a viable fundraising strategy and raising the profile of national parks in the public eye. However, friends told him there was trouble with parks in his home state of Texas. In 2000, Bristol went to see Andrew Sansom, then the executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife. "I said: 'What can I do to help?'" Bristol recalled. "He wrote on a tiny sheet of paper: 'Money.' Somewhere in all of my boxes, I've got that little note that says 'Money.' You could look around and, sure enough, we did need money." That conversation spurred Bristol to spend the next two decades convincing Texas lawmakers to increase the amount of state funding sent to the 95 parks, historic sites and natural areas overseen by Texas Parks and Wildlife. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.