Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Encyclopedia
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 state agency that oversees and protects wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

 and their habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...

s. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 and historical areas. Its mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The agency maintains its headquarters at 4200 Smith School Road in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

.

History

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was formed in 1963, when the State Parks Board and the Game and Fish Commission were officially merged.

In 1983, the Texas legislature passed the Wildlife Conservation Act, giving the department the authority for managing fish and wildlife resources in all Texas counties.
The department operates 114 state parks/historical sites,51 wildlife management areas,eight fish hatcheries,and numerous field offices state wide.
On January 1, 2008, several historic sites formerly maintained by TPWD were transferred to the Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....

.

Employees

The agency employees over 3500 permanent employees, and 300 interns every summer, from every field of study. Intern programs vary but are typically 12 weeks long and go from May until August.

Organization

The department is made up of eleven divisions:
  • Wildlife
  • Coastal Fisheries
  • Inland Fisheries
  • Law Enforcement - Game warden
    Game warden
    A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...

    s and deputy game wardens primarily enforce the provisions of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code but are fully empowered peace officers with state-wide jurisdiction and may make arrests for any offense.
  • State Parks
  • Infrastructure
  • Legal
  • Administrative Resources
  • Communications
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology


TPWD operates 93 Parks and 140 offices across the state of Texas.

Magazine

TPWD publishes a monthly magazine available both in print and online, known as TPM Magazine.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Law Enforcement Division, 18 officers have died in the line of duty. Included in the follow list are officers from the Texas Game and Fish Commission and the Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission, which merged into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Officer Date of death Details
Game Warden Harry Raymond
Sunday, September 14, 1919
Drowned
Captain Joe Williams
Sunday, September 14, 1919
Drowned
Game Warden Dawson R. Murchison
Tuesday, December 20, 1938
Gunfire
Game Warden Richard Moore Wynne
Monday, November 1, 1948
Automobile accident
Game Warden Gus A. Engeling
Friday, December 14, 1951
Gunfire
Game Warden Claude Keller
Wednesday, February 22, 1956
Aircraft accident
Game Warden John David Murphree
Sunday, December 8, 1963
Gunfire
Game Warden Joe Marshall Evans
Thursday, May 6, 1965
Automobile accident
Game Warden Lloyd Dean Gustin
Monday, March 25, 1968
Drowned
Game Warden Ronnie L. Germany
Sunday, July 29, 1973
Gunfire
Game Warden James Eugene Daughtrey
Friday, December 8, 1978
Automobile accident
Game Warden Franklin Bruce Hill
Saturday, May 26, 1990
Drowned
Game Warden William Barry Decker
Saturday, May 26, 1990
Drowned
Game Warden Michael Charles Pauling
Thursday, August 2, 2001
Vehicular assault
Game Warden Wesley Warren Wagstaff
Tuesday, August 5, 2003
Automobile accident
Game Warden Justin Hurst
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Gunfire
Game Warden Teyran (Ty) Patterson
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Drowned
Game Warden George Harold Whatley Jr.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Heart attack

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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