Advocacy update: winning by losing: Texas Recreation and Park Account proves that success and failure are not always black and white.

As passionate advocates for parks and recreation, we sometimes tend to frame our issues in black and white. We describe the results of our efforts as "victories" or "defeats." This win-or-lose labeling works most of the time, but there is also an entirely different way to look at the results of good advocacy efforts.

When a cause rallies supporters and the fight for it produces long-lasting determination to see past temporary setbacks, then the true measure of the struggle becomes not the short-lived loss, but the satisfaction of forging long-lasting relationships that reinforce conviction and dedication. Thus, in a strange and wonderful way, a loss can actually be a significant victory, and the "defeated" can take pride in the fact that they won by losing.

Consider the case of the Texas Recreation and Park Account (TRPA), a state grant program that provides funds to local and state agencies for five grant programs that develop state and local parks. The account is funded from a portion of state sales tax from revenues generated by the sale of select sporting goods and equipment.

Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, TRPA has provided about $30 million per year, split equally between the state and local government agencies for state park operations and local park land conservation, park acquisition and recreational facility development. The sporting goods sales tax now generates more than $100 million a year, but the grant program has been capped at $31 million and the difference in revenue goes to other programs or the state general fund.

Severe budget shortfalls led to sharp statewide budget cutbacks. During two biennial sessions beginning in 2003, the legislature reduced the amount allotted to the fund from $15.5 million for the local share of the park and recreation account to just $5 million per year.

Local and state advocates criticized the short-sighted approach and stories filled state newspapers describing seasonal staff shortages, excessive position vacancies and keeping state vehicles with more than 300,000 miles.

Texas's crushing deficits and the resulting budget cuts affected many programs, but local park and recreation agencies seemed to take a disproportionate hit. The cuts were even more painful in light of the growing recognition that parks and recreation were significant revenue generators from tourism dollars. Michael Massey, legislative chair of the Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) said, "We are a big state and we need a heck of a lot of funding from our state government for local and state park and recreation needs."

However, by the time the 2005 legislature convened, supporters were looking at potential elimination of the entire TRPA program. The shocking cuts and possible elimination of the entire program galvanized park and recreation advocates into action. "We got a sharp dose of reality when the account was first offered up to help balance the state budget," Massey said.

Rather than quietly accepting defeat and retreating into sullen silence, supporters of parks and recreation across Texas rose to meet the challenge. To fight the first and second round of cuts, TRAPS mobilized a committed base of grassroots advocacy from local communities around the state.

Resolution after resolution from local town councils, river authorities and community groups were sent to members of the state legislature in support of the program. A core network of supporters was expanded and communicated by e-mail. More significantly, the TRAPS Legislative Committee encouraged a repositioning of TRAP's longstanding stance on the benefits of parks and recreation.

The society began to re-examine their basic assumptions as they realized that portraying parks and recreation as a "benefit" was a strategy that was leading to defeat. They saw that the battlefield in the legislature was all about budgeting, funding and economic value. And they realized that they were not making an effective case for the economic value of parks and recreation to the state of Texas.

Ironically, positive signs were all around them as a testament to the incredible economic value of parks and recreation. A 2001 survey of 50 senior executives of Fortune 500 companies by Harris Interactive for the Kearney/EDS Corporation ranking the attributes of cities that they considered most important, they found that quality of life issues such as parks and recreation, traffic and climate tied with cost of living just behind the number one issue--a pool of talented, skilled workers.

More recently, an analysis commissioned by a Texas tourism council on the value of top industries in Texas found that tourism now ranks second above all other economic generators.

All these indicators led TRAPS to set new goals for proving the economic value of parks and recreation, and redefining parks and recreation as vital public services akin to transportation, public safety, health care and education. The society hired Dr. Ray Perryman, a leading national economist, to perform an independent economic impact study of local park and recreation services in Texas communities, which will then be compiled and compared statewide. The intent is to change the mindset of members of the state legislature about the importance of parks and recreation, especially in terms of economic value to the state.

Massey said, "We came to realize that we cannot look at parks and recreation as merely a financial cost to local governments. Parks do not just cost money to operate. Our parks are generating revenues from tourism, retail, restaurants and more. This fight really helped re-focus our efforts."

What initially could have been a real setback to the state park and recreation association may have been the catalyst that led the Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) to make the association stronger and better positioned to deal with new challenges. Andy Sansom, research professor at Texas State University and former director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offered these observations: "On top of the cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state assistance program, the state cuts to local park funding were an enormous blow.

However, instead of letting this set the state organization even further back, TRAPS responded to this threat of the complete loss of state funding with energy and leadership. I believe that the state organization will be a more vital and responsive organization because of it and I believe it has a lot to do with the leadership they displayed,"

The concerted effort in Texas to save state funding for local parks and recreation did not restore full funding to the TRPA program. However, it did prevent the wholesale elimination of the program, and in the 79th legislative session, $5 million was restored to the account, where it remains today.

Local agencies and advocates know that the demand for park land has only increased during these years as land prices have gone up and the amount of suitable land has decreased. However, Texas advocates strongly believe that they have won a great victory to snatch this program from certain termination and restore funding to $5 million annually in such lean times.

State legislative chair Massey added, "We learned we cannot fight this fight alone. We had to find citizen supporters to speak out, and allied organizations, and non-profits to join us. It may have been a losing battle, but it also helped us find new champions in the legislature. We finally have found some legislators who are willing to work with us because they, too, see the importance of parks and recreation.

What happened in Texas is representative of the fights being waged in many states to prevent cuts in operating budgets, diversions of land conservation program funds and loss of capital improvement funding. The essential truths that Texas advocates discovered in their fight to save their dedicated state funding source led to new advocacy campaigns and the commissioning of an economic analysis to show the value of parks and recreation to the state. In fact, Massey says, Texas advocates for parks and recreation have adopted a decidedly offensive posture.

As Texas has proven, victories are where you find them, and there can be some mighty satisfying wins that can come out of what first appears to be losses.

Richard J. Dolesh, CPRP 

Richard J. Dolesh is director of NRPA's Public Policy Division and be reached at [e-mail] or at [phone].