The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is introducing two new conservation license plates to support native wildlife projects in Texas. One of the plates features a Lucifer hummingbird, while the other depicts a western diamondback rattlesnake.
“These two new plates broaden the choices for those who love nature and the outdoors and want to show their support,” says Janis Johnson, TPWD marketing specialist who manages the conservation license plate program.
More than 17,000 people participated in an online survey to select the new conservation plates. Of the six design options, the hummingbird and rattlesnake plates were selected as the most popular designs by a wide margin.
“Conservation license plates provide critical funding for Texas’ plants and animals in great need of help,” says John Davis, TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program director. “The more plates purchased, the more funding will be available to help wildlife.”These funds support new projects each year, including habitat restoration, local nature improvement projects, increased access to nature, outreach and education, and scientific research on rare or sensitive wildlife.
In the past, projects funded by these conservation license plates include an education development project with the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute and Nature Center; creation of wildlife viewing blinds at Camp Lula Sams in Brownsville; and habitat management and restoration at Bracken Cave north of San Antonio, just to name a few.
TPWD now offers seven conservation license plates, including the Texas horned lizard plate benefiting native wildlife, which ranks as the third most popular specialty plate of all available charity plates.
This summer, the largemouth bass plate, which benefits fishing, will be completely redesigned. The white-tailed deer (benefitting big game management); the bluebonnet and camping plates (benefitting state parks); and the horned lizard (benefitting native wildlife), will still be available for purchase. Collectively, these specialty plates have generated more than $7 million for conservation efforts in Texas since 1999.
The plates are available for cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers and RVs at a cost of $30 per year, with $22 going to support Texas conservation efforts. This annual fee is in addition to the regular registration cost.
For more information about specific projects that have benefitted from funds generated from the conservation license plate program, visit http://conservationplate.org/projects.phtml
Specialty plates may be purchased at any time of the year independent of vehicle registration renewal. The new wildlife license plates and the other five designs are available for purchase online and at a county tax assessor-collector’s office. Toyota has been a sponsor of this Texas Parks & Wildlife program since 2003.
