In a world of ever-decreasing public lands and public land fights over their sale, the final place you’d consider to be including new public lands can be Texas. But, that is precisely what the Lone Star state is doing via a voter-approved public lands purchase via a newly created Centennial Parks Conservation Fund.
For these not within the know, Texas is among the largest states within the US, but it has nearly no public lands. Of its whole 171 million acres, solely 4% is public land. Examine that to Alaska’s 365 million acres and 90% public land, or California’s 100 million acres and 15% which is publicly owned. However even that small proportion of publicly owned land was one which builders needed to pry from the publics fingers and, after a housing developer bought Fairfield Lake State Park in 2023, Texas’ voters went to the polls and authorised a $1 billion fund to extend the state’s public lands.
That’s moderately unparalleled right this moment, and particularly from Texas. However the consequence is a win for public land advocates, in addition to common, strange residents, because it each exhibits that individuals love public lands and, when push involves shove, you’ll be able to truly enhance the quantity of public lands now we have entry to. It is a win for US residents via and thru.
“Voters authorised the conservation fund following a extremely publicized fiasco that resulted within the whole lack of Fairfield Lake State Park in 2023,” says MeatEater’s Eli Fournier, including, “The park had been working on leased, personal land for years, however in February 2023, the property was bought to a high-end residential developer for $103 million. The state thought-about utilizing eminent area to take it again, however gave up the battle after the fair-market worth was assessed at $418 million by a panel of native landowners. By that time, the Centennial Fund was already on the poll, however the entire ordeal might have helped flip the tide in favor of the initiative. It handed with 76% of the vote.”
That final bit is a vital statistic to recollect, as a result of as I’ve mentioned prior to now, public land enjoys probably the most support out of any American policy proper now throughout the supposed political divide. Even in a state like Texas, the place landowners reign supreme, the overwhelming majority of Texans need extra public land. They need extra looking and off-roading grounds, locations to camp and fish, and in any other case recreate how they’d want. And that is what they voted for and are, hopefully, getting with this fund.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (TPWD) is already shopping for up land, too, with 1000’s of acres of public land being added to the roster, and extra slated to be bought or opened briefly order.
“The state doesn’t look like slowing down,” provides the outlet, saying, “At a Parks and Wildlife Fee assembly this November, commissioners licensed the acquisition of an enormous 54,000-acre property to create a brand new park on the West Nueces River; a 1,120-acre property to broaden Caprock Canyon State Park (residence to a wild bison herd); and a number of other parcels adjoining to Lockhart State Park totaling 200 acres. The purchases haven’t but been made, however TPWD says the tracts can be found from ‘keen sellers.'” And thru the general public remark interval, over 94% of the feedback had been in help of those purchases and expansions.
So in a time when public lands are below assault, all now we have to do is look to Texas of all states, to indicate the trail ahead, and show that the folks’s voice can nonetheless be heard. Public lands are integral to the American expertise, they usually’re extra vital than ever.
Hold preventing.
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