Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Presenter:
Ted Hollingsworth
Action
Boundary Agreement Including Exchange of Real Estate – Presidio County
Big Bend Ranch State Park
January 21, 2016
I. Executive Summary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff has been working with an adjacent private property owner to simplify a boundary line between his ranch and the Big Bend Ranch State Park.
II. Discussion: Big Bend Ranch State Park, at roughly 310,000 acres, is Texas’ largest state park, encompassing a wide range of far west Texas landscapes and habitats. Since the initial 212,528-acre acquisition in 1988, a number of other tracts have been added, and the current park boundary includes roughly 22 miles of frontage on the Rio Grande, and nearly 100 miles of boundary in common with private landowners. Complex ownership histories, topography, and the challenges of building fences on much of this landscape means that management boundaries are often boundaries of convenience, and TPWD has boundary agreements in place with several adjacent landowners.
One such adjacent property is the LaMota Ranch, of which 13,268 acres was donated to TPWD in 2000. Recent land acquisition and survey work at the LaMota Ranch, with approximately 18 miles of boundary in common with the state park, has resulted in opportunities to fence much of the park/ranch boundary. It also presents an opportunity to enter into an exchange of parcels that will straighten sections of the boundary and reduce its net length by roughly 5 miles. The exchange would involve the transfer of approximately 607 acres of TPWD land to the LaMota Ranch and the transfer of approximately 1,185 acres of land from the LaMota Ranch to TPWD. Approximately 578 acres would be added to the park in the process. In addition TPWD would gain direct access to the Cienega portion of the park from a public road.
III. Recommendation: The staff recommends the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopt the following motion:
“The Commission adopts the Resolution attached as Exhibit A.”
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit A
A Resolution by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Regarding a Boundary Agreement Including Exchange of Real Estate at Big Bend Ranch State Park in Presidio County
Resolution
Whereas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) owns and manages Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBRSP), comprising approximately 310,000 acres of west Texas landscapes and habitats; and,
Whereas, BBRSP includes roughly 22 miles of frontage on the Rio Grande and nearly 100 miles of boundary in common with private landowners; and,
Whereas, BBRSP is comprised of numerous tracts acquired over many years, resulting in a park boundary that is irregular and in places not well suited to monitoring and management; and,
Whereas, the LaMota Ranch donated 13,268 acres of land to BBRSP in 2000, and BBRSP shares approximately 18 miles of boundary in common with that portion of the LaMota Ranch that is still privately owned; and,
Whereas, TPWD entered into a “Fence Line Agreement” with the LaMota Ranch in 2000 to acknowledge and memorialize the fact that existing fences did not coincide with property boundaries; and,
Whereas, TPWD and the LaMota Ranch have worked together to identify a simplified boundary that would shorten the length of boundary between the two properties by approximately 5 miles and facilitate the management of both properties; and,
Whereas, the simplified boundary would require the transfer of approximately 607 acres of TPWD land to the LaMota Ranch and the transfer of approximately 1,185 acres of land from the LaMota Ranch to TPWD for a net addition of approximately 578 acres to BBRSP; and,
Whereas, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (the Commission) finds that as required by Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 26, notices of today’s hearing of this matter were published at least once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation which is published at least six days a week in the community nearest to the Subject Tract in which such newspapers are published (Odessa American in Ector County and the Alpine Avalanche in Brewster County), with the last day of publication being not less than one week or more than two weeks before the date of today’s hearing and that such notices specified the date and time at which the Commission would hear testimony regarding property exchange; and,
Whereas, the Commission finds, in accordance with Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 26, that (1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use or taking of 607 acres of TPWD land (the exchange tract) which will be conveyed to the LaMota Ranch in exchange for the transfer of approximately 1,185 acres of land from the LaMota Ranch to TPWD for a net addition of approximately 578 acres; and, (2) the program or project that requires the use or taking of land includes all reasonable planning to minimize harm to TPWD property; and,
Whereas, the Commission finds, in accordance with Section 13.009 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code that the proposed exchange of the tracts and revision of the “Fence Line Agreement” is in the best interest of TPWD; and,
Now, therefore, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorizes the Executive Director to take all necessary steps to exchange the subject tracts for the purposes and subject to the conditions described herein and in the motion approved in this Resolution.
Adopted and approved this 21st day of January, 2016.
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T. Dan Friedkin, Chairman
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Ralph H. Duggins, Vice-Chairman
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Anna B. Galo
______________________________________
Bill Jones
______________________________________
Jeanne W. Latimer
______________________________________
James H. Lee
______________________________________
S. Reed Morian
______________________________________
Dick Scott
______________________________________
Kelcy L. Warren
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit B
Location Map for Big Bend Ranch State Park in Presidio County
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit C
Vicinity Map for Big Bend Ranch State Park – 50 Miles South of Marfa
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit D
Site Map Showing General Location of LaMota Ranch and Proposed Boundary Agreement
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit E
Site Map for Proposed Boundary Agreement and Land Exchange at Big Bend Ranch State Park
- Black Line Shows Current Park Boundary
- Red Line Shows Proposed Park Boundary Following Exchange
- Land Shaded in Blue to be Transferred to LaMota Ranch
- Land Shaded in Yellow to be Transferred to TPWD
