Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
Public Hearing

April 2001 Commission Meeting

Committee and Public Hearing Synopsis Reports

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REGULATIONS COMMITTEE
April 4, 2001

ITEM 1: BRIEFING – Chairman’s Charges

ITEM 2: ACTION – Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation 2001-2002

Presenters: Paul Hammerschmidt, Phil Durocher, Gary Graham

ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

This item seeks adoption of the proposed the 2001-2002 Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation. Proposed changes include:

WILDLIFE

White-tailed deer:

• Expand the statewide youth-only weekend for modern arms to potentially include all weekends in October and the three weekends following the second Sunday in January. The proposed season would not affect Level II or Level III MLD properties or preclude hunting by archery.
• Expand the LAMPS program to include Fannin, Hunt, and Rains counties.
• Increase the bag limit in Brown, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Glasscock, Howard, Irion, Mills, Mitchell, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, Sterling, and Tom Green counties, from four deer (no more than two bucks) to five deer (no more than two bucks), and implement a 14-day special late season for antlerless and spike-buck deer.
• Increase the bag limit in Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Calhoun, Cameron, Hidalgo, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, and Willacy counties, from four deer (no more than two bucks) to five deer (no more than three bucks).
• In Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kinney (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Medina (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Uvalde (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala counties, open the season on the first Saturday in November rather than the second Saturday in November.
• Allow the use of Antlerless and Spike-buck Deer Control Permits statewide from the Saturday nearest September 30 through the last day of any open season in a given county.
• Split the current one-buck county domain into two compartments and allow hunters to take a buck in both compartments.

Rio Grande Turkey:

• Alter the definition of proof-of-sex in counties where the bag composition is gobblers or bearded hens. For male birds, proof of sex would consist of either: a leg (with spur attached) attached to the bird, or a patch of breast feathers (with the beard attached) accompanying the bird. For female birds, proof of sex would be a patch of breast feathers (with beard attached) accompanying the bird.
• Contingent upon adoption of the proposal to create a uniform statewide opening day for white-tailed deer, move the opening date for the fall season in certain South Texas counties to preserve concurrent opening days for both species.

Eastern Wild Turkey:

• Expand the Spring season for Eastern wild turkey into Houston, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, and Wood counties

Javelina:

• Open a javelina season in Archer County.

Quail:

• Shift the opening day for quail season to the Saturday immediately preceding the opening day for white-tailed deer.

INLAND FISHERIES

Regulation Simplification:

• On Lakes Belton (Bell County), Cisco (Eastland County), Greenbelt (Donley County), Oak Creek (Coke County), Stillhouse Hollow (Bell County), White River (Crosby County), and Whitney (Bosque and Hill Counties), implement a 14-inch minimum length limit and a 5-fish daily bag limit for smallmouth bass.

Improve/Maintain Fishing Quality:

• On Lake Sweetwater (Nolan County), implement a 14-18-inch slot limit with a 5-fish daily bag limit for largemouth bass.
• On O. H. Ivie Reservoir(Coleman, Concho, Runnels Counties), alter largemouth bass regulations to remove the 18-inch minimum length and allow no more than two largemouth bass of less than 18 inches per person per day.
• On Pinkston Reservoir (Shelby County), alter largemouth bass regulations to implement a 14-21 inch slot length limit and 5 fish daily bag of which only one fish 21 inches or greater may be harvested per day.

Regulations standardization:

• On Lakes Coffee Mill and Davy Crockett (Fannin County), prohibit the use of trotlines, juglines, and throwlines.

COASTAL FISHERIES

• Increase the daily bag and possession limits for Spanish Mackerel
  • Standardize required float color for crab traps.

ITEM 3: ACTION – Legislative Rules Review

Presenter: Gene McCarty

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

This item seeks adoption of proposed rulemaking required by House Bill 1, 75^th Legislature, which requires the Department to review all regulations and either repeal amend, or readopt them.

The item addresses regulations contained in:

Chapter 57, Fisheries
· Chapter 65, Wildlife

ITEM 4: ACTION – Petition for Rulemaking – Special Bag Limits for White-tailed Deer Taken by Archery

Presenter: Jerry Cooke

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

This item presents a petition for rulemaking received by the Department. The petitioner:

• Requests that persons hunting white-tailed deer by means of lawful archery equipment during the General Open Season be allowed to harvest deer subject to the provisions of the Archery-Only Open Season, which currently allows either-sex hunting
• The petitioner states that this would allow persons hunting by means of lawful archery equipment during the General Open Season to harvest antlerless deer in East Texas, where current regulations either limit or prohibit the harvest of antlerless deer during the General Open Season
• States that the additional harvest would not exert a negative effect on the resource

ITEM 5: ACTION – Scientific Breeder Proclamation

Presenter: Jerry Cooke

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

On November 18, 1999 the Commission adopted amendments to the Scientific Breeder Proclamation. The department filed a Notice of Adoption with the Texas Register on February 15, 2000. However, due to circumstances beyond the Department’s control, the Notice of Adoption was never published and, therefore, the amendments must be re-adopted. The amendments as adopted by the Commission in January have been re-published in the March 2, 2001, issue of the Texas Register (26 TexReg 1826). The amendments are intended to decrease paperwork and administrative complications for permit holders.

This item amends the Scientific Breeder Proclamation to:

• Offer permittees an optional numbering convention for the identification of deer
• Allow permittees to defer the tattooing of deer until such time as they are to be removed from a facility
• Require tagging of deer to be completed by March 1 of each year
• Allow for purchase permits to be valid concurrently with permits and to be obtained in bulk
• Rescind the requirement for a permittee to be in possession of return fax from the department prior to transporting deer and institute in its place a logging and reporting procedure
• Require permittees to notify the department each November 1 as to the number of fawns present in a facility
• Allow the temporary transfer of deer for nursing or breeding purposes
• Provide for the marking of trailers and vehicles when used to transport deer
• Allow the amendment of purchase and transport permits

ITEM 6: BRIEFING – Largemouth Bass Virus

Presenter: Phil Durocher

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion

Staff will brief the Committee on:

• The status of the Largemouth Bass Virus in Texas
• A brief history of the virus in both Texas and the rest of the U.S.
• The results of a recent survey of 49 Texas lakes
• The impacts of the virus on fish population and what’s being done around the nation to address this issue

ITEM 7: ACTION – Amendments to the Public Lands Proclamation and Proposed Hunting Activities on State Parks

Presenter: Herb Kothmann

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

This item proposes amendments to the Public Lands Proclamation and apprises the Committee of candidate state parks for public hunting opportunity. The proposed changes to the Public Lands Proclamation include:

Provisions for the department to conduct hunts totally or in part by Regular Permit
· Standardization of permit requirements for supervising adults participating in youth-only hunts
· Authorization for the department to retain application fees submitted with an invalid application for a Special Permit
· Clarification of procedures for reinstating preference points in drawings for Special Permits
· Minimum age requirement for participants in Special-Permit hunts

ITEM 8: BRIEFING – Crab and Oyster Update

Presenter: Hal Osburn

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion

The purpose of this briefing is twofold. 1) To provide a status and update the oyster lease fishery; and 2) to provide a review of the commercial crab fishery.

1) The briefing on oyster leases will:

• Include aspects of the recent Attorney General Opinion and State Auditors Report
  · Explain the need for changes in the lease terms, conditions, and fees
  · Discuss the Department activity in working with the oyster advisory committee in seeking legislative guidance on these issues.
  · Discuss legislative activity via a pending appropriations bill rider in the Senate which addresses oyster leases.

  2) The briefing on the commercial crab fishery will:

• Include current overfishing trends and the problem of ghost fishing by abandoned crab traps
• Discuss legislative activity via Senate Bill 1410, filed by Buster Brown, which provides new authority and guidance to the Commission regarding the development of an abandoned trap removal program.

ITEM 9: ACTION 2001-2002 Migratory Game Bird Proclamation

Presenter: Vernon Bevill

• ACTION: Committee consideration for submission to Texas Register for public comment. CONSENT: This item is not eligible for consent agenda.

This item apprises the committee of anticipated developments in the federal regulatory process and amends the Migratory Game Bird Proclamation to:

• Replace the 60-day/15-bird season for mourning dove with a 70-day/12-bird season
  · Enlarge Sandhill Crane Zone C and reduce the daily bag limit from three to two, offering greater overall hunting opportunity
  · Adjust the eastern boundary of Crane Zone B to match the Goose Zone boundary
  · Adjust season dates to account for calendar shift

ITEM 10: BRIEFING – White-tail Deer Management

Presenter: Gary Graham

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion

Wildlife Division staff will provide:

• A brief history and status of the White-tailed deer permit programs in Texas
  · A description, use, and the number of users for each

FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 4, 2001

ITEM 1: BRIEFING – Chairman’s Charges

ITEM 2: BRIEFING – Financial Review Update

Presenter: Suzy Whittenton

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion.

In this briefing item, staff will:

• Present a financial review for the year to date FY2001, including an update on Account 9, Game, Fish and Water Safety and account 64, State Parks
• Focus on the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, boat registration and titling fees, and state park fees
• Provide updated budget and expenditure information

ITEM 3: ACTION – Regional Park Funding

Presenter: Tim Hogsett

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

Staff will present to the Committee:

• Second round of regional grants accepted January 31, 2001 with 12 applicants requesting $12,926,045
• Staff recommends funding for 3 parks in the amount of $3,311,342

ITEM 4: ACTION – Local Park Funding

Presenter: Tim Hogsett

ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item could be eligible for consent agenda.

This item proposed to:

• Make a grant from the Texas Recreation and Parks Account to the City of Edinburg in the amount of $500,000 for the development of a statellite site for the World Birding Center, as mandated in Rider #18 of the TPW appropriation Act.

ITEM 5: BRIEFING – Automated License System Update

Presenter: Suzy Whittenton

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion.

Staff will present a brief on the current status of the Automated License System. This will include:

• Information requested and received from License Deputies
  · License system setup received and reviewed for configuration with improvements recommended
  · Pilot phases consolidated to meet statewide rollout
  · Training program in development stages and being fine-tuned
  · Training scheduled to occur statewide during the month of May and June
  · Statewide deployment scheduled for June 30^th
  

CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
April 4, 2001

ITEM 1: BRIEFING – Chairman’s Charges

ITEM 2: BRIEFING – Water Policy

Presenter: Larry McKinney

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion

This item will brief the Committee on Water-related policy and legislation:

• The sixteen regional plans were completed as mandated by SB-1
  · The Executive Director initiated a series of meetings with chairs of those regional committees in coordination with the Texas Water Development Board
  · TPW will have a much more defined and contributory role as the next five year planning cycle begins in earnest this summer
  · SB-2 and other water-related legislation will greatly affect the fish and wildlife resource for which TPW has responsibility

ITEM 3: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Uvalde County (Garner SP)

Presenter: Karen Leslie

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item is not eligible for consent agenda.

Acquisition of 35.05 acres from a landowner adjacent to Garner State Park is recommended for additional river frontage.

This item will:

• Acquire prime Frio River frontage directly across the river from a primary park activity area
  · Protect one of the highest performing parks in the system from the intrusion of an undesirable land use (home development)
  · Not require additional operating funds, since the property can be managed with existing staff

ITEM 4: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Randall County (Palo Duro Canyon SP)

Presenter: Karen Leslie

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item is not eligible for consent agenda.

Land acquisition of approximately 2,036 acres adjacent to Palo Duro Canyon State Park is recommended:

• Purchase property for $1.2 million
  · Ten year endowment for Palo Duro Canyon State Park and proposed acquisition
  · Income from endowment will be distributed to Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas and used for educational programs at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and upkeep of acquired property
  · Protect viewshed of park and provides new recreational opportunities

ITEM 5: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Brewster County (Black Gap WMA)

Presenter: Jeff Francell

• ACTION: Committee consideration for presentation to full Commission in Public Hearing. This item is also located in the Public Hearing Synopsis report. CONSENT: This item is not eligible for consent agenda.

Acquisition of two in-holding parcels, 80 and 160 acres at Black Gap Wildlife Management Area is recommended as part of along-term facility improvement strategy.

• Funding for this acquisition is recommended through FY01 Land Conservation Program capital budget funds authorized to acquiring in-holdings at the Black Gap WMA in FY00\
• The purchase of the 80-acre parcel will clarify ownership within a portion of the facility where an ownership dispute with an adjacent landowner has created facility management concerns
• The purchase of the 160-acre parcel is recommended because it is high quality Desert Big Horn Sheep habitat being offered by a willing seller
• No additional operating funds will be needed since the properties can be managed with existing staff
  

AD HOC OUTREACH COMMITTEE
April 4, 2001

ITEM 1: BRIEFING – Chairman’s Charges

ITEM 2: BRIEFING – River Center Update

Presenter: Larry McKinney

• ACTION: Committee review and discussion.

This item will brief the Committee on the role of the Texas River Center.

The River Center:

• Will serve as an educational, policy development and research facility
  · Will help ensure the environment is part of water development and management in the future
  · Will feature a variety of interpretive experiences as well as an opportunity to visit the San Marcos Springs – a beautiful and ecologically unique spring
  · Phase One is currently underway

PUBLIC HEARING
Thursday, April 5, 2001

ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS

RETIREMENT CERTIFICATES AND SERVICE AWARDS

PRESENTATION – Dow Chemical – Stringfellow Conservation Initiative

Staff: Gene McCarty

APPROVAL OF AGENDA - Chairman Bass

ITEM 1: ACTION - Consent Agenda Items

ITEM 2: ACTION – Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation 2001-2001

Presenter: Paul Hammerschmidt, Phil Durocher, Gary Graham

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

This item seeks adoption of the proposed the 2001-2002 Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation. Proposed changes include:

WILDLIFE

White-tailed deer:

• Expand the statewide youth-only weekend for modern arms to potentially include all weekends in October and the three weekends following the second Sunday in January. The proposed season would not affect Level II or Level III MLD properties or preclude hunting by archery.
• Expand the LAMPS program to include Fannin, Hunt, and Rains counties.
• Increase the bag limit in Brown, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Glasscock, Howard, Irion, Mills, Mitchell, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, Sterling, and Tom Green counties, from four deer (no more than two bucks) to five deer (no more than two bucks), and implement a 14-day special late season for antlerless and spike-buck deer.
• Increase the bag limit in Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Calhoun, Cameron, Hidalgo, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, and Willacy counties, from four deer (no more than two bucks) to five deer (no more than three bucks).
• In Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kinney (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Medina (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Uvalde (south of U. S. Hwy. 90), Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala counties, open the season on the first Saturday in November rather than the second Saturday in November.
• Allow the use of Antlerless and Spike-buck Deer Control Permits statewide from the Saturday nearest September 30 through the last day of any open season in a given county.
• Split the current one-buck county domain into two compartments and allow hunters to take a buck in both compartments.

Rio Grande Turkey:

• Alter the definition of proof-of-sex in counties where the bag composition is gobblers or bearded hens. For male birds, proof of sex would consist of either: a leg (with spur attached) attached to the bird, or a patch of breast feathers (with the beard attached) accompanying the bird. For female birds, proof of sex would be a patch of breast feathers (with beard attached) accompanying the bird.
• Contingent upon adoption of the proposal to create a uniform statewide opening day for white-tailed deer, move the opening date for the fall season in certain South Texas counties to preserve concurrent opening days for both species.

Eastern Wild Turkey:

• Expand the Spring season for Eastern wild turkey into Houston, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, and Wood counties

Javelina:

• Open a javelina season in Archer County.

Quail:

• Shift the opening day for quail season to the Saturday immediately preceding the opening day for white-tailed deer.

INLAND FISHERIES

Regulation Simplification:

• On Lakes Belton (Bell County), Cisco (Eastland County), Greenbelt (Donley County), Oak Creek (Coke County), Stillhouse Hollow (Bell County), White River (Crosby County), and Whitney (Bosque and Hill Counties), implement a 14-inch minimum length limit and a 5-fish daily bag limit for smallmouth bass.

Improve/Maintain Fishing Quality:

• On Lake Sweetwater (Nolan County), implement a 14-18-inch slot limit with a 5-fish daily bag limit for largemouth bass.
• On O. H. Ivie Reservoir(Coleman, Concho, Runnels Counties), alter largemouth bass regulations to remove the 18-inch minimum length and allow no more than two largemouth bass of less than 18 inches per person per day.
• On Pinkston Reservoir (Shelby County), alter largemouth bass regulations to implement a 14-21 inch slot length limit and 5 fish daily bag of which only one fish 21 inches or greater may be harvested per day.

Regulations standardization:

• On Lakes Coffee Mill and Davy Crockett (Fannin County), prohibit the use of trotlines, juglines, and throwlines.

COASTAL FISHERIES

• Increase the daily bag and possession limits for Spanish Mackerel
  · Standardize required float color for crab traps.

ITEM 3: ACTION – Legislative Rule Review

Presenter: Gene McCarty

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

This item seeks adoption of proposed rulemaking required by House Bill 1, 75^th Legislature, which requires the Department to review all regulations and either repeal amend, or readopt them.

The item addresses regulations contained in:

• Chapter 57, Fisheries
  · Chapter 65, Wildlife

ITEM 4: ACTION – Petition for Rulemaking – Special Bag Limits for White-tailed Deer Taken by Archery

Presenter: Jerry Cooke

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

This item presents a petition for rulemaking received by the Department. The petitioner:

• Requests that persons hunting white-tailed deer by means of lawful archery equipment during the General Open Season be allowed to harvest deer subject to the provisions of the Archery-Only Open Season, which currently allows either-sex hunting
• The petitioner states that this would allow persons hunting by means of lawful archery equipment during the General Open Season to harvest antlerless deer in East Texas, where current regulations either limit or prohibit the harvest of antlerless deer during the General Open Season
• States that the additional harvest would not exert a negative effect on the resource

ITEM 5: ACTION – Amendments to the Public Lands Proclamation and Proposed Hunting Activities on State Parks

Presenter: Herb Kothmann

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

This item proposes amendments to the Public Lands Proclamation and apprises the Committee of candidate state parks for public hunting opportunity. The proposed changes to the Public Lands Proclamation include:

• Provisions for the department to conduct hunts totally or in part by Regular Permit
  · Standardization of permit requirements for supervising adults participating in youth-only hunts
  · Authorization for the department to retain application fees submitted with an invalid application for a Special Permit
  · Clarification of procedures for reinstating preference points in drawings for Special Permits
  · Minimum age requirement for participants in Special-Permit hunts

ITEM 6: BRIEFING – World Birding Center

Presenter: Gary Graham

• ACTION: Commission review and discussion

Staff will brief this Commission on the current status of the World Birding Center.

Briefing will include:

• Master planning
  · Architectural contracts
  · Land transfers and acquisitions

  The current status of Connally Bond expenditures and project schedule for Texas Parks and Wildlife design and capital improvements will be presented.

ITEM 7: ACTION – Scientific Breeder Proclamation

Presenter: Jerry Cooke

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

On November 18, 1999 the Commission adopted amendments to the Scientific Breeder Proclamation. The department filed a Notice of Adoption with the Texas Register on February 15, 2000. However, due to circumstances beyond the Department’s control, the Notice of Adoption was never published and, therefore, the amendments must be re-adopted. The amendments as adopted by the Commission in January have been re-published in the March 2, 2001, issue of the Texas Register (26 TexReg 1826) The amendments are intended to decrease paperwork and administrative complications for permit holders.

This item amends the Scientific Breeder Proclamation to:

• Offer permittees an optional numbering convention for the identification of deer
• Allow permittees to defer the tattooing of deer until such time as they are to be removed from a facility
• Require tagging of deer to be completed by March 1 of each year
• Allow for purchase permits to be valid concurrently with permits and to be obtained in bulk
• Rescind the requirement for a permittee to be in possession of return fax from the department prior to transporting deer and institute in its place a logging and reporting procedure
• Require permittees to notify the department each November 1 as to the number of fawns present in a facility
• Allow the temporary transfer of deer for nursing or breeding purposes
• Provide for the marking of trailers and vehicles when used to transport deer
• Allow the amendment of purchase and transport permits

ITEM 8: BRIEFING – Eastern Wild Turkey Status Update

Presenter: John Burk

• ACTION: Commission review and discussion

Wildlife Division staff will provide:

• A brief history and status of the Eastern Wild Turkey Restoration Program
  · The future needs of wild turkeys in Texas
  · The current distribution of Eastern Wild Turkey in Texas and the reasons for the program’s success

ITEM 9: BRIEFING – Wyler Aerial Tramway Opening

Presenter: Walt Dabney

• ACTION: Commission review and discussion

This item will brief the Commission on the Tyler Aerial Tramway Opening on March 10, 2001:

• The event drew attendance from local elected officials, State Senator Shapleigh, State Representative Haggerty and numerous business and civic leaders
• Opening day drew rider ship of 400 and the park store recorded sales in excess of $2700
• Broadcasts from major television networks provided live media coverage
• Statewide newspaper coverage has aided in drawing visitors to the sight

ITEM 10: ACTION – Regional Park Funding

Presenter: Tim Hogsett

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

Staff will present to the Commission to consider for adoption:

• The second round of regional grants accepted January 31, 2001 with 12 applicants requesting $12,926,045
  · Staff recommends funding for 3 parks in the amount of $3,311,342

ITEM 11: ACTION – Local Park Funding

Presenter: Tim Hogsett

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

This item proposed to:

• Make a grant from the Texas Recreation and Parks Account to the City of Edinburg in the amount of $500,000 for the development of a statellite site for the World Birding Center, as mandated in Rider #18 of the TPW appropriation Act.

ITEM 12: BRIEFING – Texas Tech Exhibit

Presenter: Bob Cook

• ACTION: Commission review and discussion

Staff will brief the Commission on the Texas Tech Exhibit, “Texas Natural History, 1889-1905”.

The exhibit will:

• Detail the objectives and methods of the field naturalists while surveying the biological diversity of the state
• Illustrate the changes that have occurred over the last century with regard to human population growth, land use changes, and changes in species diversity and abundance.
• Highlight the black bear, grizzly bear, ocelot, jaguarundi, jaguar, gray wolf, red wolf, prairie dog, black-footed ferret, pronghorn, bighorn, beaver, nutria, and exotic ungulates.
• The goal of the exhibit is to educate the public about the value of Texas’ diverse and unique wildlife resources and the importance of conservation

ITEM 13: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Uvalde County (Garner SP)

Presenter: Karen Leslie

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

Land acquisition of one tract totaling 35.05 acres adjacent to Garner State Parks is recommended for additional river frontage.

This item will:

• Acquire prime Frio River frontage directly across the river from a primary park activity area
  · Protect one of the highest performing parks in the system from the intrusion of an undesirable land use (home development)
  · No additional operating funds will be needed since the property can be managed with existing staff

ITEM 14: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Randall County (Palo Duro Canyon SP)

Presenter: Karen Leslie

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

Land acquisition of approximately 2,036 acres adjacent to Palo Duro Canyon State Park is recommended:

• Purchase property for $1.2 million
  · Ten year endowment for Palo Duro Canyon State Park and proposed acquisition
  · Income from endowment will be distributed to Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas and used for educational programs at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and upkeep of acquired property
  · Protect viewshed of park and provides new recreational opportunities

ITEM 15: ACTION – Land Acquisition – Brewster County – (Black Gap WMA)

Presenter: Jeff Francell

• ACTION: Commission consideration for adoption.

Acquisition of two in-holding parcels, 80 and 160 acres at Black Gap Wildlife Management Area is recommended as part of along-term facility improvement strategy.

• Funding for this acquisition is recommended through FY01 Land Conservation Program capital budget funds authorized to acquiring in-holdings at the Black Gap WMA in FY00
• The purchase of the 80-acre parcel will clarify ownership within a portion of the facility where an ownership dispute with an adjacent landowner has created facility management concerns
• The purchase of the 160-acre parcel is recommended because it is high quality Desert Big Horn Sheep habitat being offered by a willing seller
• No additional operating funds will be needed since the properties can be managed with existing staff

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