March 25-26, 2015, Commission Meeting Agenda
Work Session
Commission Agenda Items
 

Commission Agenda Item No. 7
Presenter: Ted Hollingsworth

Action
Acceptance of Land Donation – Matagorda County
Approximately 22 Acres on Matagorda Peninsula
March 26, 2015

I.             Executive Summary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has been offered 22 acres of undivided interest in a tract on Matagorda Peninsula in a location targeted for fish and wildlife conservation.

II.          Discussion: East Matagorda Bay is separated from the rest of the Matagorda Bay system by the Colorado River delta. It is also one of the least disturbed bays on the Texas Coast. The bay is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda peninsula, a narrow barrier peninsula that is remote and accessible only by water or by driving on the beach at low tide. There is a small community near the mouth of the river, but from there to the end of the peninsula at Brown Cedar Cut, 21 miles of beaches, dunes, lagoons, sloughs, flats and marshes provide important habitat for resident and migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, sea turtles, fin and shellfish and many other species.

The eastern half of the peninsula is primarily owned by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). Acquisition of this property for conservation has long been identified as a goal of TPWD and the coastal conservation community. A family has offered to donate a 22-acre undivided interest in a section within the GLO tract to TPWD for conservation of fish and wildlife.

III.       Recommendation: The staff recommends the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopt the following motion:

“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorizes the Executive Director to accept the donation approximately 22 acres in Matagorda County for the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat.”

Attachments – 4

  1. Exhibit A – Location Map
  2. Exhibit B – Vicinity Map
  3. Exhibit C – Site Map
  4. Exhibit D – Close Up Map

Commission Agenda Item No. 7
Exhibit A

Location Map for Subject Tracts in Matagorda County

Location Map for Subject Tracts in Matagorda County

Commission Agenda Item No. 7
Exhibit B

Vicinity Map for Matagorda Peninsula

Vicinity Map for Matagorda Peninsula

Commission Agenda Item No. 7
Exhibit C

Site Map for Acquisition Project Area

Site Map for Acquisition Project Area

Commission Agenda Item No. 7
Exhibit D

Close-Up Map for Subject Tract Containing Approximately 22 Acres

Close-Up Map for Subject Tract Containing Approximately 22 Acres