Commission Agenda Item No. 10
Presenter:
Ted Hollingsworth
Action
Acceptance of Land Donation – Cameron County
Inholdings Totaling Approximately 15 Acres at Boca Chica State Park
November 5, 2015
I. Executive Summary: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has been acquiring private tracts of land within Boca Chica State Park and requests that these tracts be transferred to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
II. Discussion: Boca Chica State Park, fronting on the Gulf of Mexico just 3 miles north of the mouth of the Rio Grande, was acquired in 1994, and consists of 1,056 acres of dunes, flats, marshes and coastal grasslands. It is surrounded by lagoons, vast tidal flats, and unusual brush-covered mounds called lomas. The tract has been managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a component of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge since 2007 under the terms of a 50 year lease. Due to its remoteness, minimal nearby development, and southern latitude, the area was chosen by SpaceX for the construction of a new space vehicle launch facility.
To help meet regulatory requirements and minimize the potential for future land use conflicts, SpaceX has been buying privately owned tracts of land within a certain radius of the proposed launch facility. Several of these tracts are inholdings within the state park. SpaceX wishes to transfer these tracts to TPWD in the near future.
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 take all necessary steps to accept the donation of inholdings within Boca Chica State Park in Cameron County.”
Commission Agenda Item No. 10
Exhibit A
Location Map for Boca Chica State Park in Cameron County
Commission Agenda Item No. 10
Exhibit B
Vicinity Map for Boca Chica State Park, 15 Miles East of Brownsville
Commission Agenda Item No. 10
Exhibit C
Site Map for Boca Chica State Park (Outlined in Red) Showing General Location of Inholdings and Proposed SpaceX Launch Facility