Commission Agenda Item No. 8
Presenter:
Ted Hollingsworth
Action
Acceptance of Donation - Brazoria County - Expansion of Project Boundary - Approximately 190 Acres to Follets Island Coastal Management Area
January 25, 2018
I. Executive Summary: Trust for Public Land (TPL) proposes to acquire a 190-acre tract for addition to the Follets Island Coastal Management Area (CMA) that would expand the CMA to the southwest.
II. Discussion: The Follets Island CMA was established in 2014 with the acquisition of approximately 441 acres straddling Follets Island from the Gulf of Mexico to Christmas and Drum Bays. Another 230 acres were acquired and donated by TPL in late-2016. In March, 2017, the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission accepted donation of another 154 acres and authorized future acceptance of conservation tracts within a roughly 1300-acre “Follets Island Conservation Initiative Area.” The boundary approved at that time, and the tracts acquired by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and/or TPL to date are shown in Exhibit A.
TPL has been offered an opportunity to acquire a 190-acre tract a mile and a half southwest of the current CMA area. The subject tract stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), has outstanding coastal habitat values including miles of frontage on tidal waters including coves and bayous, and almost a mile of boundary (along the GIWW) in common with the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.
The expanded CMA area would straddle a small residential development, but would allow the future addition of several other tracts with extremely high natural resource values. TPL also recommends expanding the area to the northeast, to take in roughly 400 additional acres of high quality undeveloped beach-to-bay coastal habitat. The proposed expanded area is shown in Exhibit C.
III. Recommendation: The staff recommends the TPW Commission adopt the following motion:
"The Executive Director is authorized to take all necessary measures to accept the donation of approximately 190 acres for addition to the Follets Island Coastal Management Area, and to expand the overall project area to roughly 3,000 acres."
Commission Agenda Item No. 8
Exhibit A
Follets Island Coastal Management Area Location Map
Commission Agenda Item No. 8
Exhibit B
Follets Island Coastal Management Area Vicinity - 50 Miles South of Houston
Commission Agenda Item No. 8
Exhibit C
Follets Island Coastal Management Area Site Map
Showing Proposed Expansion of Project Area
Subject Tract in Red
