Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Presenter: Trey Vick

Action
Acquisition of Land – Starr County
Approximately 147 Acres at Falcon State Park
August 22, 2019

I.      Executive Summary: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff is negotiating the acquisition of approximately 147 acres adjacent to Falcon State Park from a willing seller.

II.     Discussion Falcon State Park (SP) consists of 576 acres in Starr and Zapata Counties.  It sits at the southern end of the Falcon International Reservoir, an 84,000-surface-acre reservoir straddling the Texas-Mexico border that was formed by damming the Rio Grande. Falcon Dam was dedicated in October 1953 by American President Dwight Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Tomás Ruiz Cortines.  The state of Texas received the land for the park from the International Boundary and Water Commission in 1949, and the park opened in 1965.

TPWD staff is in negotiations to acquire a 147-acre tract adjacent to the park boundary in Starr County.  This proposed acquisition would add critical Tamaulipan thornscrub habitat and provide the park additional buffer from commercial and residential development. The acquisition would allow for a new recreational/interpretive trail system and would expand recreational options at Falcon State Park.

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 acquire approximately 147 acres in Starr County for addition to Falcon State Park.”

Attachments – 3

  1. Exhibit A – Location Map
  2. Exhibit B – Vicinity Map
  3. Exhibit C – Site Map

Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit A

Location Map for Falcon State Park in Starr and Zapata Counties

Location Map for Falcon State Park in Starr and Zapata Counties


Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit B

Vicinity Map for Falcon State Park (SP), 22 Miles Northwest of Rio Grande City

Vicinity Map for Falcon State Park


Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit C

Site Map for Falcon State Park Outlined in Red
Subject 147-Acre Tract Outlined in Green

Site Map for Falcon State Park