Public Lands Issues In Texas
12-15-2006, 01:31 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 86
Public Lands Issues In Texas
Public Lands Issues In Texas
I learned last the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department no longer owns the Ocotillo Unit of the Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area. This was a small unit fronting the Rio Grande in Presidio County. A biologist for the Las Palomas WMA told me that the Ocotillo Unit had been transferred to the Texas General Land Office, in exchange for an addition to the Black Gap WMA near Alpine.
I am not knocking the addition to Black Gap, which is a popular and important piece of public land in that part of Texas.
But I am wondering why the TPWD decided to part with the Ocotillo Unit. This unit was set up as vital habitat for several species of doves, and also had the only population of Gambel quail on public land in Texas. In addition, it offered hunting for several species (such as deer, javalinas and blue quail), unmatched birding opportunities for that region, and recreation on the river. It seems to me like this is a terrible loss to the public lands system in Texas.
There is no doubt that the Ocotillo Unit was a very special place with much to offer wildlife and the general public. Now it’s gone. It’s gone because the Texas General Land Office does not allow public access to the land it supposedly manages for the benefit of the people of Texas.
The General Land Office holds title to several million acres of “school land” in Texas, plus several more million acres of land acquired through a variety of ways (ranging from taxes to seizures, from abandonment to bankruptcies), and several more million acres of beaches, estuaries and submerged offshore lands in the Gulf. It is supposed to manage these lands in the public interest. All totaled, the General Land Office holds more than 20 million acres of land in trust for the public.
Yet, the public is barred from these lands for recreational use. It’s public land with entry forbidden to the public.
Texas is the only state I know of that does this. All other western states that I know of allow public access to any state-owned land, including land set aside to benefit the schools. In essence, the Texas General Land Office is locking people out of around 20 million acres of their own land.
The purpose of managing this land is to allow for it to be developed to benefit the schools and the people of Texas. Thus, the land office will sell the land for development or ranching, sell mineral rights for energy exploration, or lease grazing to ranchers by a process of competitive bidding. This is fine.
However, this is no justification for locking out people from recreational use of the land. The land office will lease the land for recreational use, such as for hunting, but meanwhile many millions of acres are simply sitting there and unavailable to the people. If you want to lease the land, you had better have a lot of money and the patience to go through a complicated bureaucratic process.
I wonder how many Texans even know about this situation. I wonder how many Texans are aware that their government flies in the face of the long-standing western tradition of public access to public land. The concept of public lands is that they are open to anyone for enjoyment, subject to reasonable regulation (such as the game laws) and possibly subject to reasonable user fees.
If, for example, a modest user fee was required for a recreational use permit (say $50-to-$75 a year), these 20 million acres would be open to almost all Texans, and many millions of dollars in annual user fees would be available for wildlife management and other enhancements to the recreational value of the land. This system has worked very well in the Wildlife Management Areas, for example. It is fair to everyone and does not lock out the public from their own lands
One must wonder how the people of Texas has allowed their birthright to be stolen from them by government, and how government has the cajones to simply usurp the basic rights of its citizens. One wonders how critical wildlife management areas can be taken away with apparently little (if any) public participation, and then locked off to the very public that purchased and supported these lands for years.
Perhaps it’s time to turn up the fire under every politician in the great state of Texas.
I learned last the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department no longer owns the Ocotillo Unit of the Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area. This was a small unit fronting the Rio Grande in Presidio County. A biologist for the Las Palomas WMA told me that the Ocotillo Unit had been transferred to the Texas General Land Office, in exchange for an addition to the Black Gap WMA near Alpine.
I am not knocking the addition to Black Gap, which is a popular and important piece of public land in that part of Texas.
But I am wondering why the TPWD decided to part with the Ocotillo Unit. This unit was set up as vital habitat for several species of doves, and also had the only population of Gambel quail on public land in Texas. In addition, it offered hunting for several species (such as deer, javalinas and blue quail), unmatched birding opportunities for that region, and recreation on the river. It seems to me like this is a terrible loss to the public lands system in Texas.
There is no doubt that the Ocotillo Unit was a very special place with much to offer wildlife and the general public. Now it’s gone. It’s gone because the Texas General Land Office does not allow public access to the land it supposedly manages for the benefit of the people of Texas.
The General Land Office holds title to several million acres of “school land” in Texas, plus several more million acres of land acquired through a variety of ways (ranging from taxes to seizures, from abandonment to bankruptcies), and several more million acres of beaches, estuaries and submerged offshore lands in the Gulf. It is supposed to manage these lands in the public interest. All totaled, the General Land Office holds more than 20 million acres of land in trust for the public.
Yet, the public is barred from these lands for recreational use. It’s public land with entry forbidden to the public.
Texas is the only state I know of that does this. All other western states that I know of allow public access to any state-owned land, including land set aside to benefit the schools. In essence, the Texas General Land Office is locking people out of around 20 million acres of their own land.
The purpose of managing this land is to allow for it to be developed to benefit the schools and the people of Texas. Thus, the land office will sell the land for development or ranching, sell mineral rights for energy exploration, or lease grazing to ranchers by a process of competitive bidding. This is fine.
However, this is no justification for locking out people from recreational use of the land. The land office will lease the land for recreational use, such as for hunting, but meanwhile many millions of acres are simply sitting there and unavailable to the people. If you want to lease the land, you had better have a lot of money and the patience to go through a complicated bureaucratic process.
I wonder how many Texans even know about this situation. I wonder how many Texans are aware that their government flies in the face of the long-standing western tradition of public access to public land. The concept of public lands is that they are open to anyone for enjoyment, subject to reasonable regulation (such as the game laws) and possibly subject to reasonable user fees.
If, for example, a modest user fee was required for a recreational use permit (say $50-to-$75 a year), these 20 million acres would be open to almost all Texans, and many millions of dollars in annual user fees would be available for wildlife management and other enhancements to the recreational value of the land. This system has worked very well in the Wildlife Management Areas, for example. It is fair to everyone and does not lock out the public from their own lands
One must wonder how the people of Texas has allowed their birthright to be stolen from them by government, and how government has the cajones to simply usurp the basic rights of its citizens. One wonders how critical wildlife management areas can be taken away with apparently little (if any) public participation, and then locked off to the very public that purchased and supported these lands for years.
Perhaps it’s time to turn up the fire under every politician in the great state of Texas.
12-15-2006, 10:53 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: a van down by the river
Posts: 8,939
RE: Public Lands Issues In Texas
I have no problems with it. The land is used to raise revenue, just as a private landowner would, and that revenue is used to fund public projects. It is also well managed because it is treated as private land.
I do not support how most western states manage their land. I think their system lacks a lot to be desired. They try to keep to many people too happy and everyone loses.
I do not support how most western states manage their land. I think their system lacks a lot to be desired. They try to keep to many people too happy and everyone loses.
