Bill Introduced to Add Thousands of Acres to Big Bend National Park

 

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TX — One of the largest national parks in the United States may soon get a little bigger.

Three lawmakers — U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Democratic Congressman Tony Gonzales — introduced the Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act last week.

It would authorize the U.S. National Park Service to acquire about 6,100 acres of land along the western boundary of Big Bend. 

Gonzales said the bill would improve the National Park Service's ability to preserve and protect the park in far West Texas.

“Big Bend National Park is a natural treasure unlike any other,” Gonzales said. "This is an important step forward to conserve one of the most beautiful sites in our country for generations to come."

The park is the seventh-largest in the continental United States with just over 800,000 acres.

According to the bill, the National Park Service can only acquire the land through donation or exchange. Use of eminent domain or condemnation would be prohibited to protect the rights of private landowners.

Efforts to pass the bill will continue in the coming months.

Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily

The LIVE! Daily is the "newspaper to your email" for San Angelo. Each content-packed edition has weather, the popular Top of the Email opinion and rumor mill column, news around the state of Texas, news around west Texas, the latest news stories from San Angelo LIVE!, events, and the most recent obituaries. The bottom of the email contains the most recent rants and comments. The LIVE! daily is emailed 5 days per week. On Sundays, subscribers receive the West Texas Real Estate LIVE! email.

Required

Most Recent Videos

Post a comment to this article here: