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.