A recently purchased 671-acre ranch along the Rio Grande will expand a state-run wildlife area near Big Bend National Park, officials announced Tuesday.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will manage the land as part of the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.
The property, Heath Canyon Ranch, was previously a sizable gap in a vast area of protected lands, located amid the 10,000-acre Brushy Canyon Preserve, Big Bend National Park and Texas-owned properties.
In the last few weeks, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also announced it acquired a 1,100-acre swath of land for the creation of a new state park in the Hill Country and 7,000 acres in East Texas for a new management wildlife area.
Officials said this most recent acquisition is a “significant step” in ongoing conservation efforts in West Texas, while also providing the public access to park lands for recreation.
Related:Texas purchases a 1,100-acre swath of land, with intent to create a new state park
“We are thrilled that the property is now in the hands of TPWD, and that this beautiful location along the river will continue to be available for the enjoyment of Texans and visitors alike while ensuring the protection of the habitat for wildlife to thrive,” Suzanne Scott, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, said in the announcement.
The relatively unaltered wildlife habitat contains more than 250 plant species, several of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
The property also includes 1.2 miles of river frontage on a stretch of the Rio Grande that flows year-round.
The ranch is the only end point for the popular Boquillas Canyon multiday river trip through the national park, and one of the only river access points for the remote and scenic Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, which is Texas’ only designated National Wild and Scenic River.
Related:TPWD purchases nearly 7,000 acres to create wildlife management zone in East Texas
Travis Smith, TPWD Black Gap WMA biologist, described the organization as “excited” by the move.
“This is an amazing addition to the WMA and will not only ensure river access for future generations but protect a very unique habitat,” he said in a statement.
The Nature Conservancy in Texas acquired the property for nearly $1.2 million with funding from Horizon Foundation, WoodNext Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation.
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“We are fortunate to have TNC as a conservation partner and through their generous support, TPWD is able to grow our public lands footprint,” Alan Cain, TPWD’s wildlife division director, said. “The Heath Canyon addition will expand outdoor recreational opportunities from river access, to hiking, wildlife viewing and public hunting. We are excited for Texans to enjoy this unique property.”
The Nature Conservancy in Texas, TPWD and the National Parks Service have a history of collaborating to accomplish large-scale land and water protection in the Big Bend area, including the expansion of the national park.
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.
