Tag Archives: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Bringing back black bears

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. It’s difficult to visualize these days, what with the light pollution, overdevelopment and sprawl that have come to define the greater Houston area, but the ground we now stand on was once the domain of 5’ 6” black bears. … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to stop the Boca Chica land swap

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. A coalition of Rio Grande Valley organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, seeking to block the state agency from pursuing a land swap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft company. Last month, the Texas … Continue reading →

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Boca Chica land swap allowed to proceed

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I still dunno, man. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Monday to pursue an exchange that would give 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park in Cameron County to Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft company. The state park land … Continue reading →

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The Boca Chica land swap

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners are considering a land swap with SpaceX that would give Elon Musk’s space exploration company about 43 acres from Boca Chica State Park. In exchange for the land in Texas’ southernmost strip … Continue reading →

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State abandons effort to retake Fairfield Lake State Park

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has effectively thrown in the towel on a monthslong battle to buy or seize a 5,000-acre property that includes the now-closed Fairfield Lake State Park in Freestone County. Dallas-based developer Todd Interests … Continue reading →

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State goes eminent domain on Fairfield Lake

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We knew this was coming. In a new attempt to save Fairfield Lake State Park, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department filed a petition to condemn and seize the 5,000-acre property south of Dallas through eminent domain. The petition was … Continue reading →

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Todd Interests rejects “final offer” by TPWD for Fairfield State Park

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Off to court next, I guess. The developer who purchased the site of a now-former state park has rejected the state’s final offer to purchase the property. Dallas-based Todd Interests became the owner of the Fairfield Lake State Park property, … Continue reading →

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Freestone County opposes use of eminent domain on Fairfield Lake State Park

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Plot twist. The Freestone County commissioners are decrying the state’s decision to move forward with eminent domain to seize the Fairfield Lake State Park property in their county. At a Wednesday morning meeting, the five commissioners voted unanimously to send … Continue reading →

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State will use eminent domain to reclaim Fairfield State Park

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department voted unanimously to use eminent domain to seize a 5,000-acre property south of Dallas that included Fairfield Lake State Park on Saturday, citing the need to preserve a state park enjoyed by … Continue reading →

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Fairfield developers accuse state of lying about buying the park property

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Getting spicy out there. While state officials are planning to vote Saturday on whether to attempt to use eminent domain to claim Fairfield Lake State Park, the Dallas-based developer who now owns the land wants Texans to know that the … Continue reading →

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Fairfield State Park closes again

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What a rollercoaster. For the second time this year, the state has closed Fairfield Lake State Park after it was unable to negotiate the purchase of the property from a developer. After several attempts to save the 1,820-acre park, Texas … Continue reading →

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State moves to buy Fairfield State Park

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a fitting end to this saga. Texas isn’t giving up on saving Fairfield Lake State Park, a 1,820-acre park that operated on leased land for decades until the owner sold it earlier this year. On Thursday, Texas … Continue reading →

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Lege approves parkland money

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I feel compelled to note the rare good thing emerging from this Legislature. The Texas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to two bills, Senate Bill 1648 and Senate Joint Resolution 74, that would, with voter approval, create a Centennial … Continue reading →

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House passes bill to stop Fairfield State Park closure

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A rare bill that might do some good. The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill in an attempt to save a popular state park from permanent closure and development into a private community. The measure now moves to … Continue reading →

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Are there more parks like Fairfield Lake out there?

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, there are others, but most are not likely to go away any time soon. We hope. Recent news that Texas’ Fairfield Lake State Park is closing to make way for a new upscale gated community raised a question: How … Continue reading →

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Actually, we could have saved Fairfield State Park

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well. State officials passed up an offer to save Fairfield Lake State Park this month, just days before the Texas parks department celebrated its centennial, according to newly uncovered text messages. The 1,821-acre park sits on land the … Continue reading →

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The Houston coyotes

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No, not another sports team. A bit of wildlife that has found a home in the big city. As the Houston region continues to develop over the next few years, wildlife removal experts say that interactions between coyotes and humans … Continue reading →

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Fairfield Lake State Park is officially closing

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

At the end of the month. A popular state park southeast of Dallas is poised to become an exclusive community with multimillion-dollar homes and a private golf course. Fairfield Lake State Park will close Feb. 28 after months of negotiations … Continue reading →

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Somehow, Texas could lose a state park

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

You wouldn’t think that would be possible, but you would be wrong. Texas is at risk of losing a state park forever. Fairfield Lake State Park, an 1,800-acre gem overlooking a beautiful 2,400-acre lake, nestled within the convergence of three … Continue reading →

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Still rough times for oysters

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing from earlier in the year. Tuesday marks the start of Texas’ commercial and recreational oyster season, but the bulk of the state’s oyster reefs are already closed for harvesting. This follows last year’s season during which the majority of … Continue reading →

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Beware the tasty invasive Aussie lobsters

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully we can eat enough of them to mitigate their impact. They may be delicious, but they’re also invasive. Texas Parks and Wildlife announced Thursday that several Australian redclaw crawfish were recently discovered again at an apartment complex pond in the Brownsville area. Labeled … Continue reading →

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The porkchopping experience

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ever wonder what it’s like to hunt feral hogs with a machine gun from a helicopter? Well, here you go. Feral hogs have terrorized Houston neighborhoods for years, tearing up grass and causing property damage in search of food. But did you … Continue reading →

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The Huntsville bats get a reprieve

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of good news, which we can all use. Hundreds of thousands of bats living in a damaged Texas Department of Criminal Justice warehouse will get a little more time before their fate is decided. A temporary stay, if you will. … Continue reading →

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Rough times for oysters

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad for oyster fishers, too. But if there just aren’t enough oysters to support harvesting them, well… Currently, 25 of the state’s 27 harvesting areas are already closed. The season normally runs from Nov. 1 through April 30, but … Continue reading →

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Will the Huntsville bats be homeless?

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope not. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats in the coming weeks will return to an abandoned Texas Department of Criminal Justice warehouse, their preferred spot to spend the summer. They will find their usual digs partly … Continue reading →

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The Huntsville bat warehouse

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I love stories like this, even when they leave me wanting more. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats streamed out of the abandoned brick building on a recent weeknight, leaving behind the burned-out structure where they’ve stayed for many … Continue reading →

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The freeze was hard on the bats

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. The bat colony under the bridge at Waugh Drive in Buffalo Bayou Park, a beloved staple of the city, was severely impacted by last week’s winter storm. While the full extent of the damage is still unknown, many of … Continue reading →

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Hunting hogs from hot air balloons

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not as popular as hoped. Turns out, hunting feral hogs from a hot air balloon is not all that popular in Texas. Three years after state lawmakers approved the high-flying hunts, no balloon company has gotten a permit, according to … Continue reading →

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The aoudad story

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Did you know before reading this post what an aoudad is, other than a potentially useful word to know the next time you play Scrabble? I admit that I had never heard of them, but the state is Texas has … Continue reading →

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Sorry, Smithville

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Their loss would be Houston’s gain. MD Anderson Cancer Center will relocate its nearly 50-year-old research facility near Austin to Houston, a decision that’s upset business and political leaders in the central Texas area. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape has … Continue reading →

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Hogs in the city

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Too close, y’all. Too close. If you have noticed more feral hogs in your Houston-area neighborhood recently, you are not alone. Neighbors across the Greater Houston report the wild animals are more frequently making their way into their subdivisions and … Continue reading →

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The dino turtles of Buffalo Bayou

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. The creature didn’t growl and didn’t need to. The alligator snapping turtle held menace enough in its massive, gaping jaws, which ended in a sharp beak poised like the fangs of an agitated rattlesnake. Its long, … Continue reading →

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The Harvey effect on the Waugh Street Bridge bat colony

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It was bad, but we hope they will recover. Tens of thousands of bats perished or were displaced from their home at the Waugh Bat Colony when Hurricane Harvey swept through the city this summer, according to bat experts. “Pre-Harvey, … Continue reading →

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Save the bats

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you needed something else to worry about. Texas researchers have closely watched the state’s bat population for years, looking for signs of a disease that has killed millions of North American bats: the white, powder-like substance on their … Continue reading →

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