The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) announced the purchase of a 671-acre property in West Texas near Big Bend National Park.
The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC) purchased a 671-acre property in West Texas that will be managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
Heath Canyon Ranch, located just outside Big Bend National Park, was bought for nearly $1.2 million as part of ongoing conservation efforts and to provide Texans with recreational access to the parkland.
“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,” TPWD Wildlife Division Director Alan Cain said in a news release.
Surrounded by Big Bend National Park, Black Gap WMA, Brushy Canyon Preserve and other state-owned lands, the property once created a space of relatively unaltered wildlife habitats.
The property includes 1.2 miles of river frontage along the Rio Grande and more than 250 plant species, several native to the area.
The ranch is the only take-out point for the popular Boquillas Canyon tour through Big Bend National Park and has one of the only river access points for the scenic Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande.
TNC Associate Director of Land Protection Jeff Francell said, “As a former river guide, I am extremely pleased that The Nature Conservancy, along with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and several private foundations, were able to work so quickly to secure the property, funding and long-term management of this critical natural resource and public access point to the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande River.”
TPWD and the National Park Service will work on a long-term natural resource management plan that factors in sustainable, low-impact public access, the release stated.
A timeline for the ranch’s developments as part of that plan has not yet been released.
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