Austin, TX -(Ammoland.com)- Two land parcels totalling over 14,000 acres were accepted as donations by Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in recent weeks.
A donation of 120 acres will expand the size of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park near Strawn, west of Fort Worth. Watch a video about the future park. The donated 120 acres surround much of city-owned Tucker Lake within the boundaries of the more than 4,000-acre park.
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, which will open to the public in several years, encompasses former ranch land in southeast Stephens and southwest Palo Pinto counties just north of Interstate 20. The donated land does not include Tucker Lake but will add access to the lake for future visitors.
A land donation of 14,037 acres to create the new Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area in Cochran, Terry and Yoakum Counties near Lubbock, will provide a refuge for the threatened lesser prairie chicken and other native grassland birds and wildlife. It’s the first new Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Texas since the 2006 donation of the McGillivray and Leona McKie Muse Wildlife Management Area in Brown County.
A successful partnership made up of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, The Conservation Fund and Concho Resources, Inc., donated funds that leveraged $1.2 million in federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds.
“Conserving the lesser-prairie chicken all comes down to habitat, and the new Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area will provide vital breeding and nesting habitat for the species in a critically important part of its range,” said Ross Melinchuk, TPWD deputy executive director for natural resources.
About Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
The Mission of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.