Texas purchases 1,100 acres of land for new state park
Central Texas to get new state park
Texas Parks & Wildlife signed off on purchase of 1,100 acres this week
The park is expected to be fully open to the public in four years
AUSTIN, Texas - Central Texas will be getting a new state park in the next few years.
Texas Parks & Wildlife signed off on the purchase this week.
What we know
The rugged Texas Hill Country is already known for its stunning state parks and now the state is adding one more.
"The Colorado River is beautiful," said Justin Rhodes, the Deputy Director of Texas State Parks. "It's a resource Texas should be proud to have and just having access to the river, more access, miles of river frontage, but also Yancey Creek. That's a unique feature on the property."
By the numbers
The more than 3,000-acre park will be across the river from Colorado Bend State Park, which is already pretty popular with 80,000 visitors a year.
The park will include 1,100 acres of land in Lampasas and Burnet counties that the state officially purchased this week, along with 2,000 acres that had already been bought by Burnet County.
The state park will be developed with the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, a one-billion dollar fund approved by voters in 2023 for new state parks.
What they're saying
"It's well-known for falls and access to the Colorado River, but pretty light on the amenities while you're there," said Rhodes.
The new site will feature some of the same Central Texas beauty, but Rhodes hopes it will offer more options for overnight stays.
"Potentially RV sites, potentially cabins, cottages, we're still early in the planning process," said Rhodes.
"We're excited, we're excited for the park system, we're excited for Texans," added Rhodes. "It's a new era of state parks. We just celebrated 100 years and this is helping us launch into the next 100 years of Texas State Parks."
What's next
The park is expected to be fully open to the public in four years, but they are hoping to bring fishers and bikers in around the two-year mark. Hunters could be welcomed as early as next fall.
There's still no word on what the new park will be called.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas AG Paxton Books A Win: $9.5M Settlement For Hiding Hotel Fees
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a $9.5 million settlement with Booking Holdings Inc. for hiding mandatory fees from consumers. The agreement marks the largest state recovery against any hotel or travel agency for 'junk fee' practices. The settlement addresses deceptive pricing tactics that misled Texas consumers and gave Booking unfair advantages over transparent competitors, according to a press release from Paxton's office. Paxton's lawsuit accused and of enticing customers with artificially low room rates. The company allegedly buried mandatory fees within 'Taxes and Fees' line items at checkout. 'Deceiving Texans by hiding fees is both a deeply unethical business practice and a violation of the law,' said Paxton. 'Yet, that's exactly what Booking chose to do, and now it's time for the company to pay for their unlawful actions.' The settlement requires Booking to disclose all fees upfront when displaying hotel room prices. This change allows consumers to compare actual costs across platforms efficiently. 'I will always stand up for Texas consumers and ensure that corporations are fully complying with state law,' Paxton continued. 'Texans deserve transparency when looking at prices, and there will be accountability for any company that chooses to unlawfully mislead consumers.' Paxton has previously reached similar agreements with Marriott, Omni, Choice Hotels, and Hilton. His efforts helped spur new federal regulations targeting hidden fees across industries. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Traveler captures extraordinary footage of 'ghost of the mountains': 'Sightings are incredibly rare'
Traveler captures extraordinary footage of 'ghost of the mountains': 'Sightings are incredibly rare' An astounding video captured by one traveler with Natural Habitat Adventures in the Himalayan Mountains showed an exceptional video of the seldom-found, majestic snow leopard. "These elusive big cats are known as 'ghosts of the mountains' for good reason–sightings are incredibly rare, and to witness one in the wild is the ultimate wildlife encounter," wrote the Instagram caption of Natural Habitat Adventures, which shared the jaw-dropping video on their Instagram. Though 'ghosts of the mountains' are no longer classified as endangered, they are noted as a vulnerable species. The beautiful creatures have faced poaching, habitat loss due to human interference, and ecosystem degradation. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced in 2017 a change to its status, following an assessment by international experts. "To be considered 'endangered', there must be fewer than 2,500 mature snow leopards and they must be experiencing a high rate of decline," Dr. Tom McCarthy, the leader of the Snow Leopard Programme at big cat charity Panthera, told BBC News. Now vulnerable, the species has "under 10,000 breeding animals left, with a population decline of at least 10% over three generations." Conservation efforts are said to be the reason why these species are now considered vulnerable. Sightings such as these from the Natural Habitat Adventures are exceedingly hopeful for the species, as they show that their populations are becoming more stable. Trail cameras, in addition to sightings by travellers, are measures taken by researchers to assess the populations. The Wildlife Conservation Society wrote that their conservation efforts involve "camera traps and satellite collars, community outreach and governance building, protected area development and management, anti-poaching and anti-trafficking initiatives, monitoring, conflict management, and health assessments." In uplifting conservation efforts, it paves the way for growing populations of rare species like snow leopards. Their survival goes beyond just wildlife conservation; it ensures that the ecosystem is balanced, which has implications for human food supply and health. "We're always thrilled to see what our travellers experience in the field–and this one is truly extraordinary," wrote the caption on the Instagram post. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Abbott signs bills to improve housing affordability
(The Center Square) – Multiple bills addressing housing affordability become law Sept. 1. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bills in June but ceremoniously signed them this week to highlight what the legislature accomplished during the regular legislative session this year. 'The shortage of housing has increased the cost of living and has put the dream of home ownership out of the reach for far too many Texans,' Abbott said at a ceremony in Austin. 'This session, Texas did more than any state in America to make housing more affordable. … We are going to take every step necessary to improve housing supply and improve affordability of housing.' SB 15, filed by Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt and state Rep. Gary Gates, prohibits cities from requiring unreasonably large lot sizes to build homes on five-acre-plus unplatted tracts of land, allowing for smaller and denser development. It prohibits municipalities from implementing a range of requirements for small lots, including parking and ceiling height requirements, among many others. It 'cuts local red tape that hinders housing construction and will increase housing supply and bring down the cost of housing,' Abbott said. 'Texas has become the job creation nexus of the country,' Bettencourt said. 'To follow along with housing affordability is simply just a continuation of the obvious. Because all these people coming to Texas, many of them coming from California, will have to have a place to live, so they can work here in the great state of Texas. 'The problem is really simple. We've got 340,000 units that we need to build and we're not going to wait around like California [whose leaders] drive their people away to other states. No, we want everyone to come and work in Texas and have a place to live.' Bettencourt said the regular legislative session was 'a fabulous session for everyone' because of these bills and another half a dozen more, which 'represent the greatest number of bills passed on housing affordability in the country's history before there was a crisis.' Unlike California, Bettencourt said, Texas is 'getting out and ahead of the problem. We're ahead of the problem in housing affordability. We even see it in tax policy, where in November, we're going to have I think tremendously positive votes for homeowner exemptions,' he said, referring to a ballot initiative to reduce property taxes. SB 840, filed by Republicans state Sen. Bryan Hughes and state Rep. Cole Hefner, allows for mixed-use and multifamily development in areas currently zoned for office, retail, or warehouse, to facilitate the immediate development of more housing in large cities. It also prohibits cities from adopting certain fees and requirements and removes bureaucratic or costly barriers for development in these areas. 'Many local governments make it too slow and too expensive to build more housing,' Abbott said. The new law 'slashes regulations and speeds up the permitting process.' 'The American dream of home ownership, we cannot let that be out of reach of Texans,' Hughes said. 'Many states have seen this happen,' he said, also referring to California. 'The Lord is not making any more land, so there's already a supply and demand problem,' he added. 'But we cannot add to that local governments making it harder and harder to develop.' The new law 'fixes an archaic law that makes it hard to develop property,' Hughes continued. 'If there's an existing office development, retail high-rise offices, they're just sitting there empty, those could be converted to housing. Right now, you have to go through the process of rezoning, which is expensive, time-consuming, complicated. Everybody knows when we add those regulations, and add those expenses, and those delays, it raises the cost of housing and prices Texas families out of the market.' HB 24, filed by Republicans state Reps. Angie Orr and Sen. Hughes, reforms an outdated valid petition process, referred to as the 'tyrant's veto.' The new law will make it easier for zoning changes to allow more residential development, thereby increasing supply, density, and affordability. It's 'central to increasing housing supply and affordability. It makes it easier to get approval to build more housing,' Abbott said. Orr said the bill 'addressed a 100-year-old mandate that was outdated. It got in the way of housing development and increased the cost of new construction. I'm really happy that we were able to get that through the through the Senate and the House.' The new laws represent 'a huge step to make the American dream and affordable housing a reality in the great state of Texas,' Abbott said. Solve the daily Crossword
