Day Trips

Government Canyon State Natural Area (Photo By Gerald E. McLeod)

Special Places of Texas is a travel guide of a different sort. Instead of featuring the usual tourist spots, this free book published by the Sierra Club's Lone Star chapter outlines the scenic and wild spaces that the state is in danger of losing.

"Probably quite a few more places could have been included," says Brian Sybert, the group's natural resources director and the report's author. Part of the organization's Wide Open Spaces campaign, the list highlights 32 diverse locations around the state that are being encroached upon by urban sprawl.

The catalogue of endangered areas range from the 110-mile long Padre Island National Seashore to the 30-acre MoKan Prairie east of Round Rock in Williamson County. Not only is the colorful booklet a list of beautiful places to visit, but is also a call to action. Each entry has a brief description and a report on its current status and threats.

A 1998 Texas Tech University study laid out the facts about land and water conservation in Texas. Only 3% of land in the state is publicly owned, and 77% of Texans support more funding to buy additional land for public use. Texas may be the second largest state in the union, but ranks 49th in per capita spending on state parks. The Sierra Club report adds one more statistic: The state loses approximately 160 acres of open space a day to urban development.

"I don't doubt that the current [state] budget is tight," Sybert says, "but there is always going to be a budget shortfall." He recommends that the state issue general obligation bonds to pay for land acquisition while interest rates are low and before land prices rise out of reach. There is federal money available, but the state has to match the amount. A tax for conservation has been very successful in other states, he says. Citizens need to inform their elected officials that there is a demand and desire for protecting open spaces, Sybert says.

Unless swift action is taken to preserve open spaces, the report says, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities could be severely limited in the future. Not only are rare examples of our natural heritage disappearing, but current public lands are being squeezed by surrounding development.

Government Canyon State Natural Area outside of San Antonio is both a success story and a cause for concern. Texas Parks and Wildlife acquired nearly 6,000 acres of the heavily wooded area over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, but the original plan in 1998 was for 10,000 acres to be protected. Money woes have stalled the purchase of surrounding land as the city grows ever closer. The park is open to the public on a limited basis as the parks department conducts habitat restoration projects.

Caddo Lake in northeast Texas is home to 44 threatened and endangered species. The only natural lake in the state, it covers 32,700 acres of channels, bayous, and sloughs with Spanish-moss-draped bald cypress trees. The ecosystem is being threatened by increased water withdrawals that would significantly lower lake levels.

One of the most unique sites on the list is approximately 1,900 acres along the Medina River in South Texas that was purchased for the Applewhite Reservoir. The land sits idle after the lake project was twice vetoed by San Antonio voters. Current plans are for only about 560 acres to be converted to parkland.

In East Texas, the Sam Houston National Forest covers parts of three counties and serves as critical habitat for endangered animals and plants. Under threat from expanding development, corridors need to be acquired between the parcels of land that make up the forest.

"It all comes down to money and funding," Sybert says, "but in 10 years the price will double and there will be more pressure on the environment. The window of opportunity is closing more every year."

To obtain a free copy of the Sierra Club's Special Places of Texas or to find out more about the Wide Open Spaces campaign, contact Sybert at [email protected] or at 477-1729. The report is also available online at www.sierraclub.org. Get a copy and then see the sites before they are forever lost.

611th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.