Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Presenter: Ted Hollingsworth
Action
Acceptance of Land Donation – Nueces County
Approximately 680 Acres added to Mustang Island State Park
August 21, 2014
I. Executive Summary: Texas Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees have agreed to the purchase of approximately 680 acres of land adjacent to Mustang Island State Park for donation to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
II. Discussion: The first 3,790-acre tract of Mustang Island State Park was acquired in 1976. Today the park has grown to 4,094 acres. The park straddles Mustang Island, with more than 5 miles of beach fronting on the Gulf of Mexico. Mustang Island has developed rapidly in recent years, and few opportunities remain to enlarge this popular destination state park for the future. The largest of these opportunities is a tract known as the Facey Tract on the north end of the park running from highway 361 to Corpus Christi Bay, with a half mile of boundary in common with the park. Staff of TPWD has worked with the coastal conservation community for more than a decade seeking the means to acquire this tract for addition to the state park.
Between 1941 and 2002, Asarco and Encycle operated smelting and waste management facilities that discharged pollutants into upper Corpus Christi Bay. In October 1999, ASARCO and Encycle entered into a consent decree with the United States and the State of Texas to resolve violations at the facility. The three state and two federal Natural Resource Damage Trustees have identified acquisition of the Facey Tract as part of a schedule of actions to help offset injuries to the natural resources of the Corpus Christi Bay system resulting from this pollution. If consummated, this property would be added to the state park in September or October of 2014.
III. Recommendation: The staff recommends the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopt the following motion:
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorizes the Executive Director to take all necessary steps to accept the donation of approximately 680 acres in Nueces County for addition to Mustang Island State Park.”
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit A
Location Map for Mustang Island State Park in Nueces County
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit B
Vicinity Map for Mustang Island State Park
Commission Agenda Item No. 9
Exhibit C
Site Map for Subject 680-Acre Facey Tract at Mustang Island State Park (698 Acres Includes Wetlands Belonging to Texas General Land Office)
