AUSTIN Thanks to a recent acquisition by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), 630 acres in the Texas Hill County have been preserved adjacent to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. The property, which had the potential to hold a subdivision with hundreds of new homes, will now become a part of Enchanted Rock’s iconic park, offering new recreational opportunities at one of the most popular and visited sites in the state.
“We are so excited that we were able to acquire this property and that we will be able to give the hundreds of thousands of Enchanted Rock patrons new opportunities to recreate in this part of the state,” Rodney Franklin, Director of Texas State Parks, said in a news release. “This addition is the latest win for Texas State Parks as we work towards enhancing some of our existing sites and continuing our gold medal-winning stewardship to the people of Texas.”
TPWD was first made aware of the available land when local park staff noticed a for-sale sign and relayed the information. TPWD reviews potential opportunities all over the state to determine feasibility. In this case, TPWD engaged our official nonprofit partner, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, to help secure this important piece of property.
The property was sold by Comanche Rock Acquisitions, LLC., to TPWD.
“This land purchase would not have been possible without the help of our partners and the people of Texas,” said Franklin. “By passing Proposition 5 in 2019, TPWD was able to use Sporting Goods Sales Tax funding made available for strategic land acquisitions in conjunction with federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to conserve this property for public use.”
This property will provide an expansion to recreational opportunities at the park while also protecting the delicate natural and cultural resources near Enchanted Rock, to include the night sky and Sandy Creek. Additionally, this could help ensure the view of the hill country from on top of the rock remains beautiful and expansive.
“Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is one of the state’s most visited sites and is in an area of Texas that is seeing rapid development,” said Doug Cochran, Superintendent of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. “Acquiring this property will allow for a more expansive experience when visiting while adding to the protection of resources and recreational opportunities in the area. Currently people who visit Enchanted Rock experience the dome up close and personal. There is excitement with this acquisition that visitors will now be able to experience the dome from a distance without the threat of development.”
Now that the sale has been finalized, TPWD will develop a plan with input from the public to determine what the recreational opportunities for the property will be. This plan may take many months to complete, but the public will be kept informed of any upcoming milestones including a potential opening date.
More information about Texas State Parks’ National Gold Medal Win:
In its centennial year, Texas State Parks won the 2023 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. This award honors communities and states in the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.
The over 9 million visitors to Texas State Parks every year demonstrate that Texas is one of the nation’s premiere systems. Staff have done extensive work to invite new audiences to take advantage of the recreational and health benefits provided by their state parks and to prepare a new generation of stewards for the next 100 years of growth.
A video and additional information can be found online at https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/gold-medal/
