Texas is buying a 353,000-acre ranch near Big Bend National Park

The Texas General Land Office has purchased a private ranch of more than 353,000 acres in the vast Big Bend region of west Texas that has recently been developed. put up for sale for over $245.6 million.

GLO confirmed the news to Marfa Public Radio on Tuesday after it broke first reported by The Land Report magazine.

The Brewster Ranch — a vast collection of more than 28 smaller parcels of land in some of the state’s most rugged and remote areas near the Rio Grande — was put up for sale By Billionaire from Tennessee Brad Kelley in 2019

Before the sale, Kelley was largest landowner in Texas.

The ranch was described by King Land & Water, which acted as an intermediary in the sale in your list as “one of the most important intact, ecologically significant properties currently available on the market.”

State officials did not disclose the final sale price.

Real estate agent James King, who was involved in the deal, told Marfa Public Radio it represented “one of the most important land acquisitions in Texas history.”

The sheer size of the deal raises questions about what Texas intends to do with the ranch, especially given the ranch’s uniquely pristine location in one of the corners of the state that is home to Big Bend National Park and many state-owned lands. The state’s purchase of a ranch does not necessarily mean it will be open to the public.

Texas General Land Bureau manages millions of acres across the state, leasing land for commercial purposes, from agriculture to oil and gas extraction and other projects. The revenue helps fund the state’s public school system.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a statement that she was “proud to acquire this beautiful property for the State of Texas.”

Buckingham also commented on the Texas Republican initiative growing concerns in recent years about companies with ties to foreign countries – mainly China – buying land in Texas, as state lawmakers decided tried to block during recent legislative sessions.

“By securing this large area along our southern border, GLO not only prevents foreign adversaries from purchasing this land, but also ensures that this mineral-rich property will generate income for Texas students,” she said.

The GLO did not comment specifically on whether any “foreign adversaries” were trying to buy the Brewster Ranch, but said “there is another party interested in acquiring this land.”

Lack of a clear land development plan

Asked about the agency’s plans for the land, Buckingham responded by email that in addition to the “environmental benefits” of the acquisition, there are “many types of leasing options available, including but not limited to hunting, agriculture, minerals and soil carbon sequestration.”

King said he has been involved in discussions with GLO about various possibilities for the land.

“The staff told me they wanted to do something special here,” he said. “They want to look at ranches, they want to look at renovation, they want to look at options like a hunting lodge or VRBO, hiking, camping.”

King said that in the case of West Texas, the history of sprawling ranching in recent years represents a noticeable break from the statewide trend of dividing parcels of land into smaller segments, which conservationists say. negatively affects nature and ecosystems.

“Most of Texas is at risk of fragmentation, but this is an anti-fragmentation story,” he said.

Much of Brad Kelly’s Brewster Ranch was leased to ranchers, and King said that would continue, at least in the short term.

Tuesday’s news of the acquisition came just as Buckingham announced the agency’s news purchasing a separate ranch in south Texas which will be used to build 2.5 miles of new border wall.

Land commissioner – he said on social media on Tuesday that it issued permission to start building walls there within 24 hours of the GLO purchasing the land.

Only a relatively small portion of the Brewster Ranch extends to the actual U.S.-Mexico border – an extremely remote and federally protected part of the Rio Grande, called the so-called “Lower Canyons” marked by steep canyon walls along the river.

“I am always proud to step in when needed to secure our southern border, and I will use every tool at my disposal at the General Land Office to do so,” Buckingham told Marfa Public Radio. “If I learn there is a need for this property, I am eager to ensure Texans are protected from the ongoing threat of a border crisis.”

In conversations with GLO staff, King said he has “never heard a word” about the prospect of a border wall on that part of the ranch.

“There’s already a wall there,” he said, referring to the uneven terrain. “This is not an area for border walls.”

Other parts of the ranch border Big Bend National Park and the nearby Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

A TPWD spokesman said the agency was not involved in the final takeover of the ranch.

According to the Land Report, the Brewster Ranch once covered more than 431,000 acres before three sections of the larger ranch were sold separately in recent years.

King said that once the deal is finalized, his advice to the state or any entity thinking about the future of the land would be to establish an advisory board of agricultural groups, conservation organizations and state agencies to strategize on the path forward. Such an effort could involve a “massive inventory” of the ranch’s natural resources.

“It needs a really solid, science-based inventory so that we can then work towards making really good decisions,” he said.

Editor’s note: King Land & Water provides financial support to Marfa Public Radio.