The Dallas News doesn’t like the idea. Keep Mountains Public. Dallas News.
Neither does the San Antonio Express. Christmas Mountains sale should be delayed.
Proponents of the sale have drummed up a phony Second Amendment argument to justify not selling the mountains to the National Park Service to add to Big Bend National Park. Of course, if the mountains are private property they won’t be able to take their guns there because their person can’t go there.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Texas may have the lowest % of public lands in this country. The international effort–between Mexico & this country–that is attempting to protect a large unfragmented (2.5 million acre) block of this biolgical diverse region of the Chihuauan Desert could add the Xmas Mountains to Big Bend NP. The area in question borders the northwest part of the park. However, Texas has always been anti-public lands, especially if shooting, poisening & trapping critters is prohibited. Adding this parcel of land to the park makes such good sense that it may not happen! Of course another option–better than nothing– would be to add this parcel as a “preserve” (a different clasification that permits hunting) as was done in several national parks in Alaska.
It should also make sense because the donor was a very conservative foundation, hardly one out to promote some “liberal” environmental agenda. . . but apparently not enough for the state lands director.