Devil's River Lives to See Another Day

The Devil's River Ranch, which has 10 miles of river frontage, will remain private property for a little while longer. (by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

Just a day before a decision about the Devil’s River Natural Area being traded for Devil’s River Ranch was made, Texas Parks And Wildlife Department announced they would be postponing the decision.

The TPWD Commission was expected to vote in a meeting on Nov. 4 to approve trading the natural area and $8 million for the ranch, which is almost 3,000 acres smaller, but has almost 10 times the river frontage.

"We took this off the [Nov. 4] agenda because we’ve received great feedback from a lot of people around the state who felt the process may be moving too quickly," said TPWD Commission Chairman Peter Holt, in a press release. "Also, several people have brought to us some very interesting alternatives. We want the staff to go forward and figure out how to make this work."

The Sierra Club was the most vocal group opposed to the trade, citing potential problems with water quality, and between boaters and landowners.

"We hope that with some additional time to review this proposal, the Parks and Wildlife Commission will reach a final conclusion that the Devil's River State Natural Area should remain part of the state parks system," said Ken Kramer, director of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, in a press release.

For more information about the trade, see our previous story.