TPWD Ends Pursuit of Fairfield Park Property

LISTEN: (4 Minutes, 01 Seconds)

 

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will no longer pursue acquisition of the property previously occupied by Fairfield Lake State Park, now owned by FLG Owner, LLC.

“TPWD recognizes the importance of conserving our state’s natural resources and providing recreational opportunities for Texans,” said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz, Ph.D. “However, TPWD must also responsibly manage the state’s fiscal resources in order to maximize the benefit of our parks for all Texans. The citizens of Texas have always shown strong support for expanded access to state parks, and I believe there is a promising future for outdoor recreation in our great state.”

With this decision, TPWD makes clear it does not intend to exercise its power of eminent domain in the future to obtain a portion of FLG Owner’s property, including all water rights. This means that there will be no efforts to establish a state park or any other use on FLG Owner’s property.

“We want to thank the staff and visitors who made Fairfield Lake State Park such a special place for the past half century, as well as those who have supported the effort to save the park,” said Texas State Parks Director Rodney Franklin.

 

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Trophy Trout Tag Under Consideration

THE TEXAS Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Commission approved proposed rule changes to bag and size limits for spotted seatrout during its Jan. 25 meeting. Here are the official changes.

Spotted seatrout bag and size limits approved by the commission include:

• Three fish daily bag limit per angler

• A minimum size of 15 inches and a maximum size limit of 20 inches

• One oversized trout greater than 30 inches allowed as part of daily bag limit.

Something to keep in mind on this is that TPWD says these rules will go into effect as soon as possible, with notice on the actual dates to be provided when that timeframe is known.

Most fisheries changes take place beginning Sept. 1 after decisions are made in Austin. Apparently, this one is different. We will post the information on our website, www.FishGame.com, as soon as we get it.

Additionally, commissioners granted permission to publish a proposal to create a tag system allowing for the take of oversized trout.

They define this as greater than 30 inches and a tag would include one bonus tag per year, for an associated fee.

“The commission will pursue future public input and consider adoption of the proposed tag system in March.”

Texas Fish & Game will have more as we did deeper into this issue.

 

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Moore Honored for Bighorn Sheep Education

TEXAS FISH & GAME Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore has been named the “2023 Outstanding Bighorn Teacher” by the National Bighorn Sheep Center.

The facility in Dubois, WY awarded Moore last weekend at its annual “Bighorn Bash”, held at the Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois.

Moore has written curriculum on wild sheep that has been distributed to thousands of students around the country and has done dozens of presentations on bighorns at schools.

In 2022 he taught a STEM class at Little Cypress Christian Academy and spent much of that time teaching on wild sheep conservation.  He has published numerous articles in Texas Fish & Game on bighorns as well as in the Fish & Game report newsletter and for Wild Sheep, the official magazine of The Wild Sheep Foundation.

 “This is one of the biggest honors of my life. Being recognized for work with wild sheep and kids is really inspiring. I’m grateful to the National Bighorn Sheep Center for this honor,” Moore said.

Moore’s favorite wild sheep education work involves kids facing special challenges. You can learn more about that work at www.highercallingwildlife.com.

 

—Reported by TF&G STAFF

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