Are the Franklin Mountains the Next Christmas Mountains?
Texas Land Commissioner JerryPatterson takes aim at the Christmas Mountains
From time to time a rumor floats to the top and doesn't seem to want to go away. It goes like this: Texas Governor Rick Perry has an eye on selling off Franklin Mountains State Park. The rumor seems to get kicked up whenever there is news about the sale of the Christmas Mountains next to Big Bend National Park near Terlingua. However, Texas Parks and Wildlife officials both here and in Austin are unaware of any action regarding the FMSP.
Tootin' shootin' Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has long argued that the Christmas Mountains would be better suited for hunting (after stocking up on game, of course). The National Park Service wants to procure the Christmas Mountains to add to Big Bend National Park. Since hunting is now allowed in the parks, you might think that Jerry Patterson would back off of his obsession to sell the land. Instead, he now seems to want to go ahead with a sale of Christmas Mountains to a private land holder. One wonders whether Patterson is interested in conservation or deals. And that's what begins to make me nervous about rumors of selling off all or part of the Franklin Mountains State Park.
http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2010/04/are-franklin-mountains-next-christmas.html