For Immediate Release (Wednesday, November 2, 2005):
Contact: Ken Kramer (512-626-4204, cell; 512-476-6962, office)
The
Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club consists of over 25,000 members.
The Chapter spans the entire state of Texas, excepting El Paso, which
is part of the Rio Grande Chapter.
Located in Austin, the Lone Star Chapter's State Conservation Office
serves Sierrans as their grassroots communications center. We also provide
Sierrans with a full time professional activist staff employed to represent
Sierrans as we fight at the state level to protect and conserve Texas'
diverse and valuable natural heritage.
Statements regarding two current Texas Parks & Wildlife Department topics
by Ken Kramer, Director, Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
On the Department’s proposed new “Land Transaction Process Review”– a new set of procedures governing land sales, land transfers, land trades, and land acquisition & purchase (to be considered for adoption by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission at its 11/3/2005 meeting):
“The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club supports the proposed new Land Transaction Process Review to be considered by the Parks & Wildlife Commission at its Thursday meeting. We commend Parks & Wildlife Department Executive Director Bob Cook and Scott Boruff and other staff members for their responsiveness to public concerns about the way in which land transactions should be handled by the agency. We especially appreciate the opportunity that the agency leadership provided to Sierra Club and other interested parties to provide meaningful input to the development of these new land transaction procedures.”
On the published comments by Mr. John Poindexter about the possibility of renewing his offer to purchase part of Big Bend Ranch State Park sometime after the gubernatorial elections in 2006:
“With all due respect, I believe that Mr. Poindexter has misinterpreted the reasons why the proposed sale of part of Big Bend Ranch State Park was unanimously rejected by the Parks & Wildlife Commission in August. It wasn’t a matter of gubernatorial politics, it was a matter of the public urging the Commission to protect a treasured state park and the integrity of the state park system. If Mr. Poindexter wants to assure his legacy to the state of Texas, then I would respectfully suggest that he drop his quest to buy part of Big Bend Ranch and instead consider donating his Cibolo Creek Ranch to the state park system at the appropriate time and establishing an endowment to maintain that property.”
