Big Bend Gazette :: Patterson Tells Park Service: No Guns, No Deal

Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson has responded to the National Park Service’s proposal to acquire the Christmas Mountains in Brewster County.

His answer: No guns, no deal: create a National Preserve and we can talk.

In late March Patterson wrote to Big Bend National Park Superintendent William Wellman; while describing the NPS proposal as having “positive noteworthy components,” Patterson highlighted his numerous objections to the proposal: “My consistent concerns regarding the disposition of the property have been the funding source, public access, protection of [Permanent School Fund] mineral interests, and that Texas firearms laws be respected.”

Regardless of whether the Park Service acquires the property, the GLO is moving forward with a perpetual easement granting access to the Christmas Mountains via the one-mile contiguous boundary between the Christmas Mountains and Big Bend National Park. This would open up the 9,269-acre tract to the general public for the first time since the GLO accepted the property in 1991. Under this easement, hikers in the park could reach the tract by hiking approximately 7.5 miles from the main park road. Patterson himself made the hike in January.

State Senator Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) commented, “I welcome Commissioner Patterson’s willingness to consider all viable options for the protection of the Christmas Mountains. Preserving this unique and beautiful land is important to the people of my Senate district, and to Texas as a whole. I urge all involved parties to move forward in a spirit of cooperation to secure the future of Texas’ natural heritage.”

Representative Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) did not return requests for comment.

“This gives access to the public, equal to what would occur if the Christmas Mountains were conveyed to BBNP,” Patterson told the Gazette. “And citizens don’t need to yield to an unconstitutional NPS rule regarding their Second Amendment rights, and hunting can occur on the property.

‘In addition, we hope to reach an agreement with POATRI [the Property Owners Association of Terlingua Ranch, Inc] to allow for hiking or horseback riding from Terlingua Ranch Lodge to the Christmas Mountain peak. That would be at the discretion of POATRI, of course, but I think we can make them a deal that they would at least like to try out and see how it works for them.”

In other Christmas Mountains news, during March, speaking before the Republican Forum at the Petroleum Club in Houston on the Christmas Mountains, Patterson told the group, “Big Bend National Park doesn’t want it.”

According to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, Patterson cited two letters and an off-the-record conversation with “a local [Big Bend] reporter” supporting his contention the NPS does not want the tract.

Patterson later defended his comments on the Star-Telegram’s political blog where he cited the letters from the NPS by including that the letters were from ‘Then’ Superintendent John King. Patterson continued “In a recent off-the-record conversation with a local reporter, it was stated by a park official that the Christmas Mountains tract was not wanted by BBNP.”

In his remarks before the Republican Forum and on the blog, Patterson neglected to mention that the letters were written in 2005. Patterson also did not disclose the receipt by the GLO of a requested management proposal on February 1 from the National Park Service to add the Christmas Mountains to the park and manage the land as a backcountry area. In November of last year, Patterson sought the management proposal from the NPS, and in a press release stated, “I say we give parks a chance.”

State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston) told the Gazette, “Jerry’s being Jerry. He is referring to old, several-years-old letters. He has a very attractive proposal from the National Park Service to make the Christmas Mountains part of the park. Jerry is being very dogmatic.”

In early May Patterson will have the opportunity to explain his actions before the Texas House when it holds a hearing as directed by Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) on the GLO’s management of its real estate transactions.

Author’s Note: Jerry Patterson has confirmed to the Gazette that the “local reporter” to whom he was referring at the Republican Forum in Houston with whom he mentioned he had a conversation about the Park Service’s interest in the Christmas Mountains was in fact with this reporter. For the record, what I told Patterson was from a conversation I had with a former NPS employee – and the conversation took place in 2005.