Austin -- In a letter sent December 6, to Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston) said it is nuts to sell the Christmas Mountains to the private sector."As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Legislative Budget Board and a Texan, I am asking my good friend Jerry Patterson to give the Texas Legislature and state leadership the opportunity to determine what is in the best interest for the future of this valuable state asset," said Senator John Whitmire .

"Not only is it ill-conceived to sell off public land to the private sector, it sends a dangerous message to anyone who is considering donating wilderness land or parks to the State of Texas," said Whitmire. "Instead of selling Christmas Mountains because there is no public access, we should be working with the neighboring landowners and using our available measures to solve the issue of access to the land," stated the Senator. "In terms of the resources to make improvements on the land, we have a ready labor pool in our state prison system. Putting our state prisoners to work in Christmas Mountains would be a win-win situation benefiting both taxpayers and our inmates."

"With the number of people moving to Texas every day and the rapid development in our state, we should be protecting our public lands for generations of Texans to enjoy, not selling it to the highest bidder," commented Whitmire. "We can continue to build more malls, office buildings, and condos; but we will never be able to produce more precious, undeveloped land."

"On behalf of all Texans who value our public lands, I urge Commissioner Patterson to reconsider the sale, thank the final bidders for their interest, and remove the Christmas Mountains from the auction block," stated Senator John Whitmire

Senator Whitmire’s Letter to Commissioner Patterson

The Honorable Jerry Patterson

Land Commissioner of Texas

P.O. Box 12873

Austin , Texas 78711

Dear Commissioner Patterson:

While I applaud your efforts to maximize funding for the Permanent School Fund, I strongly disagree with your current plans to sell the Christmas Mountains located in the Big Bend area of Texas . You have a good School Fund record, but you are dead wrong about the way you are handling the future of this precious state asset. Simply put, it would be nuts to sell this land to private owners.

I understand the restrictions placed on the land when it was donated by the conservation group which I believe can be renegotiated. I also understand the easement and access issues which I believe can be addressed by current state processes.

I feel strongly that a two-year moratorium on the sale of this property would be good state policy and still protect the school children's fund. I ask that you give the state leadership the opportunity to address this issue next session.

I will personally commit to carry this issue before the Senate Finance Committee and get the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department the money from general revenue or consider a bond issue to allow all Texans a vote on the future of this land. Better yet, consider entering into a long-term lease with Parks and Wildlife similar to the land currently leased to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for prison operations.

Parks and Wildlife has a new executive director with a background in conservation and this is the perfect time to begin the mission of protecting the Christmas Mountains as a permanent state park, wilderness area, and/or wildlife management area.

Jerry, there are many ideas that need to be explored. For instance, the state could use inmate labor to build trails and other improvements on the land.

Please, Jerry, as a friend and fellow Texan, I ask you to take Christmas Mountains off the market and end all sale negotiations with the final two bidders. Let us know the details of the bids and together we will find the money in our state budget.

I look forward to hearing from you and let me know when I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

John Whitmire