Texas To Purchase New Park Land While Saving Fairfield State Park

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Months ago we wrote about the possibility of Texas losing a State Park to development. Fairfield Lake State Park has been open to the public since the 1970's but in February the park closed to guest. What many did not know is that the park wasn't owned by the state, instead it was leased land.

But that may change soon, and Fairfield Lake State Park may not only be saved, but it may grow in size according to the Dallas Morning News.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Thursday to allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s executive director to “take all necessary steps” to buy roughly 5,000 acres of land in Freestone County that includes the park, according to a TPWD statement.

The state’s new movement toward purchasing the land came after lawmakers worked across the aisle to make keeping Fairfield Lake public land “one of their top priorities,” the parks agency’s statement said.

“This action reinforces the continued commitment and support of state leadership, TPW Commission and TPWD to saving the park while adding new park land for all Texans now and in the future,” the statement said.

The commission might meet next week to “explore additional legal options to save” the park, the department said.

The state park normally see's about 80,000 visitors a year with the more popular activities being hiking, fishing, camping, family reunions, paddle boats, and even horseback riding.