TEXAS
PARKS &WildlifeCOMMISSIONERS
LEE M. BASS CHAIRMAN, FT. WORTH
RICHARD (DICK) HEATH VICE-CHAIRMAN, DALLAS
ERNEST ANGELO, JR. MIDLAND
JOHN AVILA, JR. FT. WORTH
CAROL E. DINKINS HOUSTON
ALVIN L. HENRY HOUSTON
KATHARINE ARMSTRONG IDSAL DALLAS
NOLAN RYAN ALVIN
MARK E. WATSON, JR. SAN ANTONIO
PERRY R. BASS CHAIRMAN-EMERITUS FT. WORTHANDREW SANSOM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mission Statement: to pretend to treat all user groups fairly and equitably while actually giving preferential treatment to people who worry about dead stuff.
4200 SMITH SCHOOL ROAD
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78744-3291
51 2-389-4800
www tpwd.state-tx.us
December 1999Dear Friend of Hueco Tanks:
(It is interesting that I somehow wound up on the FOHT mailing list. This was the last such correspondence I received from the TPWD - I guess they decided to take me off the list!)Hueco Tanks State Historical Park, located northeast of El Paso, is considered a globally significant outdoor museum of culture and history, and a world class rock climbing area. Humans have inhabited the site for over 10,000 years. It stands today as a testament to a long and colorful history, with untold numbers of painted rock art panels and submerged (Huh? do they mean under the pond? I *think* the word they wanted was "subterranean") cultural artifacts (Old Indian junk is cool, yes, but not more important than fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed freedoms) present in its mountains. (?? Inside the rock?) Unfortunately, increased numbers of visitors (darn those visitors!) combined with changing use patterns have threatened these important resources. (Hmmm. Increased visitation has not threatened the climbing resources - oh wait; I forgot they don't consider climbable rock as a resource, they just mention it in passing, even though climbing is by far the predominant use of Hueco.)
The Public Use-Restriction Plan for Hueco Tanks State Historical Park (Hueco Tanks SHP) was implemented in September of 1998. The plan provides a framework for managing Hueco Tanks SHP with a goal of balancing continued public access with the paramount responsibility of resource protection. (Translation: the Necrocultists' ultimate goal is to keep climbers out of Hueco; once again, they ignore the fact that climbable rock is the most valuable resource at Hueco.)
When the Public Use-Restriction Plan was released, Texas Parks and Wildlife committed to complete an assessment of its effectiveness after one year. (The PURP was phenomenally effective at keeping people out the Park.) The attached Public Use-Restriction Plan Review represents the findings of that one-year evaluation, as well as recommendations for modifications to the original Public Use-Restriction Plan . The most notable of the recommended changes include elimination of overnight use at the park (Told you so - we predicted this in 1997), and requiring the current $4 per person activity fee be paid at the time a reservation for park use is made. A number of less significant proposals include modification of the hours of operation, changes to the guard service program, and revision to the policy regarding pets and bicycles in the park.