The State of Texas' Permanent School Fund is trying to quietly sell off development rights to nearly 2,000 acres of Texas public land in southwest Fort Worth that has enormous ecological, multicultural, educational, and historical values, including for Native Americans and African-Americans, as well as being one of the best remaining examples of virgin Fort Worth Prairie. Citizen and advocacy groups are clamoring to protect this 1,983 acre jewel as the cornerstone of the new Fort Worth Prairie Park Initiative, which is being spear-headed by the Great Plains Restoration Council on
behalf of protecting the endangered tall grass/mixed grass Fort Worth Prairie for future generations and struggling native wildlife.

Most of the original 1.3 million acre Fort Worth Prairie ecosystem has been lost to development or severely degraded.

The State of Texas, working with a private developer, wants to bulldoze the prairie at 10700 Old Granbury Rd to "maximize income." Due to the topography, and the huge cost of bringing a sewer to the property, they'd have to cut it into thousands of 50 foot lots to make a profit. This pristine prairie is also the last unspoiled land before the watershed empties into Benbrook Lake, a major source of Fort Worth drinking water. Furthermore, the Crowley Independent School District is already overburdened, and Tarrant County ranks 11th in the nation for ozone pollution. Additional development will only make this problem worse.

How can you help?

Emails, stamped letters, and phone calls are needed immediately to put the brakes on this proposed development. Please write AND call the elected government officials listed below, as well as your own State and U.S. Senators and Representatives.

Please send strong but positive and respectful comments to the officials below, as well as to your own Representatives and Senators. Please address your email letter formally, complete with your full name and address. Please state why protecting Fort Worth prairie land from development is so important to you. 

POINTS TO MAKE WHEN CONTACTING PUBLIC OFFICIALS: 

• 1,983 ACRE virgin prairie is at address 10700 Old Granbury Road. Fort Worth, TX, 76036.
• We have so little virgin prairie left. This property needs to be permanently protected as an urban wilderness prairie park for our struggling native wildlife, for open space, for clean air, for clean water, for our children, and for their children.
• Protect it rather than develop it.

CONTACT:

* Jerry Patterson, Land Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, is pushing for the sale, and can be contacted at:  1700 N. Congress Ave., Suite 801, Austin, Texas 78701. Phone 512-463-5256 or email: jerry.patterson@glo.state.tx.us .

* Governor Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
(800) 252-9600 (try to speak with somebody personally)
(512) 463-1782
Fax: (512) 463-1849
To email, go to Website, then click Contact, and follow instructions:
www.governor.state.tx.us

* State Representative Anna Mowery is Chairwoman of the Land and Resource Management Committee, which has oversight over the General Land Office, and she can be contacted at: 512-463-0608 or anna.mowery@house.state.tx.us . Capitol Office, Room CAP IN.05, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768

* To find out who specifically represents you, click here: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm