FREDRICKSBURG, Texas – Enchanted Rock is set to expand due to a 630-acre land acquisition approved last month by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
The 1,645-acre state natural area located north of Fredericksburg would grow to nearly 2,300 acres with the acquisition.
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The sect of land set for purchase sits south of the state park in Gillespie County. Acquiring the land “would add excellent habitat and operational utility to the park,” according to documents from the meeting.
A date for when the acreage will be available to the public is not yet clear, according to a Facebook post from the state park.
Texas acquired Enchanted Rock and opened the state park in 1978. The document states the park sees about 250,000 visitors a year.
At the same meeting, a proposed 823-acre land acquisition at the Government Canyon State Natural Area was discussed.
While the acquisition was not yet granted, commissioners discussed beginning the public notice and input process, according to the meeting documents.
The 12,000-acre park sits along the Balcones Escarpment on San Antonio’s northwest side.
Considered a karst preserve, the state park protects the supply of fresh water to the Edwards Aquifer.
Karst, according to the National Park Service, is a form of landscape where the dissolving of bedrock creates sinkholes, sinking streams, caves and springs.
Some of the springs on the land within Government Canyon are home to several endangered invertebrates, the documents said.