With Texas Sprawl: Fewer Places to Roam

Richard Parker writes about the sprawl creping across Texas:

"As the heart of Texas — the Texas Triangle — swells with population, the cornfields and sunflower stands recede before the march of the suburbs. But there is a glimmer of hope because ranchers and environmentalists, hunters and city dwellers now have something crucial in common: harnessing the runaway development of the suburbs and exurbs."

According to Parker's research:

"more than 80 percent of rural Texas is privately owned, and we are turning ranchland and farmland into suburbs faster than any state in the country, according to the Texas General Land Office. In the 25 years preceding 2007, 7.5 million rural and farmland acres had been plowed under for development, according to the Farmland Information Center."

For lessons in teaching people to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors, Parker looks to Arizona, which in recent years "has opened millions of acres of private land to public access and is paying farmers and ranchers for another million. This ensures that dove season here is still the most democratic hunt: cheap, simple, wide-open to novice and expert alike."