The state of Texas purchased a massive Brewster County ranch near Big Bend National Park in November for $81 million less than the land was originally listed for sale, according to records obtained by Marfa Public Radio.
The documents, obtained through a Texas Public Information Act request, show the Texas General Land Office bought the Brewster Ranch for $164.6 million, significantly less than the $245.6 million the property was listed for at the time of the sale.
The deal came as a surprise when it was first reported by The Land Report magazine in October. The Brewster Ranch is an assortment of smaller Big Bend area ranches that were pieced together by former owner Brad Kelley and had been for sale for about five years. The news of its sale marked a significant acquisition of land for the GLO, which already manages about 13 million acres of land and mineral rights across the state.
While a detailed plan hasn’t emerged for how the state will use the more than 353,000 acre ranch, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in an email the agency is “looking forward to utilizing this property’s assortment of natural resources to generate revenue for the schoolchildren of Texas via the Permanent School Fund.”
The Permanent School Fund supports the state’s public education system and is funded largely by oil and gas leasing on GLO-managed land. Revenue is also raised by things like solar power, agriculture and commercial development.
“In addition to ensuring nature conservation on Brewster Ranch, many types of leasing options are available, including, but not limited to, hunting, agriculture, mineral, and soil carbon sequestration,” Buckingham said.
Last month, the land commissioner met with representatives of Sul Ross State University’s Borderlands Research Institute to talk about conservation strategies for the ranch, according to a social media post from the university.
Buckingham has also indicated that across the state, the GLO will play an active role in President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
She announced last month the agency would make a separate South Texas ranch it recently purchased - along with land in the El Paso area and “elsewhere in Texas” - available for the purpose of building deportation facilities, though the incoming Trump administration has not formally accepted the offer.
The GLO told Marfa Public Radio it does not plan to use the newly acquired West Texas ranch for that effort.
“Brewster Ranch has a border security component; however, it would not be a part of this initiative as the terrain wouldn’t be suitable for this type of facility," agency spokesperson Barry Hunt said.
