Texas has lined up land for its next state park: 650 acres of pine forest, ponds and pecan orchard on Lake Palestine in Henderson County.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the state parks department, closed on the property on Thursday, Oct. 1, after investing more than $10 million, the foundation announced Friday. The foundation will hold the land until the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department can buy it in late 2027, when more money from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund becomes available.
The Texas Tribune described that fund as a $1 billion investment that lawmakers passed in 2023 and voters approved for buying and developing parks.
The land
The property lies about 18 miles west of Tyler and 20 miles east of Athens. The Pollard family has owned it since 1940 as part of its Texas Pecan Nursery business. The Tribune reported it has about 2,000 feet of lake frontage and roughly 10 ponds, and said few tracts that large and unbroken are left on the lake. Deer, bobcats and waterfowl live there.
"This land is part of my soul," said Sam Pollard, president of Texas Pecan Nursery. "It means a lot to me that we can leave a legacy for people to enjoy."
Anne Brown, the foundation's executive director, said chances to protect land like this are rare and that "timing is critical" when they come up.
