June 6, 2008
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MARATHON
– Three Marathon High School seniors “walked the stage” and received their
diplomas Saturday. Devin
Kolesar, Victoria Zimmerman and Randy Ramirez turned their tassels to the
other side of their mortarboards and, with it, a new page in their young
lives. Kolesar
walked away with several scholarships including a Salutatorian scholarship
named for David Aguilar, the J.P. and Mary Jo Bryan scholarship, the MISD
scholarship from the school board and a scholarship from the technology
company CMC Systems. Kolesar
told the News Leader he will use the awards to attend Sul Ross in the
fall where he plans to major in either architecture or business. He
will stay in Marathon during the summer where he works at the Gage Hotel. When
asked how he felt about heading into the real world, he told the News Leader, “I’m ready to take it
on.” SANDERSON
– Did it look to you like last week’s News Leader was a bit bigger
than it has been? You were not seeing things. We
grew by one inch in length, not because there was any advantage to doing so.
We had no choice. Being
at the bottom of the food chain, as it were, we are controlled by the much
bigger papers. A
while back, several larger papers decided to reduce their size in the belief
that using less paper would save them money. Those
savings were illusory at best but corporate America seems to like paper
savings that don’t amount to much when all is said and done. Faced
with buying smaller paper rolls, the Ozona Stockman that presses the News
Leader shopped around and found some bigger paper. So
now the Stockman and the News Leader are bigger. But
because they still have two rolls of “dinky” left, some of the inside pages
will still be the old size for the time being. It
gets a bit esoteric but the News Leader is a “tabloid,” i.e., half the
size of a “broadsheet” paper. Like all papers today, it is printed on a “web”
press using large rolls. To
get the “tabloid” size, it is printed “four up,“ or four pages per plate.
Thus, eight pages are printed on each press – four on each side of the paper. If
we are eight, 16 or 24 pages, it will all be the same size. But
for multiples of less than eight, the machine uses what is called a “dinky,”
a roll half as wide as the others. It
can print four tabloid pages on one press but never less. That’s why we can
never be 10 or 14 pages, for example. We can only grow in multiples of four. So,
until those two rolls are used up, papers of 12 pages – our normal size –
will have some inside pages smaller than the others. Understand?
Good, now explain it to us. to
be aired MARFA – Public Radio KRTS 93.5 FM will present a series on recent issues surrounding the Christmas Mountains during its Morning Edition broadcast next week. The
PBS show will air from 5 to 9 a.m. Monday, June 9, through Friday, June 13,
with segments on the mountain issue interspersed in cutaways from the network
show. Land
Commissioner Jerry Patterson announced in April the Christmas Mountains for
the first time were open to hikers and campers visiting Big Bend National
Park. Patterson
said an easement with Big Bend National Park would allow public access via
the mile-long contiguous boun-dary with the park. The
radio station features visiting and local personalities each
week on Talk at Ten, heard weekdays at 10 a.m. and replayed at 6:30 p.m. Ruben
Martinez, artist-in-residence at the Lannan Foundation here will be on the
show today, June 6. Musician
Guy Forsyth will be heard at 3:30 p.m. today. Karl
Stephan of Texas State University will speak on the Marfa Lights Monday, June
9. Jeremy
Make and Andy Raney of kART Across America, cross-country art project will be
heard Tuesday, June 10. The
pair is traveling across country in a golf course seeking a new record. They
passed through Sanderson and Marathon this week. For more information
on the radio programs, contact Tom Michael or Drew Stuart at 432-729-4578. FORT
DAVIS, Texas – A $15,000 grant from
Harry E. Bovay, Jr., of Houston, Lowell Lebermann of Austin and Virginia
Lebermann of Marfa will help Texas Boy Scouts learn the wonders of the night
sky at McDonald Observatory, starting next week. The
grant provides for a college student to live and work at the observatory over
the summer to assist with the observatory’s Scout program, among other
duties. The
Frank N. Bash Visitors Center has hired University of Texas at Austin student
Austin Gatlin, an undergraduate majoring in astronomy, for the job. Thursdays
this June and July, the observatory will welcome as many as 250 Scouts weekly
for its eight Scout Nights. Most
of these Scouts will come from the Buffalo Trails Scout Ranch about 10 miles
northeast of the observatory. Scouts
complete a combination of activities from the Scout Ranch and McDonald toward
their Astronomy Merit Badge. They
also receive a souvenir McDonald Observatory Scout Night patch designed by
Art Director Tim Jones. A
Bovay/Lebermann grant funded production of the souvenir patches. At
McDonald, Scouts will observe the night sky through telescopes. This summer’s
wonders will include Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon, star clusters, nebulas and
various galaxies. In
addition to touring the exhibits, Scouts will also participate a hands-on
activity called “Modeling the Night Sky.” In
it, they represent the planets in our solar system and constellations,
learning how objects move in the sky and why different planets and constellations
are visible only at certain times of the year. Parents
of Boy Scout troops who will be in West Texas during June or July may also attend
Scout Nights at the observatory. For
more information, contact Mark Cash at 432/426-3864 or cash@astro.as.utexas.edu. ALPINE
– One person was killed in a one-vehicle rollover about 21 miles north of
here The
Texas Department of Public Safety said Ramon Tesero Rodriguez, 32, a taxi
driver from Ojinaga, Chih., was killed when his pickup towing a trailer
rolled several times, throwing him out. He
was northbound when the truck drifted off the roadway. He overcorrected and
rolled several times. He
was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Gerald Sotello. The
accident was investigated by Troopers Jason W. Foss and trainer Jimmy Morris. ALPINE
– More than 200 law enforcement officers and members of the public attended a
memorial service last week for area law enforcement officers who have given
their lives in the line of duty. The
service at Sul Ross State University was a project of the Big Bend Area Law
Enforcement Officer’s Association. About
half of the crowd included law enforcement officers from local, area, state
and federal agencies. Police
officers from as far away as Midland and Border Patrol Agents from as far
away as El Paso and Laredo were present. The
event marks the beginning of an effort to build a permanent memorial for law
enforcement on the Sul Ross campus. The
memorial will honor officers killed in the line of duty in West Texas or officers
from West Texas who have been killed in the line of duty elsewhere. A
temporary memorial board has been created that lists the fallen officers on
individual plaques. That
board will reside in the Sul Ross Department of Criminal Justice. As
part of the ceremony Friday, US Border Patrol Assistant Chief Dan Harris read
the roll call of 111 officers who are currently listed on the memorial. State
Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine was the keynote speaker and US Border Patrol
Chief John J. Smietana, Jr., was the master of ceremonies. The
national anthem was sung by Penny Hardaway of Sul Ross. Ed Jennings, chaplain
for the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department, provided the invocation and
benediction. Carla
Smith, whose son is a Midland policeman, provided a special musical number. A
Texas Department of Public Safety Honor Guard fired a 21-gun salute before
Sergeant Jerry Harvell of the Odessa Police Department played taps. US
Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine furnished a helicopter
flyover. Tax-deductible
donations can be made to the BBALEOA in care of John Carter, PO Box 512,
Pecos, Texas 79772. By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor ALPINE
– Other than a few leaves blowing across the grass, the east side of the
Brewster County Courthouse here was quiet New Year’s Day – there was no
auction. Kelcy
L. Warren’s $13.5 million was transferred in time to the creditors of the
“Ultimate Hideout,” the bankrupt 25,000- acre Lajitas resort, making Warren
the new owner. Warren, chief executive officer and chairman of the board for
Energy Transfer Partners LP, a Dallas based oil and gas pipeline company, won
the bidding for the “Ultimate Hideout” last month. Creditors, who forced the sale due to unfulfilled loan
obligations by previous owner Steve Smith of Austin, were hopeful that the
Warren deal would go through. A public auction would have been necessary had
it not. Warren
wasted little time in changing the name to Lajitas Resort and Spa and hiring
Houston-based resort operator Edwin W. Leslie to serve as CEO. In
an open letter to the public, Leslie promised chicken-fried steak instead of
$50 steak, lower green fees and $29-a-day RV hook-ups. Meantime,
Warren landed in his private jet at the 7,500-foot runway at the private
airport inside the resort. One
of his first stops on his pre-Christmas walk-through was a visit with artist
and songwriter Collie Ryan. She’s been squatting on the Lajitas land in her
old school bus for 20 years. “That’s
who I want to be and I can’t,” Warren was overheard saying after his brief
meeting with Ryan. |
Zimmerman
received the Valedictorian scholarship, which covers tuition for two
semesters at a Texas college of her choice. Ramirez
plans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps in October. The
community also recognized the graduates of Kindergarten and the Eighth grade. Kindergartners
were Isaac Briones, Josh Guzman and Monique Perez. ALPINE
– Hydrologist Jeff Bennett has been recommended by the Brewster County
Underground Water District to serve as an ex-officio member of the board.
Brewster County Commissioners are expected to ratify the appointment. Bennett,
who works as a scientist at Big Bend National Park, has been serving the public
and the board as an unofficial consultant over the last five months as the
water supply issue in Marathon has come under increased scrutiny. Buddy
Cavness, who drilled a well in February with the intent of supplying water to
oil drilling companies, set off a community and Water District fact-finding
effort to determine what the rules allow in regards to well water exported
out of district. Under
present Water District rules, non-exempt wells, or those used for anything
other than domestic and livestock use, are based on the amount of land the
well operator owns for that particular well. The
approximate 20-acre Cavness well site would be limited to about 9,000 gallons
of water per day. This quantity may or may not be commercially feasible. Participants
at the Water District’s Monday workshop continued to discuss wording on the
drilling, operating and export permits. During
the meeting, it was once again mentioned that exempt wells, those that are
used for domestic or livestock use and are limited to 25,000 gallons of
pumped water per day, will be required to register their wells with the Water
District by June 1, 2009. Water
District acting President Mike Davidson acknowledged and complimented the
public for their work in bringing important water issues to the forefront of
discussion. There
was no discussion during the meeting on obtaining funds to research the
condition of the Marathon Aquifer. invade
Marfa By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor MARFA
– Czech cellists Irena Havlova and Vojtech Havel (The Havels) brought their
story to Marfa last month in a two-part musical performance at the
Goode-Crowley Theater. It
was part jazz, part sci-fi sound track woven together in the belly of a whale
and laced with Indian gin fizzes and the ghost of Ravi Shankar grinning in
the background. These
were musicians at the top of their game. They’ve been playing together since
1985. They
write their own stuff and it’s wholly other – unique, perfect maybe, because
it has no comp. Cellos,
Tibetan bowls, piano, an occasional voice and candles – but mainly cellos,
alto and tenor balanced in an unreal way – going places, in and out of sync,
as needed. The
first act seemed to be their story: original attraction, fatal, screechy,
mid-game unison, lover lows, grinding melodies, highs, abrupt stops, a chime,
train-thunder and a bench-sharing, four-handed piano finale. Their
influence: notes we cannot hear? Or pre-perestroika poets of east Europe;
them who was in and out of the Soviet orb – mad dictators, a country polluted
politically, industrially, Transylvanian gypsy fiddlers like Csiszar,
playwrights like Vaclav Havel. The
Havels got freed-up in Prague somewhere along the line, perhaps only behind
locked doors to experiment in the unclassified. But
the breaking of the Berlin Wall and three journeys to India set these
poet/musicians on their way to international acclaim and to feather their
cellos on high octane. Check
out their “Little Blue Nothing” on YouTube. I
almost ran over Vojtech trying to park for a pre-performance party at the
newest restaurant in town called “Cochineal.“ Much
like his music, he gave me a look that I couldn’t interpret. Was
it Marfan drip oozing out of his expression or did he just not understand
that pickups in Texas get the street and the sidewalks too under emergency
U-turn conditions? At
the party I gave him a three-minute apology and he gave me one of those looks
again. After
realizing at the theater that he was half the act, it all seemed to work out
– interpretation is a funny thing. I still don’t know if he speaks English. The
second act included more chanted words from a language where I only understand
the name of a ski resort, Banska Bystreka. A
lot of Banska Bystreka and again tremendous powerfully conducted sounds
wrapping together for our personal deconstruction. You
don’t get this everywhere. Ballroom Marfa has done it again. ‘boot
stompin’ plays By JASON HENNINGTON Sul Ross News Writer ALPINE
– The Theatre of the Big Bend returns to the stage beginning June 27 with
boot-stomping entertainment. Three
Western plays, “Cowgirls,” “Petra’s Cuento” and “Pecos Bill and the Ghost
Stampede” will be performed during the summer season. The
productions are a part of an ongoing effort to make the Theatre of the Big
Bend a more professional company, along with drawing large audiences in the
Big Bend area. “It’s
supposed to bring in tourists and it has,” said Dona Roman, theatre director
and associate professor of Theatre. Twenty
students have been given scholarships and student jobs within the theatre
program at Sul Ross and are forming a company. “It
has always related to theatre classes but we want it to be more
professional,” Roman said. The
city of Alpine gave $20,000 to help with promotions. The university and
community support has provided funding to bring in guest stars for each show.
Three
guests were brought in last year and three more are scheduled for this year. “We
need help from the community,” Roman said. “The more funds we raise locally,
the more grant funding is possible” Roman
sees this as an opportunity for both the university and the city of Alpine. “This
raises the visibility of tourists and students,” she said. “It’s a business
opportunity not just for the university but for the community. I hope
everyone comes to see the shows.” “Cowgirls,”
written by Mary Murffitt and Betsie Howie, is a musical in which country
meets classical. Opening
June 27 and continuing through July 13, the play involves six women, three
classical and three country. When
one group learns they have shown up to the wrong place, things get
interesting. Another twist is that all the actresses play instruments. “Petra’s
Cuento” on stage July 18 to Aug. 3, is a bilingual play that is a
continuation of last year’s popular play “Petra’s Pecado.” It
involves some of the same cast and will have promotional help again from
Rupert Reyes, Jr. This
will be the fifth bilingual play in two years and is a push towards having a
bilingual theatre festival slated for 2010. “This
play is very funny,” Roman said. Petra attempts to educate her granddaughters
who do not know much about her culture. The
play has everything from phony kidnappers to district attorney officers. “Petra
did really well last year,” Roman said. “I want to take it further. I want to
make this year’s production even better and promote it even more.” The
third play set for the summer is “Pecos Bill and the Ghost Stampede,”
scheduled Aug. 7 to 10. The
interactive show is the tall tale of the cyclone-riding cowboy in the Wild
West and will have the children in the audience participating as the stampede.
“Children
love being a part of the show and parents love seeing their children being
involved,” Roman said. This
is the first interactive play since the performance of “Cinderella, Cinderella”
in 2005. “An
interactive show does really well with the kids,” Roman said. “That’s why we
chose ‘Pecos Bill.’” All
shows are scheduled Friday through Sunday at 8:15 p.m. except July 4 at the
Kokernot Outdoor Theatre. For
more information, call 888-722-SRSU or visit www.sulross.edu/theatre. seeks
world record By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager SANDERSON
– Andy Raney and Jeremy Make of Denver, CO, are attempting to enter the
Guinness Book of World Records by traveling across the country in a golf
cart. The
trip started in Rialto, CA, and will finish in Denver. The two will cover
12,000 miles around the country and it will take approximately 130 days. The
golf cart averages 40 miles per hour and they travel about 200 to 250 miles a
day, depending on the weather. Currently
there is no record for traveling the furthest in a golf cart so the two feel
confident that they will hold the record “no matter how long it takes,” Raney
said. While
on this joy ride the two plan to film a documentary entitled “What is Art in
America.” They
will seek out different types of art including dancing, music, acting and
even etch-a-sketching. In
search of art, they will visit places like Sing Sing Correctional Facility in
New York to check out their annual show where inmates perform a play or
musical every year as a form of rehabilitation. They
will also visit the Ford Motor design team in Detroit, MI. And
they will meet up with George Vlosich, III, who amazes audiences with his
etch-a-sketching skills. |
Moving into high school from the eighth grade were Zach Gonzalez, Omar Grano, Irene Ureste and Edward Gonzalez. in
Africa By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor MARATHON
-- On a good day Dan Altenburg can average 16 miles per hour but last Monday
he slowed to 11 mph as he climbed the 1,300-foot elevation rise on the long
stretch from Sanderson. “I’m
glad I left early,” Altenburg said, sipping a Tecate during lunch at the
Oasis Bar and Restaurant. He
rides a disc-brake-fitted, stiff-leather saddled Giant OCR Touring bike,
weighing in at 30 pounds. Then
add 60 pounds of gear and you can understand why his calves are the size of watermelons. He
left Saint Augustine, FL, almost two months ago. “I’ll
be in San Diego before you know it,” he said. His short-cut hair was graying
but he didn’t look over 32. He
was sturdy built, not too tall and there was a certain alertness in his blue
eyes. Altenburg
is raising money for a charity that drills water wells in Ethiopia and
Uganda. For $5,000, he can buy one well. “Mothers
have to decide whether to give their babies a cup of dirty water or none at
all.” Altenburg said. “Not an easy choice.” Altenburg
had been selling cell-phone circuitry for Tectronix. “My
boss was in the middle of giving me a raise when I told him I can’t do it
anymore,” he said. “I knew what they expected from me and I wasn’t prepared
to give ’em 100 percent. So instead of a raise I gave them my resignation.” He
went to Alaska and got involved in the Iditorod dog-sled race, becoming “by
chance” the lead dog trainer for the first sled out of Anchorage on race day. “There
must have been 100 film crews out that day from all over the world and there
I was leading the lead sled to the starting line,” Altenburg said. He
has one of those TV happy determined faces. For
more information and/or to dontate to Altenburg’s African cause check out his
blog at Charitywater.org/getinvolved/promos/dan_altenburg/ new
library ALPINE
– Many fundraisers have taken place to benefit the library. People of all
ages have participated. However,
one of the most unique participants has been ten-year-old Lydia Nell Jones. Before
last week, she had already donated $300 to the Capital Campaign. But, that
was not enough. Last
Saturday, with the help of her parents and others, she hosted a large yard
sale. Events included the sale of snow cones and even a silent auction.
“Though
Lydia has a mature outlook on helping the library, it was nice to see her
youthful vigor while she held the donated funds in her Fischer Price cash
register,” Library Director Anitra Clausen said. “How much did Lydia
raise, you ask? The total was a whopping $623.15.” When
Lydia and her mother presented the donation, Clausen asked her why such a
young person was so involved in fundraising for the new library. “I
like to read,” she responded. “It’s nice to know
that future generations are interested in the future of our local library,”
Clausen said. - plus 64 years It was on this day 64 years ago that the advantage in
World War II seriously turned from the Axis powers to the Allied forces. The
D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air and sea
forces of the Allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion
force in human history. While
the term D-Day had been used in military operations for years, for most
today, it stands for the Normandy invasion. The
operation, given the code name Operation Overlord, delivered five naval assault
divisions to the beaches of Normandy in German-occupied France from across
the English Channel. The
beaches were given the code names Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The
invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by more than
195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost
133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day.
Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300.
By
June 30, more than 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles and 570,000 tons of supplies
had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting
by soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied forces western front and
Russian forces on the eastern front led to the defeat of German Nazi
forces. On
May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodl signed an unconditional surrender at
Reims, France. The Invasion of Normandy was largest seaborne invasion
at the time, involving more than 850,000 troops crossing the English Channel
from the British shores to the coast of Normandy. Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on June
6 came from the US, Canada, United Kingdom and free French forces. Units from Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the
Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Norway joined the battle in the next
few weeks. COLLEGE
STATION – Recent rains have given hope to cotton producers in parts of Texas
but the wheat outlook, especially west of Interstate 35, remains a “mixed
bag,” a Texas AgriLife Extension Service crops specialist said last week. “There
are several challenges to the wheat crop,” said Dr. Billy Warrick of San
Angelo. His
responsibilities range from Brownwood to El Paso, an area encompassing approximately
1 million acres of wheat, both dryland and irrigated. Weather
dictated that much of the crop was planted late. Lack
of moisture restricted development of dryland stands, he said. “And
rains received in March and April have resulted in weed problems that will
interfere with harvest,” Warrick said. The
result is the usual dryland yields of up to 25 bushels per acre for his
region will likely fall to 12 to 15 bushels this year, he said. “In
the Brownwood area, where yields are generally higher at 32 to 34 bushels,
we’re probably going to see 20 to 22 bushels,” he said. Though
it’s not his region, Warrick has heard the Panhandle dryland yields will be
off this year too, he said. Irrigated
wheat yields will be slightly lower than last year. Despite
high pumping costs, the $7.50 to $8 per bushel wheat price has been “the carrot”
producers needed to keep the center pivots running, he said. In
Far West Texas, days have been hot and rainless with high winds. Scattered
wildfires burned more than 1,200 acres. Cotton planted in drip-irrigated
fields dried up due to lack of moisture. The
winter wheat and oat harvests were almost complete. Watermelons were planted
for the second time this year due to damaging hail in the Coyanosa farming
area. Pecans
and wine grapes progressed on schedule. Thunderstorms
deposited from one to five inches of rain in some small parts of the
Southwest region but most counties remained dry. The
dry weather continued to set records. High temperatures and southerly winds aggravated
the drought. Forage
availability remains below average. Wildlife continued to browse in irrigated
fields and home landscapes. Corn,
sorghum, spring vegetables, sunflowers, pecans, sod, grapes, cantaloupes,
watermelons and cotton made good progress under irrigation. Thrips
and aphid insects caused some problems. Some small grains previously under
irrigation were harvested but yields were expected to be much lower than last
year. The
cabbage harvest wound down while the potato, onion and pickling cucumber
harvests gained momentum. WASHINGTON
– US Rep. Ciro Rodriguez has introduced legislation in the House Wednesday
aimed at benefiting Fort Davis National Historic Site and the Rio Grande
River inside and east of Big Bend National Park. It
also would remove the threat of condemnation in Terrell and Brewster
Counties. On
a conference call with the park superintendents for the affected National
Park areas Rodriguez discussed the proposed legislation. “This
National Parks Package will allow for further conservation, as well as boost
tourism and economic growth in and around communities where our national
parks are located,” Rodriguez said. “Since I have the pleasure and
responsibility of representing seven National Park areas in my expansive
district, I will urge my colleagues to pass this package and help preserve
our natural areas for generations to come.” “This
legislation would greatly enhance our ability to manage the river corridor,”
said Bill Wellman, superintendent of Big Bend National Park and The Rio
Grande Wild and Scenic River. “I’m
thrilled Congressman Rodriguez is working to save the scenery behind Officers
Row at Fort Davis National Historic Site,” said Chuck Hunt, superintendent of
Fort Davis National Historic Site. “We have photos from the 1890s that show
the scene just as it is today. It would be tragic to lose this historic scenery.” Terrell
and Brewster Counties could benefit by legislation affecting the Rio Grande,
which extends the boundary designation of the Wild and Scenic River upstream
from the current boundary to the west boundary of Big Bend National Park at
river mile 902.2. The
legislation would expand the protected river designation by approximately 50
miles. The
current Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River extends from the Mariscal Canyon on
the boundary between the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila in Big Bend
National Park and extends east to the Terrell County-Val Verde County line, a
196-mile section of the Rio Grande River in Texas. Of
the 196-total miles, 118 miles downstream of Big Bend National Park is on private
land. Rivers
designated in the Wild and Scenic River system of which the public land is 50
percent or greater, condemnation for fee title purchase of private lands is
prohibited. In
the case of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, by adding the approximately
50 miles within federal land, it would remove the risk of condemnation for
the property owners along the 118 miles East of Big Bend National Parks in
Brewster and Terrell Counties. The
legislation also would authorize the National Park Service to acquire up to
55 acres of land from those wishing to part with their land via sale or
donation and increases the acreage cap for the Fort Davis site. The
current acreage cap is 476 and the park currently occupies 473 acres of that
allotment. The
western view shed of Fort Davis Historic Site is protected on three sides by
state and federal land with the exception of a tract of land, which sits on a
prominent bluff that is approximately 250 feet from the site. The
land on the bluff was placed for sale by the private owner in early February. The
land was officially purchased by a conservation buyer last month with the
intention of holding on to the land until the National Park Service could acquire
it. In
order for the National Park Service to acquire the land from the conservation
buyer, an acreage cap increase is required. |