Rio Grande Administrative History

For purposes of this discussion, this summary is restricted to part 4 of the Final General Management Plan: The Plan

A. Boundary Establishment and Interest in Adjacent Lands

1. Seek no interest in land through such means as fee simple title, reserved use and occupancy, or easements. Rather, it is the intent of the National Park Service to establish agreements with landowners to preserve existing natural and cultural values of the Wild and Scenic River and the adjacent land area, and to provide for the public use of the river.

2. The NPS will establish the boundary of the Wild and Scenic River to be from the international boundary to the gradient boundary on the United States side.

3. The river bed of the section of the Wild and Scenic River downstream from Big Bend National Park is the property of the state of Texas. The NPS will discuss with the state of Texas the possibility of donating the river bed to the National Park Service.

B. Management Zoning

The entire wild and scenic river will be zoned NATURAL, with wild and scenic zones designated in the following areas.

Two areas will be zoned public access points pending agreements with landowners. They are: Dryden Crossing, south of Dryden, Texas; and La Linda, on the Mexican side of the river.

The Park Development Zone at Persimmon gap, in Big Bend National Park will contain new housing and serve as a contact for both the Wild and Scenic River and Big Bend National Park. All administrative and Maintenance facilities for the Wild and Scenic river will be housed in existing, facilities at Panther Junction.