The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is altering the Devil’s River land swap to make the deal more appealing to the public. The previous deal where Rod Sanders, the private land owner, was to sell his 17,000 acre piece of land along the Devil’s River to the state for $8 million and receive 20,000 acres of run down land, had the public in an uproar.

According to the Statesman, the TPWD has adjusted the Devil’s River land swap deal so that instead of trading land that is run down but precious to environmentalists, hikers and kayakers and paying the business mogul $8 million dollars, the state will now just pay him several more million dollars in exchange for his 17,000 acre ranch. Sanders originally bought his land in an effort to conserve its natural habitat and he donated conservation easements to the state in order to save the area from developers. That seems to be forgotten by the critics.

Now, the department proposes to pay $13 million for the ranch - $4 million from public funds and $9 million that private donors have raised for the sale. Many were concerned for the natural environment of the land that was to be exchanged in the Devil’s River land swap, as it was home to ancient cave paintings and other national treasures. They were also concerned about public access to the area being cut off after the deal was made. The new deal, which should calm everyone down, will come up for a vote on December 20, 2010.

Read previous news about the Devil’s River land swap from the Austin Post here.

Read the Statesman article here. 

This photo is courtesy of Nature.