Alana Hoffman

Texas River Access and Conservation Areas: A Case Study in Use of Riparian Leases to Enhance Angler Access and Facilitate River Stewardship

SEAFWA Journal Volume 7, March 2020

Texas contains 307,752 km of streams, creeks and rivers, including 64,686 km of perennially flowing waters. The state maintains public navigability laws that ensure the rights of paddlers and anglers to wade and float many Texas creeks and rivers. However, private ownership of riverbanks limits the number of locations where the public can legally access those waters from land. To confront this reality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and cooperating organizations built partnerships with private riparian landowners to expand fishing and paddling opportunities on publicly...