TX Parks & Wildlife

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park officially opened April 10, 2026 with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Governor Greg Abbott, Secretary of State Jane Nelson, and other officials. The park spans 4,871 acres in North Texas between Abilene and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, offering hiking, biking, fishing, and camping on 16+ miles of trails. This is the first state park to open in North Texas in more than 25 years.

TPWD Closes Oyster Harvesting Areas TX-7 Galveston Bay, TX-20 Matagorda Bay

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is closing oyster harvesting areas TX-7 in Galveston Bay and TX-20 in Matagorda Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest due to low abundance of legal-sized oysters. TX-7 will close at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2026, and TX-20 will close at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The closures are based on samples collected by TPWD showing oysters below the threshold abundance of three inches or greater.

Galveston Bay Oyster Harvest Area Closing April 21

TPWD is closing TX-1 in Galveston Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest beginning 12:01 a.m. April 21, 2026. The closure follows recent samples showing low abundance of legal-sized oysters. Commercial and recreational harvesters must cease harvesting in this area.