Big Bend

McDonald Observatory astronomers worked with energy companies to dim their lights.

U.S. Customs and Protection said Friday that military personnel will be sent to Border Patrol stations in Alpine, Van Horn and Presidio to “assist agents with surveillance, intelligence gathering and logistical support.”

The plant, formally known as Ovicula biradiata, is especially notable for being the simultaneous discovery of a new species and genus. It was found with help from the community science app iNaturalist.

In 1918, more than a dozen boys and men in the small West Texas border community of Porvenir were executed by a group of Texas Rangers, U.S. soldiers and ranchers. More than a century later, their descendants are pushing for all of the victims’ death certificates.

The Texas General Land Office purchased the private Brewster Ranch that had been listed for sale at more than $245.6 million. State officials did not disclose a final sale price.

A new 48-page report from Texas A&M University takes a deep-dive look at tourism trends at Big Bend National Park, which saw more than half a million visitors in 2022.

The Big Bend Conservancy expects to finalize the purchase nearly 4,000 acres near Terlingua in early 2023, then donate the land to the park.

Though the region’s tourism economy is booming, some within that industry have become frustrated with local officials who are allowing some short-term rental owners to get away with not paying their taxes.

The national park reached a significant milestone this year. The Far West Texas destination surpassed 500,000 visitors in a calendar year — a first in the park’s 76-year history.

A record increase in hiking has been reported in Texas as residents seek exercise and escape from a pandemic that is nearly a year old.