KINGSTON— The Friends of Lake Texoma State Park, an organization wanting to block the privitization of Lake Texoma State Park, is petitioning Attorney General Drew Edmondson to stop the privatization of state and federal Corps of Engineers land at Lake Texoma State Park.

In a letter sent to Edmondson last week, the Friends assert that the sale of the popular state park violated key provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act, as well as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Friends of Lake Texoma said, in a news release.

They are demanding that Edmondson enforce the strict conversion requirements of the LWCF which call for replacement park lands to be identified and approved by the National Park Service prior to either the sale or conversion of Lake Texoma State Park.

“Thanks to the Oklahoma Open Records Act, we have acquired extensive documentation of violations by the State of Oklahoma Land Commissioners and the Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) which call into question the legality of the sale and ongoing conversion of our state park to private commercial use,” said Boyd Steele, of the park advocacy group.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act assists in preserving, developing and assuring accessibility to outdoor recreation resources for all citizens of present and future generations.

As early as 1997, OTRD Director of Planning and Development, Kris Marek, acknowledged that the entire park was protected by the LWCF, Steele said.

In a letter obtained from OTRD, Marek stated, “Since all of Lake Texoma State Resort Park is basically within the 6F boundary, we have reviewed the proposal (for Chickasaw Pointe Golf Course) and see no decrease in the available recreation estate. The use will change from a public group camp and campground to a public golf course. If this use alteration (conversion) is approved, the new golf course would be protected under the 6F requirements of the law.”

“The LWCF Section 6F provides that any use of land within this park for other than park and recreation purposes would be a conversion and would be prohibited,” according to Susan Henry, LWCF grants administrator, conservation and planning, OTRD. Henry wrote this in response to requests for input to an Environmental Assessment (EA) conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2004.

The Corps study of 564 acres of federal lands was based on a land use proposal by the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) to purchase the park and shoreline acreage to be leased for a very limited commercial and residential development in the Chickasaw Pointe area located north of US Highway 70.

The November, 2004 CLO plan called for the complete renewal and revitalization of the Lake Texoma State Park, Resort and Golf Course to the south of US 70, to complement the public/private partnership at Chickasaw Pointe.

The CLO never informed the Corps of their intent to sell the federal lands to a private developer and displace the entire park, according to Friends of Lake Texoma.

Vicki Gaylor, secretary of the Friends of Lake Texoma State Park, said, “We have proof that Tourism obtained seven federal LWCF grants to build group camp sites, campgrounds and electrical systems, sleeping cabins, community buildings, park roads, the lodge golf course irrigations system and lodge tennis court lighting.

“Based on the documents we received, there is no evidence of National Park Service (NPS) approval for the conversion, or sale of any of the public lands which constitute Lake Texoma State Park, or the adjacent Corps of Engineers wild lands which border the park,” Gaylor said.

The reason that the Friends of Lake Texoma have contacted Attorney General Edmondson is the wording of the law.

Stephen Willis, executive director of the Friends, said, “It is bad enough that the public has been misled and lied to by almost every state agency involved in the theft of Lake Texoma State Park. We should not have to shoulder the extreme burden and costs of litigation when it is the job of Attorney General Edmondson to enforce federal laws within the State of Oklahoma.”

“Our letter to Edmondson stated: The following are reasons why it is incumbent on you to enjoin the Tourism Department as well as Pointe Vista, from any further conversion of the park:

1) The State LWCF Manager Kris Marek was required by law to consult with the NPS-LWCF manager prior to any appraisal activity. She did not.

2) OTRD was required by law to seek NPS approval prior to any conversion or sale of any park lands contained within the 6(f)(3) boundary. They did not.

3) The CLO was required by law to seek NPS approval prior to closing the State Park Lodge and 70 park cabins in December 2006. They did not.

4) OTRD was required by law to seek NPS approval prior to their decision not to restore the flood damaged RV campgrounds last spring. They did not.

5) The CLO and OTRD were required by law to seek NPS approval and comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to the sale of newly acquired park lands to Pointe Vista Development. They did not.

6) The Environmental Review Process for Area C, which has not begun, must analyze not only the Section 6(f) (3) area proposed for conversion, but also the development of the replacement parkland. The 2005 Environmental Assessment did not include an analysis of the replacement parkland for Areas A or B. Therefore the sales of Areas A and B should be invalidated and those parklands returned to State ownership.

7) The Corps of Engineers was misled by the CLO and OTRD to believe that their sale of Lake Texoma State Park lands was for the purpose of enhancing public recreational access. Instead, once transferred, it was sold to Pointe Vista Development (Aubrey McClendon, Mark Fischer and Chaparral Energy.)

“For these reasons, the Friends of Lake Texoma State Park, representing Kingston area businesses and all Oklahoma park patrons and registered voters, hereby request that you inform the state Tourism and Recreation Department to cease all conversion activities, and submit their plan to the National Park Service.

“Let it not be said that when the people came asking you to enforce the law, that you turned your back on the citizens of the state of Oklahoma and stood with those who are taking our park.”

For more information, visit www.friendsoflaketexomastatepark.org.