The 9,269-acre Christmas Mountains tract ranges in elevation from 3,400 feet to more than 5,700 feet, with a sparse cover of Chihuahuan Desert vegetation. Water is scarce.
The tract shares a one-mile border with Big Bend National Park and is otherwise surrounded by private property.
The park service's proposal says that the Christmas Mountains tract would be opened for day and overnight hiking. An old access route to an antenna on a 5,700-foot peak would be a "primary destination for remarkable vistas" for hikers and horseback riders. Should it be incorporated into the Big Bend National Park, the tract would amount to about 1 percent of the total acreage of the park.
The proposal pays special attention to hunting, which it says would not be allowed on the land. Patterson, a supporter of gun rights, had said last year that he wanted hunting allowed on the land. But the park service proposal says hunting access is difficult and that the deer population is low. Herrmann said a prohibition on hunting on the property did not bother him.
