Senate bill dies: What will happen to Jones Forest?

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Although Senate Bill 1964 unanimously passed through the Texas Senate, it did not make it to the House of Representatives in time for a hearing during the state's 85th legislative session -- and as a result, Jones State Forest is not currently protected from future development by Texas A&M.

"Jones State Forest is extremely vulnerable to development by Texas A&M," said Mark Bowen, a resident of The Woodlands who has been working with several groups to protect the forest. "They have tried to sell or develop the forest in the past before the latest attempt. They will no doubt let the dust settle, and then look for another opportunity to develop it."

While owned by the state of Texas, the 1,722-acre forest is administered by the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) introduced SB 1964 at the request of Texas A&M, who expressed interest in developing 10 percent of the forest for academic, research and private commercial use.

As a result, concerned residents interested in saving the forest created the grassroots organization Save Jones State Forest.

Creighton attended a public hearing in April in Conroe, where he agreed to change the original wording of the bill in order to protect the forest.

Creighton's re-worded bill passed the Higher Education Committee and the Senate, but did not make it to the House of Representatives in time for a vote during this legislative session. The next regular session is in 2019.

"This bill, or another one, could be brought forward then," Bowen said. "But due to the low interest in getting a bill that would truly be protective of Jones State Forest passed, I believe it is unlikely such a bill will be sponsored during the next session. I also believe it is more likely that Texas A&M will come up with another, more carefully crafted bill to allow for development of Jones State Forest, or they will simply look at other non-legislative options for developing part of the forest for the purpose of generating additional revenues."

Senator Creighton's office has not issued a press release or commented on the demise of SB 1964.

"It's important for those who care about preserving this treasured forest to remain vigilant and ready to defend it against future efforts to develop it," Bowen said. "As state taxpayers and voters, we all have a right to weigh in on the future of the only tract of public state land in our region."

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