461 acres added to Government Canyon

Don (from left), Alex and her friend Rachel (last names withheld) reach the top of a bluff during a hike on a trail at Government Canyon State Park on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. The park remained open from Christmas until January 7th in an effort to attract more visitors as well as to validate funding for the parks by the legislature. The trio of hikers were amongst a small group of people who took advantage of the mild temperatures on Christmas day to visit the park. less Don (from left), Alex and her friend Rachel (last names withheld) reach the top of a bluff during a hike on a trail at Government Canyon State Park on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. The park remained open from ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 120 Caption Close 461 acres added to Government Canyon 1 / 120 Back to Gallery

Government Canyon now has 461 more acres and includes the second-highest point in Bexar County.

On Friday, Chris Holm, superintendant of the state natural area on the western edge of San Antonio, said the paperwork for the $8.6 million deal was complete.

The new land will not be open to the public until it can be incorporated into the park's master plan. Once done, Holm said access would most likely be via primitive trails that would include a path up to a ridge that reaches 1,530 feet.

The property was bought with $7 million from San Antonio's Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, $1.6 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and $300,000 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The land is over the recharge zone of the Edwards Aquifer and protects endangered species and San Antonio's water supply.

The deal was made possible in large part because the landowner, Stephen Lowder, agreed to sell the property at 25 percent below its appraised value.

Government Canyon is now 9,082 acres. Holm said San Antonio has another 3,000 acres that will eventually be added to the natural area.

cmcdonald@express-news.net