The bitter tide of privatizing public lands and waters is rising fast across America. Only the actions of quietly heroic citizens can stop it.

Nobody who hunted and fished the Cutoff wanted to tell the world about it. The Cutoff is also known as Creslenn Lake, a twelve-mile stretch of what used to be the Trinity River (it was “cut off” by a long-ago flood control project) between Navarro and Henderson Counties about an hour and half south of Dallas, Texas. The Cutoff has been a locals’ top destination for crappie fishing, duck hunting, jug lining and just enjoying this wild corner of Texas, through multiple generations (check out the Save the Cutoff Facebook page for the comments). Nobody dreamed that one day, a local landowner would simply declare the miles of public water his own fiefdom, hiring guards, closing roads, building illegal fences and excavating -- also illegally -- thousands of yards of dirt to block any hope of access. This is a David versus Goliath story, a battle fought on behalf of us all, by a very small band of hardworking rural Texans who simply will not lay down and take it.

Learn more:

https://www.backcountryhunters.org/local_outdoorsmen_rally_to_save_the_cutoff

https://www.facebook.com/p/Save-the-cut-off-100078227846990/

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/east-texas-cutoff-trinity-river-land-dispute/

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BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE.

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BHA Podcast & Blast, Ep. 184: Save the Cutoff with Texans Bud Morton and Dustin Baker 01:33:28 Share

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring

Shownotes Transcript

BHA Podcast & Blast, Ep. 184: Save the Cutoff with Texans Bud Morton and Dustin Baker