Комиссар земель Техаса обсудил реставрацию Альамы и новые инициативы по добыче стратегических ресурсов

Texas Land Commissioner highlights Alamo preservation, heritage at Brazos Valley visit BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham visited the Brazos Valley on Wednesday to speak with the Sons of the Republic of Texas about the General Land Office’s role in preserving the state’s history and securing its economic future. Established in 1836, the General Land Office (GLO) is the oldest state agency in Texas. Today, it manages more than 13 million acres of state land, making it a critical driver of funding for public education and disaster recovery. “We run 13 million acres,” Buckingham said. “It makes us not just the largest landowner in the state, but the largest mineral owner in the state that funds education to the tune of $6 billion in the first four years of my service.” A key focus of Buckingham’s presentation was the GLO’s active oversight of a massive $550 million preservation project at the historic Alamo in San Antonio, aimed at securing the 300-year-old site’s structural integrity. “What we’re literally doing is making a visit to the Alamo worthy of the significance of the events that happened there,” Buckingham said. According to Buckingham, the expansion project includes a recently opened children’s education center, a collection center, and a new museum featuring a 4D theater with an educational film produced by Texas filmmaker Taylor Sheridan. The GLO also houses the oldest archives in Texas, containing millions of land records, historic maps, and flags. Buckingham, a ninth-generation Texan whose family arrived in 1813, encouraged residents to use the agency’s digital database to explore their own heritage. “Most of our collection is digitized,” Buckingham said. “You can go to the General Land Office website and hit the Heritage tab and you can look up all kinds of things by family name or whatever it is you have.” Looking to the future, Buckingham highlighted new initiatives aimed at securing critical supply chains, including leasing GLO lands to extract strategic resources. “We’re breaking China’s monopoly on rare earth minerals, which... is what your phone needs to work [and] jets need to fly,” Buckingham said. “We’re bringing in new streams of revenue. We’re helping to protect our coast and our veterans... and we’re just that engine that keeps delivering for Texas in a good way.” Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.