KOUNTZE, Texas — Big Thicket National Preserve has announced all normal activity has resumed at the preserve.
The preserve Visitor Center opened on Saturday with normal business hours following a 35 day lapse in federal appropriations according to a statement from the preserve.
Staff thanked community members and organizations that helped care for and maintain preserve facilities during the absence of staff members in the statement.
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The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres according to the statement.
From a Big Thicket National Preserve statement:
KOUNTZE, Texas – With the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at Big Thicket National Preserve has resumed regular operations. The preserve Visitor Center opened on Saturday, returning to normal business hours, 9 am to 5 pm, daily.
We would like to thank all the local community members and organizations who dedicated their time and energy to caring for and maintaining the preserve’s facilities in our absence. Each year many people in the Southeast Texas community volunteer their time to care for this special place. By working together, we become better stewards of this important resource. Thank you to everyone who picked-up litter, emptied trash receptacles, and offered information to their fellow hikers, hunters, and recreationalists during the 35 day lapse in federal appropriations.
Big Thicket National Preserve is located in Southeast Texas, near the city of Beaumont and 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres. The Big Thicket, often referred to as a “biological crossroads,” is a transition zone between four distinct vegetation types – the moist eastern hardwood forest, the southwestern desert, the southeastern swamp, and the central prairies. Species from all of these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.
For general information about Big Thicket National Preserve, visit www.nps.gov/bith or call the preserve visitor center at 409-951-6700. Visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigThicketNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/BigThicketNPS, and Instagram www.instagram.com/BigThicketNPS.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.