Big Thicket National Preserve

In addition to rare plants, nearly 186 species of birds live in or migrate through the preserve, including the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and swallow-tailed kite. Several species of snakes, including the Louisiana pine snake, and even a small population of alligators also can be found at Big Thicket.

Established by Congress in 1974, Big Thicket was the first preserve in the National Park System. It is also listed as one of the United Nations International Biosphere Reserves.

Big Thicket Gets Bigger

We have helped preserve nearly 33,000 acres at Big Thicket National Preserve. Most notably, The Conservation Fund made the largest donation in Big Thicket National Preserve’s history when, with our partners, we donated 6,600 acres of bottomland hardwood forest and cypress-tupelo swamp to the National Park Service in 2009. That same year, we helped Texas Parks and Wildlife double the size of Village Creek State Park with the addition of 1,500 acres. The park is located next to Big Thicket National Preserve’s Village Creek and Neches River Corridor units.

Building on that success, in 2010 we helped the National Park Service purchase more than 4,000 acres of former Hancock Timber land. These purchases added more than 800 acres to the Canyonlands Unit of the preserve and more than 3,600 acres along Village Creek, which establishes a continuous habitat corridor for migratory waterfowl and songbirds and serves as a floodplain that will benefit the communities along Village Creek and the Neches River.

Why This Project Matters

Having largely been owned by timber companies for the past century, the Pineywoods region of east Texas, which includes Big Thicket and the Neches River, the last “wild” river in Texas, is a natural wonderland that the public rarely got to see. Due to changes in the industry, these timber companies have been selling their forestland, presenting unprecedented opportunities for landscape level conservation and public recreation. Our work in Big Thicket and the surrounding area is ongoing. In addition to land acquisition, we also run an ecotourism and economic development program for the region called the Pineywoods Experience, and we helped established Texas’ largest wetlands mitigation bank, the Pineywoods Mitigation Bank.

Pitcher Plant At Big Thicket National Preserve
Photo by Jerry Odenettel/Flickr

Other carnivorous plants, such as the pitcher plant, can be found along Big Thicket's trails. Unlike the dwarf sundew, the pitcher plant attracts insects through veins baited with nectar. The insects fall into the mixture of rain, dew and a digestive enzyme. For more information about visiting Big Thicket, go to the National Park Service's website.
Dwarf Sundew Plant
Photo by Jason Penney/Flickr

A close up of the dwarf sundew plant (Drosera brevifolia). Big Thicket National Preserve is home to four of North America's five carnivorous plants (the well known Venus flytrap is the only one not found in Big Thicket). The dwarf sundew typically grows about 1 inch across making it very difficult to spot unless it is in bloom. How does it capture its prey? Insects such as ants and flies are enticed by the sundew's sweet smell and become trapped in a sticky sap on its tentacles. The tentacle curls over and eventually envelopes its prey, digesting it for food
Birds At Big Thicket National Preserve
Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

A Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is one of the nearly 186 kinds of birds that live or migrate through Big Thicket. These birds, named for the shape of their bill, can be found across the Gulf coast. Other birds that call Big Thicket home: bald eagle, peregrine falcon, American white pelican, hairy woodpecker and swallow-tailed kite. Birdwatching is one of the many activities visitors can enjoy in Big Thicket. The preserve also offers hiking, camping, kayaking and more.
Trees At Big Thicket National Preserve
Photo by Annie Bradford/Flickr

The trails of Big Thicket take visitors through many natural wonders, such as rich forests full of cypress and tupelo trees. In all, there are 85 different types of trees in Big Thicket. This is a great image showing the "knees" of a cypress tree—the small protrusions on the trunk. Scientists are not entirely sure of their purpose.
Trail At Big Thicket National Preserve
Photo by Scott Jones/Flickr

Well known as the “biological crossroads of America,” visitors can hike along more than 40 miles of trails through Big Thicket National Preserve. The Fund is proud to have helped expand Big Thicket by nearly 33,000 acres through a series of projects. The preserve has nine areas and six water corridors in narrow bands along the Neches River and Village Creek, two of the most pristine and unaltered river corridors remaining in Texas.
Roseate Spoonbill
Photo by Terry Ross/Flickr

Big Thicket Gets Bigger

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