News Release
NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga
Subscribe
 |
What is RSS
|
Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700
KOUNTZE, Texas – Big Thicket National Preserve is expanding the volunteer longleaf pine planting efforts to ecosystem-wide planting events this winter. Volunteers can join park staff and partners to plant longleaf pine and native grasses in December, January, and February.
“As we expand our restoration efforts of the longleaf pine savannah ecosystem, we move from focusing solely on longleaf pine to planting native grasses to assist with the understory of this important ecosystem at Big Thicket,” said Superintendent Wayne Prokopetz.
The first restoration event is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, and is geared toward youth organizations. Youth of all ages are invited to learn more about the preserve and stewardship with the National Park Service while planting grasses to rejuvenate the understory of the ecosystem. The second event will take place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 16, 2023, where volunteers will be planting grasses and longleaf pines. The third and final event will take place on Presidents' Day, February 20, 2023.
During the events, the area surrounding the planting areas will be closed for hunting. Notices will be posted a week in advance in those locations.
Big Thicket is excited to host these events with the help of partner and friends groups including Big Thicket Association, Big Thicket Biosphere Reserve, Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust, National Parks Conservation Association, and Texas Conservation Alliance.
“The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is proud to join Big Thicket staff and volunteers once again from across the Lone Star State to help this one-of-a-kind ecosystem flourish. For more than a decade, NPCA and partners have led the charge to plant native longleaf pine trees and restore the savannah to glory. Our national parks in Texas and beyond deserve nothing less than the strongest degree of protections and the fullest extent of ecosystem revitalization possible. We could not do any of this work without the backing of National Park Service experts and our dedicated volunteers and partners,” said Erika Pelletier, National Parks Conservation Association Associate Director for Texas and Oklahoma.
Visit volunteer.gov and search “Big Thicket” to sign up for these upcoming events or call the visitor center at 409-951-6700 to register. Once registered, information about the event, including location and paperwork will be sent out to volunteers two weeks before the event.
Big Thicket National Preserve is 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 these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.
-NPS-
Last updated: November 27, 2022