News Release

National Public Lands Day 2023 at Big Thicket

You can make a big impact in the Big Thicket!

NPS Photo

News Release Date: September 5, 2023

Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700

KOUNTZE, Texas – Big Thicket National Preserve is excited to announce three volunteer events taking place on the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event, National Public Lands Day, on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Volunteers can help rangers take care of Big Thicket ahead of our busy fall season at one of three events:

Native Plant Garden Revitalization at the Visitor Center

The visitor center native plant garden needs some love! Help us clean out dead plants, place new weed cloth, and plant new plants. The preserve’s resource management staff will be on hand to provide guidance to volunteers. Meet at the visitor center at 9:00 am; all supplies will be provided. Register at volunteer.gov.

Adopt-a-Trail

Can you lend a hand to your favorite Big Thicket trail? Help us keep Big Thicket trails inviting by picking up trash and reporting maintenance issues as you hike. Meet at the visitor center at 9:00 am, pick up trash grabbers and trash bags, and head to the trail of your choice. Return to the visitor center by noon or when your bag is full! Registration is not required for this activity.

Clean-up at Village Creek Sandbar

Trash along the creek is not a pretty sight. Help us clean up a popular sandbar along beautiful Village Creek. Meet Big Thicket staff at the US Highway 96 boat launch on Village Creek just north of Lumberton at 9:00 am. All supplies will be provided, including gloves, bags, and grabbers. Registration is not required for this activity.

-NPS-

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.