It is managed by the National Park Service. The Preserve was established to protect the remnant of its complex biological diversity. What is extraordinary is not the rarity or abundance of its life forms, but how many species coexist here. Once vast, this combination of virgin pine and cypress forest, hardwood forest, meadow and blackwater swamp is but a remnant. It surpasses any country for brush.
Bogs sit near arid sandhills.
Eastern bluebirds nest near roadrunners. Nearly 300 kinds of birds live here or migrate through. Fifty reptile species include a small, rarely seen population of alligators. Amphibious frogs and toads abound. Designation of Big Thicket as a National Preserve created a new management concept for the National Park Service.