Providing for the protection of this unique area required the energy and time of many people and a few organizations. Today, the National Park Service manages over 86,000 acres of public land in what was the original Big Thicket- lands richly diverse in biological resources. The last Ice Age had great influence on the biological systems now found here. All are found in this geographic region. Cypress swamps are a short distance from dry sand hills covered with short grass and prickly pear cacti.
Roadrunners watch Eastern bluebirds nest in nearby eastern hardwoods.
Yes, a place of real contrasts. Big Thicket National Preserve became a part of the Internationa1 Biosphere Reserve system in 1981. Program support comes through the U.S. Department of State. The MAB program is beneficia1 due to the wider reach of scientific knowledge made available through the international community. This is the place called The Big Thicket.