I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5891 
To adjust the boundary of Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas and 
provide for three ecotourism projects within the preserve, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 24, 2008 
Mr. BRADY of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To adjust the boundary of Big Thicket National Preserve 
in Texas and provide for three ecotourism projects within 
the preserve, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The Big Thicket National Preserve, located 
in East Texas, was established by Congress in 1974 
as the nation’s first Preserve. 
(2) The Big Thicket, known as the ‘‘biological 
crossroads of North America,’’ is home to species 
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native of the Gulf Coastal Plains, Eastern Forests, 
and the Central Plains, including the bald eagle, the 
peregrine falcon, and whooping crane, which make 
their home among rivers, baldcypress swamps, pine 
savannahs, sandhills, and tall forests. 
(3) In 1993, Congress approved an expansion 
of the authorized boundary of the Big Thicket to in-
corporate more biological diversity. 
(4) In 2007, major owners of timberland in the 
region began divesting property, some of which was 
ultimately purchased by the National Park Service 
for Big Thicket. 
(5) Because of these new additions, the Big 
Thicket has reached its Congressionally authorized 
boundary of 97,000 acres. 
SEC. 2. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT. 
The first section of the Act titled ‘‘An Act to author-
ize the establishment of the Big Thicket National Preserve 
in the State of Texas, and for other purposes’’ (16 U.S.C. 
698), is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and 
(e) as subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL LANDS.—The boundary of the pre-
serve may also include any lands acquired from willing 
sellers totaling not more than 100,000 acres of land near 
the Preserve as generally depicted on the map titled ‘Big 
Thicket National Preserve Proposed Boundary Expan-
sion’, numbered 175/80, 017A, and dated April 2008. The 
map shall be on file and available for inspection in the 
appropriate offices of the National Park Service.’’; 
(3) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by para-
graph (1) above)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘owner: Provided further’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘exchange:’’ and 
inserting a colon; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘After notifying’’ through 
the end of that sentence and inserting ‘‘The 
Secretary may, if the Secretary considers such 
that lands would make a significant contribu-
tion to the purposes for which the preserve was 
created, accept title to any lands, or interests in 
lands, located outside of the boundaries of the 
preserve, as established by subsections (b) and 
(c), which the State of Texas or its political 
subdivisions may acquire and offer to donate to 
the United States or which any private person, 
organization, or public or private corporation 
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may offer to donate to the United States. The 
Secretary may administer such lands as a part 
of the preserve after publishing notice to that 
effect in the Federal Register.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) PRIVATE
LANDOWNER
WITHDRAWAL.—Any 
owner of private property included within the boundaries 
of the preserve shall have their property immediately re-
moved from the boundary by submitting a written request 
for such withdrawal to the Secretary.’’. 
SEC. 3. CANOPY WALKS, ELEVATED BOARDWALKS, AND AS-
SOCIATED INTERPRETATION. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall construct, operate, 
and maintain a system of canopy walks, elevated board-
walks, and associated interpretation that connect visitors 
with the ecological diversity of Big Thicket National Pre-
serve. In developing the system, the Secretary may give 
special consideration to areas in Big Thicket National Pre-
serve that are inaccessible to most visitors due to swamp, 
high vegetation, or fragile ecology. 
SEC. 4. BIG THICKET NATIONAL PRESERVE INTERPRETIVE 
CENTER. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall construct, operate, 
and maintain a Big Thicket National Preserve interpretive 
center that is— 
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(1) easily accessible to a heavily traveled area 
(such as Beaumont, Texas, near Interstate 10); and 
(2) serves as an educational opportunity for 
children and young adults to learn more about Big 
Thicket National Preserve, wildlife, and the environ-
ment, and the importance of protecting these re-
sources. 
SEC. 5. CANOE AND KAYAKING TRAILS. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall construct, operate, 
and maintain canoe and kayaking trails in Big Thicket 
National Preserve that— 
(1) are guided by Global Positioning System 
waypoints; and 
(2) include platforms off the water for kayaks 
and canoes to be docked safely. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of the Interior such sums as are necessary to carry 
out this Act and the amendments made by this Act. 
Æ 
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