KOUNTZE, Texas – Come celebrate Big Thicket National Preserve turning 50 years old THIS SATURDAY, October 12th, 2024, at the visitor center from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The FREE family-friendly event will feature presentations about Big Thicket, FREE lunch, activities led by Big Thicket staff and partner groups, and cultural demonstrations by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Atakapa-Ishak Tribe.
Dr. Ben Morris, an assistant professor of music composition at Stephen F. Austin State University, will be giving the keynote presentation about his recently debuted multimedia composition that tells the story of the longleaf pine forest. This presentation will dive into the inspiration and process behind creating the work and its relevance to Big Thicket National Preserve’s
longleaf restoration efforts. It will be followed by a short Q-and-A session with the composer.
Our new Longleaf Pine Trail will be open and visitors will be able to walk the short trail beginning from the
visitor center and learn about the past, present, and future of Big Thicket from the staff.
Multiple booths will be open throughout the event for visitors to learn more about other organizations that support Big Thicket. Cultural demonstrations by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Atakapa-Ishak Tribe will take place throughout the day and a free lunch from Mama Jacks will be provided by the Big Thicket Association.
The schedule of the event is as follows:
10:00 am - Event begins
10:15 am - Opening remarks from NPS staff
10:35 am - Keynote speaker: Ben Morris, Stephen F. Austin State University composition professor with "Longleaf" multimedia presentation
11:30 am - Lunch - provided by Big Thicket Association and Mama Jack's
1:00 pm - Cake, served by Big Thicket Association
1:00 pm - Longleaf Pine Trail open for walking
2:30 pm - Alabama-Coushatta presentation
3:00 pm - Alabama-Coushatta dance performance
4:00 pm - Event ends
“50 years is a milestone worth celebrating,” states Superintendent Wayne Prokopetz. “We can’t wait to have our biggest supporters, the communities in southeast Texas, help us celebrate.”
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.
Big Thicket National Preserve
US National Park Service
6044 FM 420 Rd.
Kountze, Texas 77625
409-951-6700 - Visitor Center
409-951-6800 - Park Headquarters
@BigThicketNPS (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter)
