KOUNTZE, Texas - Come celebrate Junior Ranger Day at Big Thicket National Preserve on Saturday, April 22, 2023. This FREE family-friendly event will take place at the visitor center located at 6102 FM 420 north of Kountze from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
“Junior Ranger Day occurs during National Park Week, when people are encouraged to celebrate and visit their national parks. At this event, you can learn about all the different ranger jobs at Big Thicket," stated Superintendent Wayne Prokopetz. “And it is a great day to learn more about your backyard national park site."
Kids and adults will explore different vehicles that rangers use in their jobs, like a wildland fire truck, an air boat, and other machinery. They will also learn more about the bugs that live in water with resource management staff. Families can learn more about the different trees around the visitor center in a scavenger hunt and about paddling the waterways. A local food truck will be selling food and ASL interpreters will be on-site during the event.
Visit our calendar of events for more information on free ranger-led programs and activities at Big Thicket.
Big Thicket National Preserve is located 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 of these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.
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Tags: big thicket big thicket national preserve national park week junior ranger junior ranger day jr ranger jr ranger day
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service