Texas
NPCA's Dallas field office is working with our 14,000 members in Texas and many partners and friends to advocate for the preservation of the lone star state's 13 diverse and awe-inspiring national park sites. For instance:
- Big Bend National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Texas and the most important piece of protected Chihuahuan desert in the United States. Roughly the size of Rhode Island, Big Bend is home to a great diversity of plant and animal life, notably black bears, desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions. Additionally, more than 450 documented bird species thrive in the park, earning Big Bend designation as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. In fact, the park is home to more types of birds, bats, and cacti than any other national park in the country. Big Bend is also renowned for its historic and cultural sites, which tell the story of thousands of years of human history and oversight by many different nations.
- Big Thicket National Preserve is often described as the "biological crossroads of North America" for the astonishing variety of plants and wildlife species that call this park home. The 97,000-acre preserve-consisting of 15 small units scattered across seven Texas counties-was created in 1974 to protect the precious remnants of a vast and unique landscape of incredible biological diversity that once covered more than 3.5 million acres of East Texas.
- Fort Davis National Historic Site may be one of the best-preserved frontier military posts remaining in the Southwest. From 1854 until 1891, troops stationed at Fort Davis protected emigrants, freighters, mail coaches, and travelers on the historic San Antonio-El Paso Road.
- Padre Island National Seashore is beloved by visitors for its expansive beaches and excellent fishing. But the barrier island is also a significant nesting beach for the Kemp's ridley, the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and a stopover for migratory birds, leading to its designation as a "Globally Important Bird Area."
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves and interprets four historic Spanish missions and their churches, which parishioners still use today. Visitors can also see a gristmill used to grind wheat at Mission San José, and a 270-year-old Espada acequia (irrigation system) with a dam and aqueduct.
See a list of national parks in the Texas Region >>
Threats
- Insufficient funding is a chronic threat to the region's parks.
- Air pollution is impacting many parks in Texas, especially Big Bend.
- Development threatens Fort Davis and Big Thicket.
- Energy development threatens Big Thicket and Padre Island.
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