The Neches River National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

managed by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

as part of the

National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...

System. It is located in the rolling hills of

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...

near

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Encompassing the upper

Neches River The Neches River () begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for through the piney woods of east Texas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, ...

, the unit preserves a pristine waterway. After the city of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

proposed constructing a dam along the body of water, conservationists petitioned the federal government to protect the river, which resulted in the 2006 creation of the refuge. The Texas Water Board sued to prevent this acquisition, but in 2010, a federal judge ruled in favor of the Fish & Wildlife Service. The refuge formally opened to the public on October 27th, 2018. More than 100 visitors came to the Refuge in October 2012 to acquaint themselves with the grounds, canoe on the Neches River, and later enjoyed a barbecue dinner at a nearby ranch. Among the hosts were the Friends of the Neches River and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Refuge at that point had not received enough funding to establish any on-site programs or amenities to where it could open to regular visitors. A Friends of the Neches River representative explained that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service received more than 15,000 letters and signatures requesting the agency to consider a refuge for the area. By 2012, over had been set aside to make up the Refuge, with thousands more anticipated in the near term. Ultimately, upwards of could end up being part of the Refuge. A preview event was held at the Refuge in September 2018, which was open to the public. A

Texas Parks and Wildlife The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

representative was present to acquaint visitors with the various wildlife found there. Also attending were

University of Texas at Tyler The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) is a public research university in Tyler, Texas. Founded in 1971, it is a part of the University of Texas System. UT Tyler consists of five professional colleges and one traditional college of arts and ...

students and teachers, helping to show younger visitors what could be found at the Refuge. Experienced guides led nature walks for attendees, as well. The Texas Conservation Alliance played host of the preview.

Refuge features

Bodies of water (besides the Neches River itself):Hiking Map
, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2018-09-28. * Deadwater Lake * Buzzard Slough * Twin Lakes Trails on the property: * Deadwater Trail () * Hidden Grove Trail () * Pine Tree Trail () * Rocky Point Trail () * Song Bird Trail ()

References

External links

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Neches River National Wildlife RefugeFriends of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Plants and insects observed at the Refuge
at

iNaturalist iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applic ...

{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in Texas Protected areas established in 2006 Protected areas of Anderson County, Texas Protected areas of Cherokee County, Texas

Refuge features

See also

References

External links