A Big Thicket Association strategic plan for the stewardship of the Big Thicket National Preserve

Big Thicket Association

The Big Thicket Association (BTA) developed this Strategic Plan to provide guidance and initiate dialogue regarding the protection and management of the Big Thicket over the next several years. The plan presents recommended goals and offers suggested means by which they may be achieved so that the remarkable natural and cultural values inherent to the region are preserved for years to come. The Big Thicket National Preserve, known for its extensive biological diversity, isdedicated to the preservation, protection, restoration and interpretation of that diversity while providing for public enjoyment, research, and managed consumptive uses. Thirty years after the Preserve was signed into law, the geographic area known as the Big Thicket is under pressure by urban sprawl, oil and gas development, and diversion of water from its rivers to other parts of the state. The Big Thicket should be a legacy, both of nature and culture, to those who come after us. We of the Big Thicket Association, in partnership with those who live and work in and around the Big Thicket, must protect that legacy. Tight budgets, increasing pressure on regional natural resources, and new opportunities for ecotourism require now, more than ever, aggressive and well-supported conservation measures, key components of which will be: land acquisition and protection; increased funding, staffing, and leadership at BTNP; aggressive resource management; [and] enhanced public support and involvement.