The National Park Service is dedicated to conservation of the Big Thicket National Preserve. Located just north of Beaumont, Texas the Preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 112,000 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 national interest. For general information about Big Thicket National Preserve, visit www.nps.gov/bith or call the preserve visitor center at (409) 951-6700.