Big Thicket to Host Free Fishing Day for National Park Week

Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700

KOUNTZE, Texas - Big Thicket National Preserve invites participants of all ages and abilities to a Free Fishing Day in celebration of National Park Week. The event will be on Saturday, August 29, from 8:00-11:00 am at Collier's Ferry Park in Beaumont.

Big Thicket National Preserve is partnering with the Big Thicket Association to facilitate kid-friendly activities for the event. The association will be offering free boat trips aboard the Ivory Bill to fishing event participants. Sightseeing trips will last 30-45 minutes and will be separate from the fishing activities located on the bank.

If you've ever wanted to try fishing, but aren't sure where to start, then this free fishing day is for you! You can borrow our fishing gear and see what's biting or bring your own gear to use. Rangers who are certified in angler instruction will teach participants:

• Basic skills, including how to identify southeast Texas fish species
• Fishing limits, regulations, and ways to stay safe while fishing
• Knot tying and how to set up a fishing rod
• How to cast your line and get a fish to shore

National Park Week is an annual celebration coinciding with the Birthday of the National Park Service that encourages visitors to explore nature, learn history, and participate in ranger-led programs or events. This year's National Park Week theme is "Celebrate America's Story."

Participants are encouraged to drop in at any time of the event and stay as long as they wish. Participants do not need a fishing license and registration is not required. ASL interpreters will be available for the duration of the event. Collier's Ferry Park is located at 5390 Pine Street in Beaumont, Texas. To see more upcoming events and all the preserve's ranger-led programs, visit our calendar.

-NPS-

Big Thicket National Preserve is 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 these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.