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NEWS RELEASE! Entergy Supports Big Thicket National Preserve
Big Thicket National Preserve will hire teachers to work as rangers this summer, thanks in part to a generous donation from Entergy.
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April 2, 2010
Entergy Supports Big Thicket National Preserve
Big Thicket National Preserve will hire teachers to work as rangers this summer, thanks in part to a generous donation from Entergy. A valued partner in conservation, Entergy has also donated to the Big Thicket Association in support of their Marysee Prairie restoration project.
Entergy donations support these local conservation projects. Mic Cowart, on behalf of Entergy, presented checks to Bruce Drury, Big Thicket Association President at the preserve Visitor Center this week. Present to extend sincere thanks to Entergy were Big Thicket staffers, Todd Brindle, Superintendent and Leslie Dubey, Chief of Interpretation, Big Thicket Association Board Member, Maxine Johnston and President, Bruce Drury.
The emphasis of the Teacher to Ranger to Teacher program is to connect with teachers who spend the summer working in the park. They perform Ranger duties including developing and presenting interpretive programs, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum‐based materials, and taking on special projects. Then, during the school year, these Teacher-Rangers bring the parks into the classroom by developing and presenting curriculum-based lessons that draw on their summer experience. In April, during National Park Week, Teacher-Rangers wear their NPS uniforms to school, discuss their summer as a park ranger, and engage students and other teachers in activities that relate to America’s national parks. National parks enrich the lives of many in this nation. They provide access to the powerful ideas, values, and meanings associated with the remarkable cultural, natural, and recreational heritage of the United States. Teacher-Rangers become ambassadors for our National Parks.
The Big Thicket Association, a nonprofit volunteer organization, was formed to save remnants of the once extensive Big Thicket for its remarkable diversity. Only a tiny patch of true prairie has survived and is protected by the Texas Land Conservancy. Marysee Prairie, a fragile remnant at the crossroads of coastal prairie, tall grasses, and shorter western species contains a combination distinct from all other vegetation communities. Members help maintain and restore the Marysee Prairie on volunteer work weekends.
More information about Big Thicket National Preserve is available at the Visitor Center, on Highway 69 seven miles north of Kountze, by internet at www.nps.gov/bith, and by phone at 409-951-6700.
Join the Big Thicket Association!
