BITH NEWS RELEASE: BIODIVERSITY CELEBRATED IN THE BIG THICKET

Big Thicket National Preserve News Release

June 15, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Leta Parker, 409-951-6700

BIODIVERSITY CELEBRATED IN THE BIG THICKET

Researchers, students, and nature lovers experienced days of fun in the Big Thicket June 10-12 with hikes, scientist-led field trips, seminars, and other fun events.  The fun-packed celebration opened with the Fun with Bugs Science Café on Thursday night at Sertinos Café in Beaumont.  Dr. Paul Tinerella, University of Illinois, presented a well-received presentation on true bugs to a standing-room only audience.  To everyone’s delight, Dr. Tinerella displayed some live true bugs.  Dr. Tinerella is one of only two scientists worldwide who specialize in true bugs.  Science Cafés originated in Europe in the late 1990s as a relaxed forum for the exchange of scientific ideas.

The fun continued with nights walks on Friday evening with Paul Crump, Houston Zoo, leading an Amphibian Search in the Lance Rosier Unit and Leigh Stuemke, Stephen F. Austin University, guiding Bat Detectives on the Kirby Nature Trail.  Saturday’s events featured scientist-led field trips to collect or inventory various species in the Big Thicket.  Field trips in the Preserve’s Lance Rosier Unit included a mushroom walk led by David Lewis, President of the Gulf States Mycological Society, and a Myxomycetes/ Slime molds search led by Katie Winsett, University of Arkansas.  Dale Kruse of Texas A&M directed a search for Bryophytes, and Joe Liggio, author of Wild Orchids in Texas, piloted a group to the Sundew Trail where they found the grass pink orchid in bloom.  Just for fun, Big Thicket Rangers and Garrie Landry conducted hikes on the Kirby Nature Trail and the Sundew Trail.  Landry led a group on a Fern foray.

Seminars filled the afternoon.  Dr. Juliana Hinton, McNeese University, conducted a presentation on Tardigrades, commonly known as waterbears.  A microscope connected to a television monitor allowed the viewing of this unusual critter, the size of a speck of pepper.  Students from Eastfield College shared their projects and original posters.  Stuemke conducted a presentation on bats including the 11 species of bats that either occur or pass through the Big Thicket.  Rickey Maxey, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, concluded the events with a summary of research on Black Bears of East Texas.  Data shows that bears are coming back into Texas from our neighboring states.  In the 1970’s there were two bears reported in Texas, the 1980’s five, the 1990’s thirty-four, and since 2000 fifty-four black bears of been reported.  

All events for the Fun in the Thicket Biodiversity Celebration were free and open to the public.  For information on future activities and fieldtrips, check out the following websites www.bigthicket.org and www.thicketofdiversity.org or call the Saratoga Field Research Center at (936)-274-1181.  For information on Summer Activities hosted at the Big Thicket National Preserve call (409)951-6700 or www.nps.gov/bith.