The Big Thicket Association

... a Friend of the the Big Thicket National Preserve

See a short slide show from this years Big Thicket Day Celebration.

2025 BIG THICKET DAY ON THE NECHES

The rally was fun! See a short presentation from this years Rally.

2025 RALLY Video

Current News

1. Join us for our latest ECO TOUR. "PASTELS ART CLASS" aboard the IVORY BILL with Tina Griesenbeck Novelli. Art supplies provided. $30/person - seating limited to 26. Sunday - October 19th, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm REGISTER HERE!

2. "GET WICKED IN THE THICKET", HALLOWEEN PARTY aboard the IVORY BILL. Costumes+Prizes+more. Thursday, Oct 30, 4:30 to 6:30 pm. $30/person limited to 26 ages 16+. REGISTER HERE!

3. BTA is NOW HIRING part-time River Boat Captains and Deckhands. For more information on these paid and volunteer positions, click this link: Ivory Bill Crew

4. Purchase "surplus" 2024-5 Neches River Rally T-Shirts. Click Here to PURCHASE

5. Charters are available all year. Book on our website. Register for all tours here

We thank our Big Thicket Day Sponsors:

BTADay

PortBmt

Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau

Coburns Supply

MonumentRoofing

RaveFinancial

BTPlumbing

60th Anniversary of the Big Thicket Association.

The Big Thicket Association (BTA) is committed to expanding, enhancing and protecting the Big Thicket National Preserve, in order to assure the preservation, conservation and protection of the natural, scenic and recreational values of a significant portion of the Big Thicket region of southeast Texas.

The Big Thicket Association operates the "Ivory Bill", a covered excursion boat on the Neches River for school field trips, social events and Nature classes. The boat operates on the open river, and is capable of navigating the shallows of cypress-lined backwater channels. Charters available year round.

Neches River Adventures

The Big Thicket Association began 60 years ago! ...Where is the "Big Thicket"? "the name originally applied to the area between the Old San Antonio Road and the coastal prairie of South Texas from the Sabine River on the east as far west as the Brazos River... As settlement progressed, it became evident that the impenetrable thickets stopped far short of the Brazos, and the Trinity River came to be considered their western border. To East Texas sportsmen of 1900 the Big Thicket meant northwestern Hardin and southeastern Polk counties. It was, and by many continues to be, considered to extend eastward to include all of Tyler, Jasper and Newton counties; most of Sabine, San Augustine and Angelina counties; eastern Trinity and Montgomery and north Liberty counties. "The area is almost coextensive with that which originally supported stands of long-leaf yellow pine..."

60th Anniversary Year

The Thicket of Diversity project is dedicated to biological field research in the Big Thicket National Preserve, coordinating activities of field biologists doing species inventory and research projects.

Thicket of Diversity

Latest stories

featured image thumbnail for post BTA Debuts the Neches River Series Playlist

BTA Debuts the Neches River Series Playlist • August 26, 2021

The Big Thicket Association is pleased to share the debut of the Neches River Series Playlist on our YouTube channel, a collection of education/ information and scenic videos for students, teachers, and the public. Generous funding by BASF Total Energies Petrochemical, LCC. and the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation made this project possible. Big Thicket staff and volunteers worked with…

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