Four Miles of Neches River Frontage Joined the Refuge

In 2022, the refuge grew by three tracts in Cherokee County. Together, they cover 249.18 acres and add about four miles of river frontage. Bottomland hardwood forest follows the Neches wetlands. Mixed pine forest occupies the higher ground.

The tree list gives the meeting place texture. Loblolly pine grows with water oak, southern red oak, and sweetgum. American holly and eastern hophornbeam fill parts of the understory.

The refuge protects wintering, nesting, and migratory birds of the Central Flyway. On this addition, the list runs from mallards and Wood Ducks to Prothonotary Warblers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Wild Turkeys.

These woods also do quiet work along the river. They improve water quality, hold soil, and can reduce floods downstream. At Cherokee County's Neches edge, wet hardwoods meet higher pine forest. The result is both scenery and working habitat.