An innovative archaeological dig has revealed the park's original wet prairie, buried by years of farming and development.
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Wild Texas
Out with the new, in with the old: prairie restoration at Sheldon Lake
A fierce battle is under way to vanquish invasive grasses and restore the prairie's native landscape.
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Booming Prairie Chickens at the Attwater Refuge
An early morning visit to the breeding grounds of the endangered Attwater's Prairie Chicken.
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Jupiter and its moons at McDonald Observatory
On a visit to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas, I gazed at Jupiter and the Orion Nebula and traveled in the footsteps of Galileo.
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Big Bend Ranch: West Rim Overlook Trail
The Fresno Rim trail offers a taste of a solitary desert hike - without the difficulties of most of Big Bend Ranch's more primitive routes.
Read More »Refuges
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Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge's maze of ponds, sloughs and marsh attracts one of the area's most diverse bird populations.
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San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
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Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
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Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
Sanctuaries
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Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary
The beach and mudflats of the sanctuary are a haven for thousands of shorebirds and migrants.
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Smith Oaks & The Rookery
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Sabine Woods Sanctuary
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Boy Scout Woods Bird Sanctuary
Trails
Big Bend: Grapevine Hills
The hike to Balanced Rock follows a wash lined with tall spires and delicate desert flora.
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Big Bend Ranch: Hoodoos Trail
The Hoodoo Trail takes you past a gathering of impassive natural rock monuments overlooking the banks of the Rio Grande in the southern arm of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
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Big Bend: South Rim trails
The South Rim overlooks a landscape of Chihuahuan desert and carpeted peaks that reaches into Mexico.
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Big Bend Ranch: Closed Canyon Trail
The Closed Canyon Trail offers a rare escape from the heat that bakes most of the trails in Big Bend Ranch State Park.
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