BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas — Big Bend National Park has been called "Texas’ Gift to the Nation," and today it takes conservation efforts to keep it that way. On Monday, the Big Bend Conservancy and the National Park Conservation Association held an event to educate people on the work being done.
Conservation efforts are constant as challenges present themselves. With more people visiting national parks, insufficient funding for staff and resources is a challenge, and both of these organizations work for more funding that can help Big Bend National Park into the future.
Big Bend National Park is nearly 80 years old.
“We love it now and we want to make sure that people can continue to love it the way that we do now," said Cary Dupuy, Texas Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Conservation efforts aim to make sure it lives forever.
“Recently we’ve had more of a focus on how visitors impact the park, especially as we saw a spike in visitation throughout COVID, and for us that especially means a lot of additional work in sustainability efforts – making sure people understand the impact of the visit on the park through 'pack in, pack out' and increase the recycling efforts," said Loren Riemer, Executive Director of the Big Bend Conservancy.
Big Bend Conservancy has been the National Park’s philanthropic partner since 1996. Their recent efforts deal with a current concern.
“I think a lot of folks don’t realize that every action they take when they visit a park has a direct impact, especially on a park as remote as Big Bend," Riemer said. "So, something as simple as using a single-use plastic bottle and then throwing that away instead of recycling it, stays in the park forever because we have an on-site landfill.”
That on-site landfill is close to getting full, which would make expanding it a consideration.
“One of the biggest things that people can do to support and protect this incredible wild place is to actually take your trash out," Dupuy said. "Don’t leave it at Big Bend as well and reduce the amount of trash that’s going into the landfill.”
The National Parks Conservation Association is an organization that also works to educate.
“Having people recognize that we have national parks and the value that they provide and the resources that are needed to actually support the parks, and make sure that they have a quality visitor experience and also remain safe as well when they’re at the park,," Dupuy said.
Conserving a big part of West Texas and big parts of our country.
“There’s something for everybody within our national parks, and share their story," Dupuy said. "Share what they specifically love about the national parks and why it’s important to them to make sure that these special places are here for future generations.”
Riemer noted that they have worked to make a boundary adjustment to Big Bend that would add 6,100 acres and expand its footprint.
For more information on the Big Bend Conservancy and how you can get involved, click here.
For more information on the National Parks Conservation Association and how you can get involved, click here.