Poppa and the organization he co-founded, Friends of the Neches River, were fundamental in securing the Neches River as a National Wildlife Refuge.  In celebration of this wonderful feat (which was years in the making), we paddled the Neches on Saturday afternoon and finished with a delicious barbeque dinner, live band, and great speakers (including Poppa) on what makes this river so special and the future of the refuge.  So proud Poppa worked to save this river from becoming a reservoir for Dallas water so that future generations can enjoy nature the way God made it!

Noelle was so excited to ride with Poppa since he was the “Coach” for the day!

Noelle made fast friends with a little girl named Addy who was Poppa’s hunting buddy’s granddaughter!

 

We couldn’t wait to experience the Neches for ourselves after all this time and hard work Poppa put into it.  The river did not disappoint.  It was truly majestic!

Noelle would glide her hand through the water when there were millions of bugs shimmering on top.  She even caught one and thought it was so cool!  Our diva is unpredictable.  She loves wildlife and all that is in it, even though she doesn’t look the part, lol!

 

Noelle is a trooper!  She’s brave, adventurous and loves to try new things!

The Neches River has mussels that are on the endangered species list, and there is even one variety of mussel that can only be found in the Neches River!  The refuge will protect all of this for future generations to enjoy.  We had an expert doctor on the tour that helped identify which types of mussels we found.  That was fun! 

This is the bottom of a train bridge that crosses the river.

Look at all the rust and corrosion… it looked crazy to me!  As we were talking about the bridges’ dilapidated condition, we heard a train whistle, and you know what that means…

 

All of a sudden a train went over the bridge that we were about to go under (not hardly)!  Mike got video of how loud the train was and how shaky the bridge was… It was kind of spooky!

After all the train excitement, it was smooth waters!

 

Here’s a look at the log jam that almost tipped us over!  Seriously, Noelle had just gotten in the canoe with Mike and me, and somehow we lost our balance.  Mike and I are still wondering how we saved the day.  That would have been awful because the three of us would have gone in head first… and it was cold!!!

Part of what makes the Neches great is that it sports some of the best bottomland hardwood forest habitat in the southeast United States!

My Dad, Michael Banks, and his hunting buddies, Steve Watson and Richard Sanders.

Noelle learned a lot about nature today.  More than any classroom could teach.  It was a total blast… there is truly no place like home (for me).

I asked Noelle if she’s ever heard country singers talk about a “red dirt road.”  I told her she could tell all her friends back in the big city that she walked on a red dirt road!  She thought that was pretty cool!  It was all very cool!

Here is a really neat article about our day of fun if you are interested:

Neches River National Wildlife Refuge Celebration Draws Big Crowd

Boots were on the ground of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge as people came from Dallas, Austin, and all over East Texas Saturday to celebrate the Refuge! More than 125 people visited the Refuge, many canoed a stretch of the Neches River, then all gathered at the Neches River Ranch to eat barbeque, listen to music, and have a celebration.

The Neches River Refuge in Anderson and Cherokee Counties was first approved in 2006 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Over the past year 3,300 acres have been added to the Refuge. Another 3,000 acres is anticipated in the coming months. In time, the Refuge could be as much as 25,000 acres.

“The Neches River National Wildlife Refuge has been a dream for many of us for a long time and now this Refuge is a reality. This is a wonderful asset to our region,” said Dr. Michael Banks of Jacksonville, co-chair of Friends of the Neches River. “There’s no place on earth like the Neches River. And it was a thrill for me today to see the look on the faces of the first time paddlers when they realized that really and truly there is no place like the Neches River. I’ve been telling folks about the Neches for years and they can come experience it themselves.”

Refuge manager Mark Williams told visitors that the Neches River Refuge sports some of the best bottomland hardwood forest habitat in the southeast United States. The Neches River is in the heart of the North American Central Flyway, with millions of ducks, geese, and songbirds migrating up and down it each year. The Refuge will be managed as wildlife habitat for all native animals and the migrating birds.

“The Neches River Refuge has national significance and local significance,” Janice Bezanson, executive director of Texas Conservation Alliance told reporters. “The quality of the wildlife habitat is of national importance to protect. Having the Refuge here will provide hunting and other outdoor recreation opportunities for local people and dollars to the local economy from visiting tourists.”

Kelly McDowell, supervisor of refuges in Texas and Oklahoma for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service described what East Texans should expect. “It’s going to be a while before we have sufficient funding to get the Refuge generally open to the public,” said McDowell. “We’re in the planning stages for how we can improve the wildlife habitat on the refuge and expect to have a staff member on site within the next year. In the long run we expect to have hunting programs, hiking trails, and other public facilities.”

Banks described the history of establishment of the Neches River Refuge and thanked participants for the tremendous support the refuge received from local people. “Friends of the Neches River and Texas Conservation Alliance gathered up letters and signatures from more than 15,000 people, urging USFWS to create the Refuge,” he said, “This was one of those special grassroots efforts that come along every once in awhile.”

“It was fun to ask the canoeists and refuge visitors what they thought,” added Bezanson. “Everyone gave a glowing report of the beauty of the Neches River and the bottomland forests.”

Hosts for the event were Friends of the Neches River, Texas Conservation Alliance, The Conservation Fund (who has donated land to the Refuge), and USFWS.

Sponsors included Cavender’s Neches River Ranch, the Texas Rivers Protection Association, and a number of individuals. Assistance with canoes was provided by Neches River Run Park.

To learn more about the Neches River, contact Texas Conservation Alliance at TCA@TCAtexas.org or ask to be added to the Friends of the Neches River email list by emailing Banks at mdbanksdds@gmail.com