Construct a Fire Management Facility

Big Thicket National Preserve » Construct a Fire Management Facility » Document List

Dear Interested Party:

Big Thicket National Preserve is proposing to construct a fire cache/maintenance facility on National Park Service (NPS) property in the town of Woodville. Currently, the NPS fire management staff shares state owned offices and operation facilities in Woodville with the Texas Forest Service. Those offices and facilities provide limited space for NPS personnel and equipment, insufficient for briefing, training, break areas, accommodating seasonal fire crews, and for equipment storage and maintenance. Some equipment must be stored in facilities in neighboring towns, hindering response capabilities.

The current proposal is needed to provide a permanent fire facility with adequate and functional space and to consolidate Preserve fire management equipment in one location. This proposal is also needed to reduce operational costs and increase sustainability.

Big Thicket National Preserve proposes to construct a new fire facility in Tyler County near the existing Texas Forest Service offices. The facility would be located approximately three miles south of Woodville, at the intersection of County Road 1040 and Highway 69.

An Environmental Assessment has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework that 1) explores a reasonable range of alternatives to meet project objectives, 2) evaluates potential issues and impacts to park resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these impacts.

The National Park Service encourages public participation throughout the NEPA process during which the public has two opportunities to formally comment on the project; once during initial project scoping and again following release of the Environmental Assessment(EA). We have released the EA, and I invite you to voice your ideas, comments, or concerns in this effort. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Todd Brindle
Superintendent
Big Thicket National Preserve