Beaumont-Village

Transcription

At Parks and Wildlife, we like to say that 'Life's Better Outside.' Today we're gonna make it, 'Life's Better Outside on the Water.' [applause] RIBBON CUTTINGS AND RIVER RIDES TOOK PRECEDENT AT VILLAGE CREEK STATE PARK EARLY THIS SUMMER AS DIGNITARIES LAUNCHED THE 19TH PADDLING TRAIL IN TEXAS. It's one of the fastest growing sports in all of the country. We have more people that canoe and kayak than we do that play soccer believe it or not. Yeah! And when people come to Village Creek State Park alone, it helps bring back revenue to the county, generating over a half a million dollars in local impact. GETTING FOLKS ON THE RIVER IS THE GOAL OF TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE'S STATEWIDE PADDLING TRAIL PROGRAM. Once you get people out on a river and they begin to enjoy it, they develop a conservation ethic for having water in rivers which is very important. Oh this is pretty. The trail itself is a little over 21 miles long. The park's primary attraction is kind of a dual attraction of the creek itself and then also the huge variety of plant and animal life that is here in the park because of it being in the Big Thicket area of Texas. [chirping birds] It's a nice quiet stream even though it's relatively close to the city, easy access, lots of birds and other wildlife to see. AND IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO CELEBRATE, THE PARK JUST RECENTLY ADDED NEARLY 15-HUNDRED ACRES TO EXPLORE. Very excited about both the paddling trail and the new land acquisition. The park just recently increased in size from 1,090 acres to a little over 2,500 acres thanks to a partnership with The Conservation Fund. WHETHER IT'S PADDLING THE CREEK, CAMPING, OR ENJOYING THE QUIET, VILLAGE CREEK STATE PARK IS WORTH THE VISIT. FOR TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE, THIS IS LYDIA SALDANA.