Wildlife Conservation Center Opens at Gus Engeling WMA

Media Contact: Sarah Bibbs, (512) 389-4577, icle__media__contact">Media Contact: Sarah Bibbs, (512) 389-4577, sarah.bibbs@tpwd.texas.gov; Tom Harvey, (512) 389-4453, tom.harve@tpwd.texas.gov

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TENNESSEE COLONY, Texas — For more than half a century, the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area in Anderson County has been dedicated to wildlife research and habitat conservation.

To provide a place for future generations of environmentally-conscious Texans to learn about proper land management practices, the WMA recently opened the Gus A. Engeling Wildlife Conservation Center.

The 4,200-square-foot, handicapped-accessible facility will serve a variety of purposes, but the main function of the conservation center will be to educate private landowners and area youth.

“Most of Texas land is privately owned, so to have an impact on wildlife, conservation has to occur on private property,” said Hayden Haucke, Gus Engeling WMA manager with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

According to Haucke, the Gus A. Engeling Wildlife Conservation Center is a great launching pad for in-the-field training.

“What’s unique about this site is that you can use the facility and then go out and actually see the important conservation features on the landscape,” said Haucke.

Gus Engeling WMA is an 11,000-acre property in the Post-Oak Savannah eco-region of East Texas near Palestine. Four pitcher plant bogs, relict pine sites, Catfish Creek and upland savannah restoration sites are some of the ecological highlights of the property.

Interpretive self-guided nature trails are open to visitors and a brochure outlining a self-guided automobile driving tour is also available. The driving tour takes visitors through 10 stops that address wildlife, habitat and management techniques. Nature viewing, bird watching, photography, hiking, camping and hunting opportunities are also available at the Gus Engeling WMA.

The new Gus A. Engeling Wildlife Conservation Center is located just off the facility’s main road. The center’s meeting area can provide seating for approximately 120 individuals, and is open to TPWD partners and educational personnel through advance reservation.

More information on Engeling WMA is on the TPWD Web site. To obtain further information regarding the use of the Gus A. Engeling Wildlife Conservation Center, phone the WMA at (903) 928-2251.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/wma/find_a_wma/list/?id=10