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Facilities |
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You
will find the Refuge to be an excellent place for observing and studying wildlife
and plants. The following facilities are available for visitors:
1) Claude F. Lard Visitor Center (Visitor Center) with
interpretive displays, exhibits, auditorium, programs, informational pamphlets,
binoculars-on-loan, bathrooms, nature store, snacks, and drinks.
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2) Sixteen mile self-guided
auto tour loop with wayside exhibits and pullouts.
3) Seven walking trails with distances
from .3 mi. to 1.25 mi. and traversing a variety of habitats. |
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4) Alligator viewing
area.
5) Picnic area with bathrooms.
6) Viewing decks at Hog Lake,
and Heron Flats Trail, and Jones Lake |
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7) 40-foot Observation
Tower that winds above the trees and provides a panoramic vista of San Antonio
Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway.
8) Boardwalk with bathrooms nearby. |
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9) Photography blind midway on
Birding Trail #2.
10) Tatton Unit (Hwy. 35 Roadside
Rest Area) - ¼ mile walking trail with kiosk, observation deck,
and exhibit panels. |
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11)
Youth Environmental Training Area – available to organized groups
from schools, scouts, colleges, churches, etc. for overnight camping. |
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12)
Matagorda Island NWR – Access to the north end of Matagorda
Island is by private or commercial boat. Texas Parks and Wildlife manages the
north end for recreational activities such as fishing, beach access, beach combing,
bird watching, hunting and backpacking and facilities such as a kayak trail,
Matagorda Island lighthouse, self-guided nature trail, and a viewing deck. For
more information about recreational opportunities at the north end of the island,
call Texas Parks & Wildlife Rockport Regional Office at 361-790-0306 or
the Bay City Office at 979- 244-6804 or 979-244-7697.
At the south end, the Refuge offers an Environmental Education
(EE) Center, available by reservation only, and a nature trail. Call the Refuge
at 361-286-3559 for group education opportunities at the MI EE Center. |
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