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Mission-Aransas Reserve, Texas

Texas Reserve
Location: The reserve is located in Aransas and Refugio counties, on the southeastern coast of Texas, approximately 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

Total Acreage: 185,708

Designation: 2006

Lead State Agency:
University of Texas, Marine Science Institute


Mailing Address:
University of Texas at Austin
Marine Science Institute
750 Channel View Drive
Port Aransas, TX 78373

Phone: 361-749-6779

The Mission-Aransas Reserve is a large contiguous complex of wetland, terrestrial, and marine environments. Named for the two major rivers that flow into the area, the reserve contains public and private lands and waters. The land is primarily coastal prairie with unique oak motte habitats. The wetlands include riparian habitat, fresh and salt water marshes. Within the water areas, the bays are large, open, and include extensive tidal flats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, and oyster reefs. These unique and diverse estuarine habitats in the western Gulf of Mexico support a host of endangered and threatened species including the endangered whooping crane.

Traditional activities within the proposed reserve include boating, fishing, hunting, oil and gas extraction, shellfish harvesting, camping and recreational activities. Despite a long history of human uses and its close proximity to the city of Corpus Christi, the reserve is relatively rural and pristine.

Mission-Aransas reserve local website is: http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/nerr/

Boundary Map:
http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu/QueryPages/
viewstations.cfm?Site_ID=mar

Reserves