Project Name: National Wildlife Refuges Cultural Resources Overview

Project Location: Texas Coastal Wildlife Refuges, Multiple Counties

Project Type: Cultural Resources Overview

Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Hicks & Company historians and archeologists prepared a cultural resources overview for the USFWS of twelve National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) along the Texas Coast, including Texas Point, McFaddin, Anahuac, Moody, Brazoria, San Bernard, Big Boggy, Aransas, Matagorda, Laguna Atascosa, Santa Ana, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The cultural resources overview focused on the history and prehistory of the NWR lands. Specific emphasis was placed on historic events and people, ethnic histories, and homesteading and ranching within the immediate regions. Chapters included cultural backgrounds of the prehistoric and early historic periods, colonization and permanent settlement, and individual histories of the NWRs.  Extensive archival research was conducted to develop relevant historic contexts and document previous archeological investigations at each NWR.  An annotated bibliography of pertinent sources was provided as well as recommendations for USFWS cultural resources management options and future research directions. The final report was accepted by the USFWS in December 2017. The cultural resources overview was professionally printed and 100 copies were distributed by the USFWS to NWR staff.