Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect a remnant of the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity and continues to grow from 18,500 acres. The refuge, used during migration or nesting by nearly 50 percent of migratory bird species listed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, contains more than 620 plant species and 400 vertebrate species.

The Waterborne Education Center's (WEC) homeport is Anahuac Harbor, located at the mouth of the Trinity where the river meets the bay. Field labs also take place regularly on the Houston Ship Channel and occasionally on the Sabine and Neches rivers.