With leadership from Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center is a Harris County Precinct 4 facility located at 20634 Kenswick Drive in Humble. All programs are free of charge and open to the public. Harris County Precinct 4 programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, sex, religion, national origin, or physical ability. Jesse Jones Park Volunteers (JJPV) welcomes applications from interested participants. For more information about the park or any of the activities and programs offered, please call 281-446-8588 or visit www.hcp4.net/community/parks/jones.

With high humidity and temperatures in the upper 90s, summers in Houston can be brutal and sometimes even dangerous. Fortunately, Precinct 4 offers a few shady spots to keep cool. Children can remain active with less danger of overheating on the covered playgrounds at Pundt, Doss, Collins, and Lindsay/Lyons parks. The new covered playground at Collins Park features updated equipment sure to keep children engaged and active. Those interested in a different form of entertainment can check out the chess tables at Collins and Doss parks.

Did you know Harris County is home to 30 species of snakes, but only three are venomous? Most of the snakes encountered in nature are harmless and even beneficial. These tubular, scaled reptiles comprise an important part of our ecosystem. They help control populations of garden pests, like mice, rats, slugs, and snails, and sometimes even eat venomous snakes! Their sleek, muscular bodies are adapted to aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They can live underground, in trees, and in oceans. There are even “flying” snakes that drift between trees in the tropics. These unique animals see by detecting heat, hear by sensing vibrations, and smell