Conservation

All of the area’s native ecosystems have been significantly impacted by human use and settlement patterns.

Many do not realize how rich the “ecological capital” of the region is. Before European settlement, coastal prairies, marshes, and forests dominated the Houston region. Our rivers, bayous, and creeks ran through large tracts of bottomland forests. An extensive system of estuaries and barrier islands leading to the Gulf of Mexico covered the south. Upland forests of a mixed pine-hardwood character grew in the north. Wetlands of many types dotted the entire landscape.

In addition to the Gulf of Mexico, eight major ecosystems converge in the region: the Big Thicket, the Sam Houston Pine Forests, Coastal Prairies, the Columbia and Trinity Bottomlands, the Estuary Bay System, and the Coastal Marshes.

Each of these threatened ecosystems has a role to play. Together, they provide wildlife habitat, protect biodiversity, detoxify pollutants, supply natural resources, and offer recreational opportunities. Native ecosystems are also part of the region’s natural heritage and provide aesthetic and spiritual value.

The Big Thicket

The Big Thicket, a damp, dense, vine-tangled forest brimming with organic matter, once covered all of Texas east of the Brazos River. In 1974, Congress declared what was left of this dark and mysterious swath of the Piney Woods a national preserve, the first natural sanctuary to attain such a distinction. About 97,000 acres of thick trees, swamps, rivers, and bayous in the northeast Gulf Coast are now protected as the Big Thicket Natural Preserve.

The Big Thicket has been called the “American Ark” because of its diversity. More than 1,000 species of flowering plants flourish there, as do 200 different shrubs and trees. Fifteen “national champions” - the largest individual trees of their species in the country – grow there too. Nature enthusiasts within the Big Thicket could spot up to 300 different birds and 50 distinct reptiles - including all four poisonous snakes found in North America. The forest floor spawns at least 3,000 types of large mushroom.

Once considered impassable by foot, the Big Thicket Natural Preserve is now tracked with winding boardwalks, footpaths, and canoe trails. Visitors will find bountiful opportunities for bird watching, hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, camping, and swimming.

Coastal Prairies

Before European settlement, coastal prairies spread across the Gulf Coast. More than 2 million acres of rolling grasslands, dotted with wetlands and creeks, could be found in the eight-county region; only 7,600 acres still exist untouched.[i]

The Katy Prairie comprises more than 1,000 square miles bordered by the Brazos River to the southwest, the city of Houston to the east, and pine-hardwood forest to the north. It is home to more than 60 mammal species and 55 species of reptiles and amphibians. The prairie’s wetlands offer a haven for songbirds, herons, egrets, sandhill cranes, ibises, hawks, and bald eagles. In the winter, a dense concentration of migratory waterfowl lives on the Katy Prairie. It provides a variety of recreational opportunities and supports the quality of rural life. It also protects the region from significant flooding, and offers groundwater recharge and erosion control benefits.

Originally, the Katy Prairie covered 500,000 acres. Only 200,000 acres of original prairie remain undeveloped or in agricultural use. Agricultural use of the Katy Prairie is consistent with its role as habitat. Rice farms, pastures, and croplands provide wetlands, food, and cover for the prairie’s wildlife.

Specific threats

Westward expansion: Over the past 20 years, 160,000 acres of the Katy Prairie have been destroyed by residential and commercial development. Westward expansion of metropolitan Houston continues to fragment the prairie. Plans for Houston’s growth do not protect this valuable resource; in fact, some policies, such as freeway expansion, encourage urban sprawl and subsequent prairie destruction. 

The Grand Parkway: Plans are underway to construct a 177-mile loop around Houston, approximately 40 miles from the city center. The northwest segment of the Parkway would go right through the center of the remaining Katy Prairie. While construction of the road itself will destroy prairie land, the associated development will destroy far more. (See Grand Parkway in the Transportation section.)

Westside Airport: Several years ago, the City of Houston proposed creating an airport 40 miles west of downtown Houston. The project would have destroyed acres of prairie and disrupted flight patterns of migratory waterfowl. In 1999, plans were scuttled for economic and environmental reasons. The proposed location will instead be used as a wetlands mitigation site for expansion of Bush Intercontinental Airport. However, Waller County has since shown interest in building an airport at a nearby location. This plan, too – and subsequent development -  would have detrimental effects on the Katy Prairie and its wildlife.

Progress this year

The Katy Prairie Conservancy is working to preserve at least a quarter of the remaining prairie, or 50,000 contiguous acres. So far, the organization has protected 6,000 acres.

Columbia and Trinity Bottomland Hardwood Forests

The Columbia Bottomland hardwood forest lies in the floodplains of San Bernard, Brazos, and Colorado rivers. Southwest of Lake Livingston and North of Liberty are the Trinity River bottomlands.

The rich organic matter and large water holding capacity of bottomland forests create an ideal environment for many insects, worms, and bacteria, which in turn support diverse reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Bottomland forests provide vital habitat for migratory and neotropical birds. These areas also help control flooding and erosion and provide recreational opportunities.

In general, bottomland forests in the area are shrinking. At one time, 700,000 acres of Columbia bottomlands covered the floodplains of the San Bernard, Brazos, and Colorado rivers; only 25 percent remain. Early on, the woods were cleared for timber and agricultural use; urban development now threatens some areas. Damming and flood control measures have reduced sediment deposition and changed the flooding patterns in area bottomland forests as well, which could lead to decreased long-term viability.[ii] Many acres have also been taken over by the Chinese tallow tree, an invasive species.

Despite these challenges, several large plots of bottomland forests near the Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, San Bernard, and Colorado Rivers remain.

Specific threats

Lake Jackson Golf Course: Officials in Lake Jackson plan to build a golf course on 209 acres of bottomland forests near the Brazos river. A loose coalition of environmental groups and concerned individuals has been opposing the project since Lake Jackson first bought the land for it in 1989. Last year, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation tried to purchase the land from the city in order to create a perpetual conservation easement, but City officials rejected the offer. A group of environmentalists also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of engineers, claiming the Corps failed to consider damage to forestland, migratory birds, and other wildlife when they issued a wetlands permit. The lawsuit was thrown out of federal court. Golf course opponents say, however, that the battle is not over yet.

Estuary Bay Systems

Freshwater from rivers and streams combines with saltwater from the Gulf to form the estuary system that lines the Texas coast. Shallow waters, thick vegetation, and abundant nutrients make the region’s brackish bays extremely productive biological systems.

Galveston Bay, a shallow estuary with a surface area of 600 square miles, is the seventh largest estuary in the country.[iii] The bay’s depth averages 6 to 12 feet, except along the 51-mile Houston Ship Channel, which has been dredged to a depth of 40 feet.

The bay offers diverse habitats, including emergent wetlands, oyster reefs, a river delta, mud flats seagrass beds, sand bars, and open water. Its wetlands and submerged aquatic vegetation provide nursery areas for fish and shellfish, filter water, and protect the land from erosion. Colonial waterbirds, shorebirds, shrimp, crabs, oysters, finfish and many other species call it home.

Galveston Bay is highly productive. It provides seafood for the region and for export. Ninety percent of the commercial fish and shellfish caught in the Bay and the Gulf of Mexico spend some part of their lives in Galveston Bay. Fishing and the business associated with it contribute about $1 billion to the local economy each year.[iv] Recreational boating and tourism also rely on the bay.

Specific threats

Reduced freshwater inflow: Increasing use of river water for residential, agricultural, and industrial uses, as well as construction of dams and reservoirs, has significantly reduced the amount of freshwater that enters Galveston Bay. The biological community in the bay depends on the natural balance of river and sea water; disrupting this mix can impact productivity. 

Water quality: Water quality in the Galveston Bay system has improved dramatically over the last two decades and is now relatively good. However, localized problems exist. Several Houston Ship Channel segments exceed water quality standards for certain contaminants. Design and operational problems allow some raw or partially treated sewage and industrial waste to be discharged into the bay. Non-point source pollution – or the pollution from unidentifiable sources in urban runoff – persists as a difficult problem to control as well.

Shoreline development: Shoreline development contributes to erosion, loss of wetlands, increased pollution, and reduced public access to the bay.

Invasive species: Several invasive species have had significant impact on Galveston Bay. For example, nutria imported from South America have eaten away emergent marsh grasses, leaving bare ground susceptible to erosion.

Bayport: The Port of Houston plans to build a 1,050-acre container and cruise ship terminal in residential Southeast Harris County on Galveston Bay. Although a 1999 bond issue vote showed countywide support for the so-called Bayport facility, people who live near the proposed location and several regional air and water groups overwhelmingly opposed the project. Residents of Seabrook felt so strongly against the project that they demanded a new election after city council members agreed to negotiate with the Port; they ousted the mayor and three council members in the revote. Bayport would add an estimated 6,000 trucks and 20 trains daily to Houston’s traffic, increasing nitrogen oxide emissions - a principal precursor of ground-level ozone - by five to 10 tons per day. The noisy and unsightly facility, which would operate 24-hours a day, is expected to devalue property in neighboring communities, such as El Jardin, La Porte, Seabrook, and Shoreacres.

At this time, the Port of Houston has applied to the Army Corps of Engineers for the environmental permits required to begin construction of Bayport. The Corps, with funding from the Port, has produced the required draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). Several public workshops and a public hearing have been held concerning the controversial 1,600-page document. Environmental groups and area citizens are frustrated by what they consider an incomplete analysis; the DEIS, they say, neglects to address certain important issues, such as particulate matter pollution created by Bayport and the potential environmental impacts of further dredging. Bayport opponents are asking the Corps to produce a supplemental DEIS to address these and other flaws.

The public comment period will continue until at least February 11, 2002. After revising the draft environmental impact statement based on public input and reviewing any unconsidered issues brought forward by citizens, the Corps will decide if the project should proceed. 

Shoal Point Container Facility: A private developer is planning to build a smaller container facility at Shoal Point in Texas City. Environmental groups are analyzing potential environmental impacts from this proposed facility as well.

Recent progress

Habitat restoration: Over the last decade, local environmental groups have restored many acres of degraded estuary. These groups have a goal of restoring 24,000 acres by 2010.

Galveston Bay Plan: In 1995, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) released the 20-year Galveston Bay Plan, a comprehensive conservation management guide for the Bay. In 2000, GBEP analyzed progress made toward implementing the plan. The results of the five-year review, released at the 2001 State of the Bay Symposium, show that 67 percent of the 82 actions recommended in the plan have been initiated; five percent are complete. The full Plan Review Summary can be viewed at http://gbep.tamug.tamu.edu/FinalReviewJan01.pdf.

Freshwater Bodies

Lake Houston and Lake Conroe, both human-made reservoirs, are the largest freshwater bodies in the region. The Trinity, Brazos, San Jacinto, and San Bernard are the major rivers.

Specific threats

Alteration: The area covered by freshwater in the region has increased over the years through the creation of reservoirs for drinking water, industrial process water, flood control, irrigation, and pollution control. This gain, however, has come at the expense of natural freshwater bodies, bottomland hardwood forests, upland forest, and prairies.

Human activity has changed almost all of the natural freshwater bodies in the region in some way. Damming has caused alteration and loss of habitat, but also created new ecosystems. Many smaller waterways have been dredged or concreted over in the name of flood control.

Pollution: Non-point and point source pollution are also problems. Urban runoff contains soil, motor oil, fertilizers, pesticides, and much more. Most waterways receive effluent of varying quality. Industry releases excess heat into freshwater bodies as well.

Water supply: The natural hydrology of a watershed supports its wild inhabitants. Water removal and dam construction reduces downstream water supply. Channelization or straightening of rivers, streams, and bayous increases the volume and speed of water in lower segments. These changes can lead to alteration of species diversity and composition of the freshwater community.

The Gulf of Mexico

The 619,000-square-mile Gulf of Mexico lies to the region’s south. An arm of the Atlantic Ocean this saltwater body receives water from 33 major river systems, 207 estuaries, and the Mississippi River, draining about two-thirds of the contiguous land mass of the United States.

The Gulf’s shoreline is low and marshy, with many inlets and lagoons that protect various wildlife. The Gulf’s wide, shallow continental shelf, ranging from inches deep to 100 meters at the shelf’s break, is an ideal habitat for fish and shellfish. Many estuarine-dependent species spawn on its muddy bottom. Larger inhabitants of the Gulf include sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, sharks, alligators, and even whales.

Although the deeper parts of the Gulf are relatively healthy, increasing populations have resulted in pollution problems for many estuaries and near-coastal areas.

Upland Pine Forests

North of Houston lies a forest locked in a centuries-long cycle of pine tree and hardwood domination. Currently the pines prevail. Large hardwoods - oaks, sweet gum, pecan, and hickory – grow tall as well. If left untouched, the hardwoods would eventually cut the pines off. Then, natural forest fires would destroy the hardwoods, and the pines would rush to the top of the forest, dominating again.

Deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, and an occasional bobcat roam the sandy forest floor. Above, birdwatchers can spot hawks, owls, flycatchers, blue jay, chickadee, wrens, thrashers, thrush, warblers, and more. Migrating neotropical songbirds rest in the trees before journeying across the Gulf of Mexico.

The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker carves its home in older, live trees infected with heartrot, which makes the wood soft. Heartrot only affects trees more than 80 years old. Unless protected, most trees are logged before their 80th birthday, leaving this unique bird homeless.

The Sam Houston National Forest protects more than 160,000 acres of upland forest 30 miles north of Houston. However, residential and commercial development threatens wooded areas outside the preserve.

Wetlands

The Clean Water Act defines wetlands as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas.” They are “transition zones,” which have characteristics of both dry uplands and open water. Wetlands are not always wet year round; some are inundated only seasonally or a few weeks out of the year.

Before development, wetlands covered 30 to 40 percent of our region. They were formed by ancient rivers traversing the plain. As the waterways shifted, they left an intricately carved pattern of low and high, wet and dry. The Gulf Coast features diverse wetland types, including prairie pothole, estuarine, riverine forested, and coastal flatwood wetlands.

The Houston area and the state of Texas have lost more than 50 percent of their original wetlands; 40 percent have disappeared since 1956.[v]

Wetland functions

Wetlands have a variety of important ecological functions. Their plants and soils filter water before it enters groundwater or waterways. Wetlands are vital habitat for many species; fish and shellfish use them as nurseries. Wetlands act as flood buffers and control erosion. They also provide abundant wildlife watching, hunting, and fishing opportunities.

Wetland protection

The Clean Water Act protects wetlands to some degree. Landowners who have wetlands on property must:

--try to avoid impacting the wetlands, or, if they can't avoid impact,

--minimize the damage done, or, if the impact is unavoidable and non-trivial,

--mitigate the damage by replacing the destroyed tract of wetlands with another.

However, a 2001 Supreme Court decision ruled that the Clean Water Act does not give the federal government the authority to regulate wetlands that are not connected to another water body. How exactly this ruling will affect wetland protection in the Houston-Galveston region is yet to be seen. The Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District Office at (409) 766-3930 is charged with enforcing the Clean Water Act in the Gulf Coast region.

Specific threats

Human activity: Historically, agriculture, industrial activities, and urban and suburban development have destroyed freshwater wetlands; today, continued urban sprawl is the biggest threat. Subsidence (see Drinking Water section) has been a primary source of saltwater wetland loss. As the land sinks, wetlands drown. Reduced freshwater inflow from rivers has depleted estuarine wetlands as well.

Poor protection: Many environmentalists believe the system of wetland protection is flawed. They claim that developers without permits destroy wetlands, the system of delineation (measuring wetlands to be mitigated) is inconsistent, and the mitigation process is not monitored well. Also, the Clean Water Act does not prioritize the most valuable wetlands. In the eyes of the law, all wetlands are created equal; not even the most rare or unique are completely protected from development.

What you can do

Enjoy the area’s diverse ecosystems

Voice your concerns

Write to elected officials, newspapers, and developers about the need to protect the region’s shrinking open spaces.

Volunteer for native ecosystems

Many local organizations restore native ecosystems. Contact the Galveston Bay Foundation at (281) 332-3381, Scenic Galveston at (409) 744-7431, or the Katy Prairie Conservancy at (713) 523-6135 for more information.

Watch for wetland violations

If you suspect a developer is filling wetlands, contact the Corps’ regulatory office at (409) 766-3930 to find out if a permit was issued.