Project name: #1001 Intertidal Marsh Restoration at Armand Bayou Coastal Preserve
Project status: Complete
Grant Administrator: Gulf of Mexico Foundation for NOAA)
Grantee:
Texas Parks & Wildlife - Armand Bayou Coastal Preserve
Project location: Houston/Pasadena, Texas
Grant period: June 1, 2002 - May 31, 2003 (extended to Aug 31, 2003)
Grant amount: $10,800
Project leaders: Jaime Schubert and Mark Kramer
Texas Parks and Wildlife
2322 Space Park Dr., Suite B 180
Nassau Bay, TX 77058
(281) 534-0130 phone
(281) 335-4749 fax
Habitat: Intertidal, intermediate to brackish emergent marsh.
Species Benefiting From
Restoration: Marine finfish (red drum, bay
anchovy, menahaden and striped mullet) and shellfish
(white shrimp and blue crab) species. Wading birds,
shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, reptiles (alligator) and
mammals (river otter) also benefit.
Acreage Restored: Total amount of
intertidal freshwater marsh planted for the project
(using more than 450 volunteer hours) was 2.8 acres.
History: The Armand Bayou Coastal Preserve is one of four coastal preserves
on the Texas coast managed by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). The Coastal Preserve and Nature
Center are designated as a
GEMS site under the Gulf of Mexico Program. The Coastal Preserve is an
important nursery area for finfish and shellfish species in the Galveston Bay system and is a
tidally influenced bayou within the Galveston Bay system. Approximately 90 percent of the wetlands formerly
located in Armand Bayou have been lost. The primary cause for this loss is the land surface subsidence that
occurred between the 1950s and early 1980s due to groundwater withdrawal for industrial and municipal water supplies.
Project Monitoring: The restoration sites were surveyed by Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in October 2003, when
all sites exhibited high plant survival and rigorous growth
of a majority of the plant species. Only the spider lily
and American swamp lily were not observed during this
reconnaissance trip. Both of these species go dormant in
the fall and regenerate in the spring from bulbs. Staff will continue to assess the growth of the various plant species planted in the restoration sites.
Results will be used to plan and refine future marsh restoration efforts within the Armand Bayou Coastal Preserve
and other freshwater intertidal areas of the Galveston Bay System.
BEFORE - Transplanted California bulrush at Site B on May 31, 2003.
AFTER - Transplanted California bulrush at Site B on October 15, 2003.
