Christmas Bay-North Shoreline

Project Description: This project supports the restoration of the north shoreline of Christmas Bay, Brazoria County, Texas.  A successful shoreline planting has already been completed on a portion of Christmas Bay’s shoreline.  This project would be an extension of the existing project by planting approximately 22,600 linear feet (4.3 miles) of shoreline with Spartina alterniflora.  Christmas Bay Coastal Preserve, a Gulf Estuarine Marine Site (GEM site), is a joint conservation between the Texas General Land Office and TPWD. Christmas Bay, also known as Oyster Bay,is a shallow 4,173 acre embayment is the southwestern portion of the Galveston Bay system.  Christmas Bay is a unique high quality subsystem of estuary that has not yet been greatly altered by human activity.  The water of Christmas Bay to the mean high tide line constitutes the preserve, approximately 5,700 acres.

The preserve, situated within the Gulf Prairies and Marshes ecological region, is bordered by Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge and Follet’s Island.  There are two sizeable oyster reefs within the preserve, Arcadia reef which is completely in the preserve and Christmas Point Reef which is partially in the preserve.  However, the bays most prominent characteristic is its 250 acres of seagrass beds, dominated by shoalgrass (Halodule wrightii) and widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) interspersed with clover grass (Halophila engelmanii) and turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum).  While the southern shoreline of the preserve is vegetated with Spartina alterniflora, much of the northern shoreline is void of emergent vegetation within the inter-tidal zone.   

Partners:  NOAA-Fisheries, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, TexasGenco, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and the Texas Coastal Program

Total Contribution of all Partners:    $ 35,000