more on Galveston Island State Park
In order to tackle the daunting problem of wetland loss at the Park, a coalition of concerned partners pooled their knowledge and experience to develop a restoration plan. Next, partners wrote grants and raised funds, provided logistical support and hired contractors to engineer and implement the project, and agreed to conduct monitoring.
A Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act grant,
administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, directed to Texas Parks and
Wildlife Dept. provided $1.46 of the
$2.16 million needed to
complete the
restoration work, along with funds from an oil spill settlement, the FWS Texas
Coastal Program, and the Galveston Bay National Estuary Program. The project
consisted of the installation of 13,500 feet of geotubes in open water offshore
from the Park to protect two lagoons totaling 740 acres and simulate the oyster
reefs that historically protected the Park’s marshes from heavy surf. To
restore emergent wetlands long, narrow terraces were constructed in a section of
shallow open water between the geotubes and the shore -- in the region where
original marshes had been lost. Terraces were constructed in 100 foot, 200 foot
and 400 foot square patterns. These terraces were planted with smooth cordgrass
(Spartina alterniflora) contributed by Reliant Energy’s Natural
Resource Center.
Biologists expect that the geotubes will minimize erosion in the 740-acre
lagoons and improve water
clarity, permitting the establishment of seagrass
meadows. Marsh terraces are expected to be fully vegetation in two years.
Partners project that the biological
productivity of the marsh will be greatly
enhanced, and a diverse array of estuarine fish and wildlife will re-populate
the restored emergent and subtidal wetlands.
This restoration project illustrates how groups are working together to
address the serious and widespread problem of wetland loss in Galveston 
Bay. The
specific restoration techniques applied here have been piloted in Holland and
Louisiana, but they are new to Texas. In another section of the lagoon at the
Park, and at nearby Jumbile Cove, where substantial wetland loss has also occurred, partners are planning another wetland restoration project in which
dredge material will deposited in circular disposal mounds behind a protective
barrier. Specific techniques will be different than those already applied at the
Park, so by monitoring and comparing results at these three nearby restoration
sites, partners hope to refine future wetland restoration efforts. By pooling
our expertise and funding, and by collaborating, conservation-minded groups and
individuals are restoring and protecting the tremendous economic, recreational
and biological values of Galveston Bay.
