more on San Jacinto State Park
Beginning in 1993, groups interested in restoring the San Jacinto Marsh,
began working together. Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., San Jacinto Museum of
History
Association, FWS Texas Coastal Program, Army Corps of Engineers and the
Gulf of Mexico Program developed a restoration plan, applied for appropriate
permits, and raised more than $100,000 to complete the first phase of the
restoration project. In late1997, marsh restoration work began. First, levees
lining the Ship Canal were repaired and reinforced to minimize the potential for
a catastrophic levee failure that would have made marsh restoration impossible.
Next, material dredged from the Houston Ship Canal to maintain navigation was
broadcast as a wet slurry into 40 acres of the original San Jacinto Marsh.
Dredge
material was deposited in the submerged marsh until the land was raised
to an elevation that would support wetland vegetation. Once the slurry dried and
stabilized, seeds of emergent wetland plants were broadcast over the site.
Today, the site has been re-established as coastal marsh. When additional
maintenance dredging is scheduled, 150 additional acres of marsh will be
restored at San Jacinto. The benefits of this pubic-private restoration
partnership -- for environmental and historical values -- demonstrates that
pooling resources and sharing expertise is key to completing successful habitat
restoration projects and protecting our natural and cultural heritage along the
Texas coast.
Another goal of this project is to implement the Interpretation and Public
Program and Education Phase of the San Jacinto Battleground State Park's Marsh
Restoration Project, which will provide the opportunity for the park's one
million annual visitors to experience high and low marsh, coastal prairie, and
flood plain forest. Visitors will engage in an educational experience as
they venture along a 1,500 foot trail through these habitats. Decks in the
marsh and forest will provide vantage points for wildlife watching, as well as
student and adult educational programs. The trail will include kiosk
exhibits and in-situ displays. The project will increase understanding of
the importance of coastal resources and will ultimately spark support for future
restoration and conservation efforts.