Volunteers can kick off a first phase of wetlands at the future site of the Pearland Nature Center, March 7 and 8. We are planting and launching a string of floating wetlands for water quality and habitat, plus preparing and placing “bulrush balls” (and other species) in the 12″ to 24″ depths around the pond’s islands. For more information and to register, go to http://www.pearlandtx.gov/wetland
Posts Tagged ‘stormwater wetlands’
Pearland Wetland Awareness Day offers two unusual ways to plant a wetland
Posted in stormwater wetlands, tagged floating wetlands, Pearland, stormwater wetlands, wildlife habitats on February 26, 2015| 1 Comment »
Natural mosquito control in the wetland nursery
Posted in environmentally friendly landscaping, stormwater wetlands, Uncategorized, tagged Exploration Green, Mosquito control, stormwater wetlands, Wetland nursery on December 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Mosquito season is over for now, but even when it’s in full swing, we don’t get a lot of bites as we work in the wetland nursery. I am often asked what we do to control mosquitoes in our wetland nursery at Exploration Green.
This little fish, Gambusia affinis, is our first line of defense against mosquitoes in the wetland nursery.
Mosquito fish, or Gambusia minnows, are by far the most efficient natural predators of mosquitoes. They are utilized by some mosquito control districts across the country. We collected ours in nearby ditches and set them loose in the nursery ponds, where they rapidly breed schools of hungry fish. (more…)
Back into the water at Clear Creek ISD schools
Posted in Bay-friendly, children in nature, Galveston Bay, native plants, science, stormwater, stormwater wetlands, tagged children in nature, Clear Creek ISD, Dickinson Bayou, floating wetlands, native plants, schools, stormwater wetlands, students, volunteers on November 5, 2014| 1 Comment »
Two of the many stormwater wetland program events in September and October involved our partners at Clear Creek ISD and the University of Houston Clear Lake’s EIH. I can tell you a little about each one, but photos say it best! Check them out at the Flickr links below.
Replanting the Floating Wetlands
To make up for the damage caused by the nutria invasion last year, we replanted the floating wetlands as an experiment to see which species nutria would avoid. We also planted test plots of these species along the shore, including some species we know they do eat, as experimental controls. Sixty nine students and community members came out to work on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, October 12.
See all the photos and upload your own to the Flickr photo pool.
Habitat Garden Day at Ed White Elementary
Much pruning, planting and raking was done to spruce up the garden after a long summer, and best of all for the stormwater wetland program, plants were collected from the overgrown ponds. The plants are being propagated in the wetland nursery at Exploration Green, and can be reused on school and community wetland projects.
See all the photos and upload your own to the Flickr photo pool.
Thanks to all who showed up to help and made these events fun!
Stormwater Wetland Thursdays commence with a little rain
Posted in Galveston Bay, native plants, runoff pollution, stormwater, stormwater wetlands, Uncategorized, tagged Exploration Green, native plants, parks, runoff, stormwater wetlands, texas master naturalist, volunteers, water quality, wetlands on September 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Smiles from Jerry Dollinger of the Gulf Coast chapter, Chris Kneupper of the Cradle of Texas chapter, and Ray Rottman and Nancy Saint of the Galveston Bay Area chapter of Texas Master Naturalists light up a cloudy summer day.
The wetland plant nursery at Exploration Green conservation area is up and running! We held our first volunteer morning on Thursday, September 4, with the able assistance of the Texas Master Naturalists. We loved the cooler overcast weather, even if it meant waiting out a 20 minute tropical downpour. About a hundred sprigs each of Maidencane (Panicum hemitomon)and Marsh hay cordgrass (Spartina patens) were potted up and added to the nursery ponds you can see in the background here.
The nursery will provide plants for the stormwater-cleansing wetlands planned for Exploration Green. These stormwater wetlands will be a model for naturally managing water pollution in our region.
Thursday mornings in the nursery will be a regular event and will be open to all interested volunteers in October. Contact Mary Carol Edwards for more information.
A wetland plant nursery for Exploration Green park is under way
Posted in Bay-friendly, Galveston Bay, native plants, stormwater wetlands, tagged Exploration Green, native plants, plant nurseries, stormwater wetlands, wetlands on July 28, 2014| 1 Comment »
The stormwater wetland at Exploration Green in Clear Lake City will require about 30,000 native plants for the park’s first phase. Fortunately, we can grow our own! For that, we need a nursery. Here are some views of the wetland plant nursery as it is being built.
Framing out the tanks. There are ten total, and each tank will have three compartments.
A bed of sand in each tank keeps the bottoms level.
The heavy duty pond liners are going in today.
Although excavation for the lake in Phase 1 hasn’t started yet, the planning has been in full swing for months. We’ll be collecting and growing plants in the nursery so that all the plants have been propagated and grown by the time we need them.
Watch for an invitation to the Open House when the wetland nursery is complete in August!
For more on Exploration Green park, check out the website.
Watershed Texas 