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Armand Bayou Nature Center is a 2500 acre preserve in the center of a highly urbanized area between Johnson Space Center and the Bayport Industrial District. It protects remnants of the region’s original ecosystems including wetlands, bottomland forest and tall grass prairies.
Armand Bayou Nature Center was one of the field trips at the Houston Symposium in October 2011. Stewardship Coordinator Mark Kramer led the tour of the bayou wetlands on the “Bayou Ranger”, an electric pontoon boat, and then George Regmund led the Forest and Prairies portion of the tour.
The bayou begins 3-4 miles to the north and empties into Clear Lake to the south. In the 1950’s the bayou was very narrow. As Houston grew the use of water also grew and the forest sank and continues to sink up to 1/4 inch per year, even though the removal of ground water is now regulated. This results in a drowned forest, increased salinity of the bayou and tidal marsh grasses disappearing along with the water fowl that depend on them.
Photo by Betsy Farris
The nature center has been working to restore the marsh grasses. California bull rush is a newer plant of choice and is being grown in an on-site nursery. The bull rush is grown in large clumps with heavy root balls which can be planted any time and can create large mats in 6 years. At the on-site nursery as many as 10,000 plants of different type are being grown at any one time.
The Chinese tallow is the worst pest inhibiting the restoration of the prairies at the center. Cattle grazing has not worked to suppress non-natives and undesirable vegetation on the restored prairies but the center is considering trying goats.
Each year the center hosts an event called Prairie Pandemonium which was scheduled for the day after our visit. Volunteers descend on their prairie preserve to plant up to 2000 native grass plants from their on-site nursery. The center pre-digs the holes and waters each hole with a gallon of water before the volunteers arrive. This important effort will give the prairies a jump-start to a native state of abundant wildflowers and tall grasses.
Osprey, pied-billed grebe, alligator, great blue heron, great egret, striped mullets and gulf menhaden were some of the birds and animals seen during the tour. The nature center is home to more than 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Over 220 species of birds reside or rely on the center as a safe resting-place on their migratory journeys. Armand Bayou Nature Center lies along the Central Flyway, the largest migratory bird route in North America.
Armand Bayou Nature Center was founded in 1974 as a result of efforts begun by environmental visionary Armand Yramategui.
Yramategui foresaw the urban growth around the bayou and was determined to have this land remain a wilderness and to “reconnect people with nature.” His tragic death accelerated the movement and inspired the renaming of Middle Bayou to Armand Bayou.
Visitors can learn more about plant and animal inhabitants, bird-watch, hike on the nature center’s trails or view their live animal displays of snakes, spiders, hawks and bison.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: farris
