Dear Friends:
Spring is here! If you are like me, it’s time to clean your closet, prune plants in your garden, and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Here at Buffalo Bayou Partnership, we’ve been spring cleaning and enjoying the weather too!! In addition to doing regular seasonal chores, our team continues to clean up after Hurricane Harvey.
Sediment Removal
Our sincerest thanks to the Kinder Foundation for its generous commitment to support the removal of sediment in Buffalo Bayou Park. You probably still notice significant amounts of sediment at several park areas. Please know these will be removed by Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). These sites are referred to as flood benches and were specially designed to collect large amounts of sediment that is annually removed by HCFCD.
On-Water Cleanup
Our Field Operations crew has been hard at work removing debris, plastic bags and trash from the waterway. However, recent cleanup efforts have been hampered by periodic low water levels. HCFCD also has a crew removing major logjams along Buffalo Bayou.
Johnny Steele Dog Park Renovation
After careful consideration, we are making changes to the Johnny Steele Dog Park to improve maintenance operations and the park’s functionality. We are confident that the renovated dog park will continue to be a place for dogs and their owners to enjoy. Among the changes being made are:
Large Dog Park Area: Pond removal, lawn expansion and entry portal expansion
Small Dog Park Area: Pond incorporated into large dog park area, new seating wall at edge of pond, lawn expansion, and new entry
We expect the work to be completed by early summer. We appreciate your continued patience.
Tree and Garden Planting
Hurricane Harvey left behind approximately 400 dead trees. Special thanks goes out to the team at Trees for Houston who have stepped up to partner with us, providing new trees, mulch, and much needed volunteers.
We hope you have been enjoying the many colorful wildflowers blooming throughout Buffalo Bayou Park. These and the prairie areas fared quite well during Harvey. However, we want to make sure these sites continue to thrive. In April, with funding and volunteer help from Anheuser-Busch and Silver Eagle Distributors, we installed prairie plants on the north bank near the Rosemont Bridge. Just east of the park along Sabine Promenade, a large garden area has been redesigned and replanted thanks to the generosity of the Four Seasons Hotel.
Over 45 Silver Eagle Distributors and Anheuser-Busch employees volunteered to
get their hands dirty and helped to restore a Buffalo Bayou Park meadow.
Trail Repairs
Our Buffalo Bayou Park team has been hard at work installing more than 500 tons of riprap and 150 tons of stabilized sand to repair numerous footpath segments. We also are currently realigning a footpath to merge with the multi-use trail just west of Tapley Tributary and repairing a major damaged area below the Lost Lake Visitor Center. In addition to this work, Harris County Flood Control District, after receiving federal funding, will be repairing major trail failures at the following locations: northside bank near the Rosemont Bridge, southside bank just below the Wortham Fountain, and southside bank just below the Beth Yeshurun Cemetery.
In downtown, there has been a major trail failure on the southside bank just below Milam Street that was caused by a water main break. The City is developing a plan for future repairs. East of downtown, there has been severe erosion with some banks eroding by 100 feet or more. A collapsed northside trail, just west of the Jensen Drive Bridge, has been barricaded off for safety.
Our Work Continues
Although Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Buffalo Bayou has been significant, we are very encouraged by Buffalo Bayou Park’s and other green spaces’ resiliency. Now that it is spring, grass is coming back, trees are budding out, and the light layers of sediment are disappearing. Visitors were enjoying Buffalo Bayou Park within days of Harvey and they continue to use the trails and green spaces in record numbers. Despite the incredible amount of time that we have been spending on cleanup, we have been able to resume our regular activities such as boat rides, walking tours and our annual Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta. We also still have plenty of volunteer opportunities. If you have a few hours to spare over the coming months, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Leticia Sierras at volunteer@buffalobayou.org.
All of us at BBP thank the Houston community and friends from far afield for all they have done to help Buffalo Bayou make a comeback. We are eternally grateful. Enjoy your spring out on Buffalo Bayou!
Sincerely,
Anne Olson
PresidentBuffalo Bayou Partnership is the non-profit organization revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource.
buffalobayou.org