Entry ID920
Friends of Reservoirs Member/Group Sponsoring the ProjectFriends of Lake Livingston
Project Leader Contact InformationScott Ball
Phone(346) 804-3584
EmailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.
Address573 Lonestar Road
Huntsville, Texas 77340
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Project Information
Reservoir NameLake Livingston
Google Maps Locationgoogle.com
Please describe the project objective(s).

Long an exceptional fresh water fishery and a haven for ducks, wading birds and other wildlife, Lake Livingston is nearly 60 years old. It has lost much of its aquatic habitat and the water quality has declined. Once a destination for bass anglers, there has seen a precipitous decline in angling activity. Recreation on Lake Livingston is a major economic engine for numerous surrounding communities and the decline in the fishery has negatively affected local revenues.
Friends of Lake Livingston is restoring habitat for fish and wildlife populations by adding aquatic and riparian plants to create feeding and breeding grounds and reducing erosion!
The long-term goal of the project is to increase the abundance and diversity of native aquatic plant species and riparian habitat in and around Lake Livingston, TX, thereby improving littoral habitat conditions for the fish community and other aquatic life. Texas Parks & Wildlife has proposed that a successful restoration will need to cover 5% - (4,250 acres) of the lake and/or shoreline habitat.

Will state fish and wildlife agency staff be directly involved in the project? How so (planning, site selection, participation in installation)? Is there an associated lake or habitat management plan that states the need for structural habitat enhancement?

Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) and the Trinity River Authority (TRA) are both co-sponsors of the Friends of Lake Livingsotn project. TPWD approves all plants before introduction into the lake and both TPWD and TRA approve the planting sites that we recommend. Both TPWD and TRA assist in the planting process as well as giving us support for the ongoing project. TPWD has a lake management plan and the FoLL project is noted in that plan as one of the means of improvement of aquatic habitat both via our aquatic plant introduction as well as constructing artificial reef habitats. TRA specifically has been instrumental in assisting insertion of artificial habitats into Lake Livingston (both Georgia Cubes and Mossback artificial reefs). TPWD posts the GPS locations of these reefs on their website.

List the species that the project is expected to benefit:

White Bass, Black Bass, Striped Bass, Crappie, Blue and Channel Catfish

How do you plan to conduct outreach and advertise the project? (Examples: on-site signage, press releases, websites, message boards)

FoLL has built a broad outreach plan that includes:
• Updated website – friendsoflakelivington.com
• Active Facebook site updates
• Bi-annual community newsletter
• Posting of activity in local community newspapers
• Presentations on the FoLL project to the local “Hookers” fishing club and The Woodlands Texas Hiking Club (both in 2021)
• Yearly Ecology outreach to our 8 participating local high school agriculture programs (postponed the last 12 months for covid reasons)
o Education on lake ecology, littoral habitat, lake conservation, horticulture, active plant propagation in supplied propagation tanks, invertebrate monitoring, riparian habitat restoration and water quality testing
o NOTE – this was not executed in 2020/2021 due to Covid restrictions at the high schools
• Yearly instruction of Texas Master Naturalist concepts at the Texas Dept. of Corrections Lee College horticulture program including lake ecology, plant propagation, and supplied propagation tanks (ongoing in 2020 and 2021 in spite of covid protocols)

Upload at least one letter of support from a representative of the state fish and wildlife management agency:FoLL-support-letter-2021.docx
Partnership and Budget
Does the project involve one or more youth groups?Yes
Please list all partners involved in the project:
Partner Name Type of Partner Cash Contribution In-Kind Contribution In-Kind Value
Friends of Reservoir Federal $1,000
Texas Parks & Wildlife State Labor, supplies, and equipment $10,000
Trinity River Authority State Labor, supplies, and equipment $3,000
Fishing Clubs Local $500 Labor, supplies and equipment $2,000
Other Support Organizations Local $1,000 Labor $2,000
Schools and Students Labor $2,000
Texas Prisoners Labor & Materials $6,000