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Lake Houston is a coastal plains reservoir with an increasingly urbanized watershed, creating erosion and resulting siltation an issue for our lake. As with many man-made reservoirs, there is little natural riparian or aquatic vegetation which helps stabilizes banks, improves water quality, and provides fish and wildlife habitat. This project will introduce native vegetation via founder colonies and in turn reduce erosion, improve water clarity, and improve fish and wildlife habitat.
Our goal within the next 5 years is to have 1500 acres of native vegetation here on Lake Houston. To do this we need to repair and expand our existing native aquatic plant nursery and purchase new broodstock plants. A nursery was originally constructed in 2013 from fundraising funds and received plants from Texas Parks and Wildlife and Reservoir Fisheries Habitat. The program has had many replanting’s and successes until 2017 when the original nursery was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. Some materials and plants were salvages after the storm and relocated to the current project site, allowing us have a second smaller nursery. Volunteers propagated the salvaged brood stock plants, and were able to continue replanting into the lake. This was especially needed after damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey. Many founder colonies were destroyed in the flooding. Additionally, much of the woody habitat that had existed prior to the storm was removed during clean-up efforts. Though plants will not replace the woody habitat, they will provide needed habitat in a situation where introduction of any structural habitat is not supported locally.
Unfortunately the 2021 Winter Storm, that brought rare freezing temperatures to the Texas coast, killed the remaining vegetation in the nursery.
This project will allow us to make an immediate large impact by directly planting mature plants into the lake, but also restart our nursery boxes and to continually plant approximately 1000 plants annually.
The project includes constructing protective enclosures to create founder colonies. Founder colonies will be along the shoreline, sheltered from prevailing wind and away from development. The City of Houston Public Works department will be partnering with us to provide planting locations on some of their property. Plant propagules produced within these protected founder colonies will be available to populate nearby locations south of the causeway potentially benefiting the entire Lake. Founder colonies were established prior to Hurricane Harvey, but damage from the storm and associated dredging efforts destroyed many of them.
With help from our local business owners, a partnership with the youth and adult volunteers of National Charity League (NCL) Kingwood and public support, the Lake Houston Sports and Recreation Foundation has obtained a site to have as many as 12, 20 foot by 4 foot vegetation nursery boxes. Presently, we have 6 boxes constructed that need some repairs. The recent freeze has required us to have to start the vegetation habitat from scratch as no plants in the boxes survived. This grant would help acquire materials to repair the nursery boxes, a shade structure to improve nursery success, plants to restart the nursery broodstock, and plants that will be planted immediately.
With “boots on the ground” we are well positioned and ready to receive additional funds to ensure the success of our vegetation, habitat restoration project. Planting locations have been preliminarily discussed with TPWD and City of Houston PWD including shorelines with low wave activity, South side of the lake, islands, volunteer’s properties and Jacks ditch area. However, this will be reassessed with TPWD and PWD in Summer/Fall 21’ to geo-mark specific locations for each species of plant.
List of Partners for this project:

• Texas Adaptive Aquatics *
• National Charity League – Kingwood*
• The McFerrin Foundation*
• Lake Houston Patrol
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Inland Fisheries*
• City of Houston Public Works – Source Water Protection Group*
• John Lopez on 610 AM Sports Radio

* Indicates included Letter of Support

List of annual supporters

• Congressman Dan Crenshaw*, Advocate
• State Representative Dan Huberty*, Advocate and Sponsor
• Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce, Public outreach and Speaker
• Lake Houston Brewery, Material support for fundraising events
• Zebco, Material support and donations for fishing events
• Tower One International, Sponsor and employee volunteers
• Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout project partnership
* Indicates included Letter of Support

To increase riparian and shoreline vegetation coverage on Lake Houston and restore areas of anthropogenically impacted shoreline. This grant will allow us to immediately make a significant impact while also improving our processes to continue to make a significant impact year after year.

The current vegetation habitat nursery is and will continue to be checked on every other month. Founder colonies will be checked and photographed at least once a year. We will also check these after every major storm/natural event.
We are partnered with TPWD to survey the native vegetation across the full reservoir at least once every 4 years.
Volunteer hours are recorded through NCL, other volunteers sign in at each project.

The current vegetation habitat nursery is and will continue to be checked on every other month. Founder colonies will be checked and photographed at least once a year. We will also check these after every major storm/natural event.
We are partnered with TPWD to survey the native vegetation across the full reservoir at least once every 4 years.
Volunteer hours are recorded through NCL, other volunteers sign in at each project.

Lake Houston Sports and Recreation Foundation is dedicated to improving fishing and outdoor recreation on Lake Houston and sharing our love of fishing and boating with youth. To do that we implement “teaching moments” by working with area youth organizations like NCL, the Boy Scouts and the National Honor Society, while increasing public awareness of the value of a healthy reservoir system.
Outreach that this grant would support includes adding signage about the conservation efforts on Lake Houston and support for ongoing projects like vegetation restoration, nursery and plantings, wood duck box management, and shoreline clean ups. LHSRF hosts a free “Take a Kid Fishing” day open supported by numerous sponsors and local volunteers. This is an annual event and brings over 100 young kids out to learn how to catch and measure their fish. They each receive a free fishing pole, bait, and awards for their efforts. Local Lake Houston Brewing allows us use of their docks and property to have this annual event. Youth also regularly clean debris off beaches as a part of LHSRF volunteer work. Youth help propagate nursery plants and transplant them throughout the lake. Youth volunteers also build wood duck boxes and maintain them throughout the year. During all of these outreach events, LHSRF highlights the importance of aquatic habitat and vegetation.