Partner Background:

Houston Parks Board is a nonprofit group that works to connect all Houstonians through public green spaces. Since inception in 1976, Houston Parks Board has invested over $258 million supporting over 250 parks and creating more than 14,000 acres of new parks and trails. Their mission is to preserve, create and enhance the region’s habitats by incorporating conservation best practices and stewardship. In less than a decade, Houston Parks Board launched Bayou Greenways 2020, a project working to connect Houston’s major bayous. Long-term initiatives include community programs, studies of Houston’s parks, and restoration and care for existing parks.

Project Summary:

As a part of their Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative, Houston Parks Board finished construction on a new Greens Bayou Greenway project to connect Thomas Bell Foster Park to Normandy Street. Thomas Bell Foster Park has experienced considerable changes over the years with housing development and flooding events, altering the park’s original landscape. Houston Parks Board is taking on responsibility to restore this park through stewardship and long-term management of the parks trails, and natural landscapes that encompass the area. Greens Bayou consists of dense riparian forests, open woodlands, prairies, and wetlands, and Houston Parks Board plans to:

• restore 1.57 acres of open woodlands and dense riparian forests
• plant 1.33 acres of native landscapes
• restore 0.75 acres of prairies
• restore 1.06 acres of wetlands

Through ongoing restoration efforts, Houston Parks Board will be monitoring and removing invasive species, addressing issues such as habitat degradation, and working to counteract overall loss of diversity. Using historical habitat data, another focus is restoring native wildlife and habitats.

Community Impact:

Restoration of these habitats and ecosystems benefit more than 2 million Houstonians and surrounding areas through increased flood resilience and cleaner water. Additionally, these conservation efforts play a role in carbon sequestration and treating stormwater runoff.