Kingwood’s East End Park: Beautiful Flood Protection
12/11/2024 – One of the most popular parks in Kingwood is KSA’s East End Park. Tens of thousands of people visit this 158 acre, dog-friendly nature park each year. It’s spectacularly beautiful – filled with towering pines, tall-grass meadows, wetlands, boardwalks, wildlife, and miles of hiking trails.
Members of the Lake Houston Nature Club and the Houston Audubon Society have documented an incredible 141 species of birds in East End Park, many threatened or endangered. The list keeps growing thanks to KSA and community conservation efforts.
The park is especially popular for sunrise walks. The photo below shows why. The sunrises can be a deeply spiritual, rejuvenating experience.
Recreational Wonderland That Doubles as Flood Protection
The recreational benefits of the park are undeniable. But not many people realize that East End Park also plays an important role in flood mitigation.
Friendswood Development Company originally had plans to develop a subdivision where the park is today. But back in 1988, the EPA issued a cease and desist order to help preserve the wetlands. To make the most of the situation, Friendswood donated the land to the Kingwood Service Association (KSA). Friendswood hoped that KSA would turn the land into a recreational facility benefitting all Kingwood residents.
As the EPA intended, in their natural state, the wetlands help protect water quality in Lake Houston. They act as nature’s sponges, storing stormwater and eroded sediment before it reaches the lake.
But East End Park also turned into a buffer zone. And that’s the main way it reduces flooding – by keeping homes a safe distance away from floods.
Although a few surrounding residents flooded in Hurricane Harvey, keep in mind that the East Fork San Jacinto submerged the entire park. Harvey was an extreme case. But the buffer has worked for everything else.
Today, the biggest dangers come from occasional encounters with alligators, poison ivy and golden silk banana spiders. They are the largest non-tarantula spiders in North America. Many have leg spans more than five inches wide.
Golden silk banana spiders look ferocious. But they are gentle. And they are beneficial because of all the insect pests they eat including grasshoppers and locusts. However, a single female can spin a web across a ten-foot wide trail overnight. They are most prevalent in the late fall. Webs are usually 5 – 9 feet above ground. So, early morning joggers beware!
I wish the Houston area had more places like East End Park. We’d have healthier lifestyles and less flooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/11/2024
2661 Days since Hurricane Harvey
