The Struggle to Keep Natural Flood Control Natural

12/18/24 – Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC), one of the area’s leading environmental groups, gave me an inside peak at what it takes to keep natural flood control natural. Preserving land for flood control along Houston area bayous and creeks is more difficult than it seems.

Kevin Muraira is BLC’s Land Stewardship Manager. He inspects more than 15,000 acres of land each year for encroachments. But he also oversees the ongoing restoration of BLC’s 117-acre Arrowwood Preserve near Tomball.

Muraira works with funding partners and community volunteers who share his vision to make Arrowwood an example of the natural diversity that supports native wildlife.

Below are excerpts from an interview with Muraira about the difficulties of keeping natural flood control natural.

More than Flood Control

Rehak: Simply by preserving the 117 acres in BLC’s Arrowwood Preserve, you’re giving floodwaters a large area in which to safely collect without flooding nearby homes. And when the land isn’t flooding, it provides homes for native wildlife.

Muraira: Yes, a large part of what I’m doing there is helping restore native species that support native wildlife.

Rehak: BLC just acquired Arrowwood in 2020. What’s the current focus of your work there?

Muraira: We’re focusing on removing invasive species, such as tallow and privet. They crowd out the native species because they have no natural competition here. By removing them, we help native plants and trees re-establish themselves.

Tons of tallow grow throughout the preserve. In some areas, they dominate 80% of the canopy. It’s pretty bad. My group of volunteers and I started the invasive project in April of this year. Of the 117 acres, we’ve positively impacted about four acres total so far. 

It doesn’t sound like much, but people need to remember that this was done by four volunteers plus me. We only work at it for a couple hours a week.

Replacing Invasive Species with Natural Species

Rehak: How does tallow damage the other species? 

Muraira: Tallow leaves have high levels of tannings. They alter soil chemistry in ways that make it difficult for other plants to take root.

Invasive species like tallow don’t really have predators here that control them. Neither are they impacted by the same viruses and diseases that affect native plants. Gradually, they dominate the native plant community and crowd out native species that support local wildlife.

So, we have to remove it. When the canopy starts opening up, we will go back in and start replanting and taking care of our existing native trees, so they can thrive on the property.

Rehak: Those tallow seeds are poisonous to some bird species, too, aren’t they?

Muraira: They are. Tallow don’t really provide much ecological benefit. They just really take up space where we could have native plants growing. Those native plants could provide ecological benefits like food and shelter for wildlife. They also have deeper, more resilient root systems that can help stabilize stream banks and reduce erosion, which can lead to flooding.

Rehak: What will you replace the tallow with?

Muraira: Bald cypress. Water Oaks. Sycamores. River birch.

Planning to Maintain Flood Resilience

Rehak: Will removing tallow reduce flood resilience before the native species re-establish themselves?

Muraira: It’s possible that removing the tallow could de-stabilize stream banks. But we aren’t removing that many all at once. And we have a plan in place to reinforce the banks with other, more desirable native species. That will be a more desirable outcome.

Rehak: Certainly, if you’re doing four acres a year, it will minimize any impact on wetlands.

Muraira: Exactly.

Rehak: And it’s on a small enough scale that the rest of the preserve has a fighting chance to absorb the runoff.

Muraira: Exactly.

Building A Wildlife Sanctuary

Rehak: Are you planning other projects at Arrowwood?

Muraira: We plan on doing a wetland planting event in areas where the canopy opens up. Flowers, too. We plan on installing a native pollinator garden. 

We’ve constructed a more robust trail system that enables better access. And our trail crew is working on installing benches along the trails and at scenic overlooks.  

It’s a way to bring people out, like Lone Star students, and educate them about the value of wetlands. 

Rehak: Aside from the trails, are you planning on letting Arrowwood revert back to nature as much as possible with the native species?

Muraira: That’s the goal. I would love for Arrowwood to become a sanctuary for wildlife. There’s a lot of development going on nearby. So protecting this land, and planting and maintaining the native species that wildlife utilize for shelter and sustenance, is important. 

Main Value of Arrowwood Preserve

Rehak: What is the main value of this preserve in your mind?

Muraira: For me, the number one value is flood prevention or mitigation. Neighbors have told us that neighborhood has flooded a lot in the past. They were really concerned when they found out that a previous owner planned to turn the property into a quarry. 

But they know that we’re not impacting them negatively. We’re providing a place that holds water and retains run off to help protect them.

Rehak: What percentage of the preserve is wetlands?

Muraira: 104 acres out of 117 are completely in the floodway – so, most of it. When we get big rains, all 104 acres are completely flooded. You cannot walk through it. Only a little more than 12 acres are accessible and that’s still pretty difficult.

Ways to Support BLC’s Long-Term Vision

Rehak: Do you have a long-term vision for Arrowwood?

Muraira: To have a place for wildlife to survive; we’re losing habitat at an astronomical rate. And to have an outdoor classroom, where we can bring people out and educate them about the importance of protecting habitat for wildlife and protecting neighbors from floodwater.

Rehak: If somebody wanted to help you, what’s the best way?

Muraira: Call me. We have a number of ways. One of the most popular is our ambassador program. It’s like a mini-Texas-Master-Naturalist crash course. But beyond that, it gives folks a chance to see what Bayou Land Conservancy is all about. We try to keep natural flood control natural.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/18/24 based on an interview with Kevin Muraira of BLC

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