According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wetlands provide free floodwater storage that helps retain runoff and reduce flooding. Wetlands also reduce erosion and improve water quality. Last, but not least, they also provide habitat for hundreds of species.
One of my hobbies has long been bird photography. Few other cities in America offer the possibilities that Houston does, thanks in large part to the abundant wetlands found here.
For instance, since 2010, 198 species of birds have been spotted in or near the wetlands of Kingwood’s East End Park. Many of those species are rare, threatened, or even endangered.
Many of the shots below were taken there. Friendswood donated the land to the Kingwood Service Association to manage for the benefit of all Kingwood residents. And I am sure that proximity to such beauty has enhanced home values.
Local Color
For those willing to explore, the visual rewards can be priceless. These colorful creatures enrich our community and our lives.
Mating display by Great White Egret in breeding plumage.Painted Bunting enjoying breakfastCattle Egret near HuffmanRoseate Spoonbills defending nest from marauder.Ruby-Throated Hummingbird nearCreekwood Nature Centerand Kingwood Town CenterCedar WaxwingMale Mallard in Huffman on Lake HoustonGreat White Egrets watch hatchling as it emerges from eggRoseate Spoonbills get their pink coloration from the foods they eat. They are one of six spoonbill species in the world and the only one found in North America.Male Scarlet Tanager in breeding plumage.
As we head into the peak of the Spring nesting season, I offer these shots as a visual testament to the wonders of wetlands. And with grateful thanks to all our predecessors who saw the beauty in conservation and preservation.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/27/24
2402 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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How much value do you place on beauty? Serenity? Clean water where eagles fish? The experience of walking through the woods with your children and sitting on a quiet riverbank together? For many people, that means more than the risk of flooding. Until they flood.
Looking east along the San Jacinto West Fork toward Lake Houston from River Grove Park
Another study of 50 other studies systematically quantified the value of pathways between blue spaces and health benefits.
From “Mechanisms of Impact of Blue Spaces on Human Health: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis” by Michail Georgiou, Gordon Morison, Niamh Smith, Zoë Tieges and Sebastien Chastin, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2021, reproduced in Environmental Health Perspectives under a Creative Commons license.
It’s no secret that people like to live near water. It’s soothing. And it has both physical- and mental-health benefits. Until nature unleashes its fury. That’s when nature’s balance sheet gets confusing.
The Minus Side of the Ledger
Living near water comes with high risks…especially along the Gulf coast. Just watch the news these days. Witness the destruction and loss of life that Hurricane Ian brought to Florida last week.
Harken back to Hurricane Harvey. The storm flooded 16,000 homes and damaged 3,300 businesses in the Lake Houston Area. It also killed 13 people in Kingwood alone!
At the peak, we got 6.8″ of rainfall in ONE HOUR! The water on the West Fork reached more than 20 feet above flood stage!
Upstream development constantly heightens flood peaks which aren’t updated regularly.
Risky land is cheap, so demand is high.
Political lobbying makes Swiss cheese out of development and engineering standards to sustain profits and sales.
Buyers assume government regs protect them.
As a species, humans are notoriously poor predictors of risk. Just ask any casino owner.
But we have flood insurance, right? Wrong. Across Harris County during Harvey, 154,170 homes flooded, but only 36% of those had active flood insurance policies.
64% did not have flood insurance.
Harris County Flood Control District Final Harvey Report
The Most Sensible Solution
As a society, we seem to have settled on a solution to such problems. Whether we realize it or not, we:
Let people build what they want where they want most of the time.
Expect buyers to understand the risks and live with a level of risk they can afford.
Ask government to make things right after things go wrong.
But there’s a much simpler, more humane and cost-effective solution. It’s called conservation. And it’s based on an ancient wisdom – “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Preserving that risky land near water keeps people out of harm’s way. It also reduces both damage and mitigation costs.
Turning that land into parks, nature preserves and recreational space lets everyone continue to enjoy it. And if we do need to build mitigation projects in the future, we will have the land. We won’t have to buy out whole neighborhoods and displace people to build a detention pond or expand a channel. And we’ll have a much healthier, happier society.
Most people think of Kingwood’s East End Park as a place to commune with nature. But it began as a natural, low-cost form of flood mitigation.
When Friendswood was building Kingwood, it toyed with the idea of building homes where the park now stands. Instead, it bequeathed the land to the Kingwood Service Association (KSA). KSA now maintains the property as a nature park for the benefit of all Kingwood residents. Leaving it natural also helps protect people from flooding.
Sometimes the best way to deal with the side effects of development is simply to preserve nature where flooding occurs most frequently. And it certainly occurs frequently along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River. In areas like these, parks provide a buffer. And that creates positive value while avoiding negative costs.
How Parks Create Positive Value
The main features offered in the 158-acre East End Park are tranquil, yet breathtaking views provided free of charge by Mother Nature. The park includes forests, wetlands, and natural meadows that provide food and habitat for wildlife. People often see families of deer munching on grass at the edge of the forests. Occasionally, visitors sight eagles, alligators, river otters, foxes, coyotes and bobcats.
KSA East End Park Poster. Photos by Bob Rehak.
Birders also find the park an urban wonderland. Forty-plus acres of tall grass meadows draw approximately 140 species of birds during the spring and fall migrations. Many of those are threatened or endangered. The Lake Houston Area Nature Club hosts birding tours here from September to May. They start at 7:30 AM from the parking lot at the east end of Kingwood Drive and usually last till about 10am.
Another major attraction of the park: spectacular sunrises most mornings.
East End Park at Sunrise by Dr. Charles Campbell.
Dr. Charles Campbell hikes several miles in the park each morning. He took the picture above not far from the main entrance at the east end of Kingwood Drive. He also took the one below at Otter Point.
Sunrise over Lake Houston from Kingwood’s East End Park at Otter Point. By Dr. Charles Campbell.
The park draws an estimated 100,000 visitors per year, but it rarely seems crowded because the visitors disperse among dense forests along 5+ miles of trails throughout the day.
East End Park is an exceptional amenity for Kingwood residents, gifted to all by a visionary developer. Was it totally selfless? Of course not. Nationally, research shows that proximity to parks can increase home values up to 20%. In short, people like parks.
Also Consider Cost Avoidance of Preservation
During Harvey, the entire park went underwater. Most of it also went underwater during the Tax Day, Memorial Day, and Imelda storms. Can you imagine what would have happened had Friendswood built homes here?
There would have been tens of millions of dollars in damages, losses to taxpayer-subsidized flood insurance, disaster relief funds, and the overhead of a bureaucracy to administer aid. Buyouts and demolition would have been required. Flood mitigation in the form of channels and detention basins would have cost tens of millions more. And all the positive values would have been lost.
But by just leaving it natural, we collectively saved all those personal and public expenses. We also created a beautiful “people magnet” that sustains home values instead of undermining them. Trail repair costs after Harvey totaled only $60,000.
That’s less than the cost to repair one average home flooded to a depth of a foot or more. And that’s the value of preservation – the natural, low-cost form of flood mitigation.
Sometimes we need to learn to just let nature be.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/18/22 with thanks to Dr. Charles Campbell
1815 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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During my life, I’ve explored 49 states. But the state I choose to call home is Texas, and there’s no place I’d rather live in Texas than the Lake Houston Area. That’s in large part due to our proximity to nature and our fierce commitment to preservation.
This country has a lot to love. But if you love being close to nature, jobs, the arts, education, transportation, and medical care, no place I’ve found offers a better balance than the Lake Houston Area.
Our Unique Selling Proposition
You can find everything in that list above in every major metropolitan area in the country…with one exception – nature.
Sure, when you’re in other cities, you can get in your car and drive several hours to enjoy nature. Here, it’s outside your back door and down the block. Along hundreds of miles of greenbelts that wind through your neighborhood and along waterways. In the country’s largest urban nature park – the 5,000-acre Lake Houston Wilderness Park. And in the national forests and wildlife refuges that surround us.
Looking north toward Lake Houston Wilderness Park. It’s six times larger than New York’s Central Park.Looking south along the East Fork toward Lake Houston in background over Kingwood’s East End Park, home to more than 140 species of birds, many of them threatened or endangered.
The Value of Nature
Nature is more than a place to explore. It’s a natural sedative. It’s restful. It quiets the soul and the mind. It sustains sanity. It’s an evolutionary anchor in a fast-changing society. The womb of the world. A protective refuge from conference reports, tax forms, sales quotas, deadlines, and performance reviews. It’s a place to just breathe, bask, and be.
Property Rights and Profit
To developers and sand miners who shout “property rights” in their quest for profits, I would say, “Go ahead, develop your land as you wish. Just realize what you’re selling. Don’t destroy the uniqueness that makes your property worth more than it otherwise would be if you cut down the forest, filled in the wetlands, and turned natural streams into concrete ditches.
“Hey, Dear. Let’s take the kids for a walk along the ditch. I hear the sand mine’s water turned neon green! It’ll be fun. What do you say? We can bring the dog. He’ll find plenty of dead frogs to eat.”
Yeah, people will commute an extra hour, and pay a premium to live ten feet from noisy neighbors and that!
Colony Ridge development east of Plum Grove, TX.Not long ago, this was all forests and wetlands.It’s less than three miles from Lake Houston Wilderness Park.Water at Hallett Mine on West Fork. Photographed 12/7/2020.Looking west up the West Fork of San Jacinto toward 20 square miles of sand mines. Photo taken in September. Water flows toward camera and then left out of frame into Lake Houston,
Plea for Preservation
So, developers and miners, please think carefully before exercising your property rights. Once the forest is gone, it’s gone forever. You will alter the watershed inalterably. Preserve the wetlands that keep surrounding areas from flooding. Preserve the “brand” you’re selling. You’re not just selling sticks and bricks. You’re selling safety.
Preserving nature preserves profit potential for generations to come.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/23/2020
1212 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
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