Texas Site Visit
March 8 – 11, 2005
[ Objective | Participating Scan Team Members | Local Participants | Summary | Site Descriptions and Photos ]
Objective
This scan provided information on Texas DOT's wetland mitigation program and included
field visits of the following project sites: Coastal Bottomlands Mitigation
Bank, Blue Elbow Swamp, and Anderson Tract.
Participating Scan Team Members
- Paul Garrett, FHWA Headquarters
- Randal Looney, FHWA, Arkansas Division
- Rob Ayers, FHWA, North Carolina Division
- Katherine Trott, USACE Headquarters
- Ann Campbell, USEPA Headquarters
- Palmer Hough, USEPA Headquarters
- Pat Clements, USFWS
- Katie McDermott, CTE, NC State University (Facilitator)
Local Participants
- Tom Bruechert, FHWA, Texas Division
- Amy Lamson, FHWA, Texas PDP
- Josephine (Jo) Jarrell, TxDOT, ENV
- Stanley Cooper, TxDOT, HOU
- Paul Smith, TxDOT, BMT
- Jay Tullos, TxDOT, TYL
- Sam Watson, USACE, Galveston
- Presley Hatcher, USACE, Ft. Worth
- Todd Merendino, TPWD
- Jim Sutherlin, TPWD
- Nathan Garner, TPWD
- Pat Clements, USFWS
Site Visit Summary
Coming Soon!
Texas Wetland Site Visits
(All photographs are at a screen resolution of 72 dpi. If you would like a higher-resolution copy of a photograph for print purposes, please contact Katie McDermott, CTE technology transfer director.)
The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) wetland mitigation
banks are all preservation (eminent threat was documented) and enhancement
and/or restoration style banks with differing highlighted activities
incorporated into the banking agreements. TxDOT partners with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for management of these
banks into perpetuity. TPWD activities not negatively affecting bank
credits are allowable. A Wildlife Habitat Appraisal Procedure (WHAP)
developed by TPWD is used to calculate benefit/loss of bank credits
(biological lift), as well as best professional judgment on the mitigation
ratios used to debit credits from the banks.
Coastal Bottomlands
This site is approximately 3,552 acres in size and comprises bottomland
hardwood wetlands and uplands. It is located adjacent to the Brazoria
River. Some of the notable characteristics about this site are the
gilgai component (micro-topographical relief) of the Pledger soil
series that allows very small wetland pockets to co-exist scattered
among ancient live oak trees that may be approximately 500 +/- years
old. Restoration of a heavily grazed understory is a goal. This
bank incorporated mitigation for Bald Eagle habitat as well as approximately
40 acres of emergent wetland creation. There is a water feature
that straddles the property line. The mitigation ratio for this
bank is 6:4:2 to 1 for high, medium, and low quality wetland impacts.
Blue Elbow Swamp
This site is approximately 3,353 acres in size and comprises Cypress-Tupelo
Swamp (the only one of its kind in Texas). It is located in Orange
County near the mouth of the Sabine River by the Gulf Coast. One
threat to this particular habitat is Chinese tallow. Part of the
agreement set aside $100,000 for research in tallow control measures
to be implemented within the bank. Restoration is a major component
of this bank. The mitigation ratio for this bank is 7:5:3 to 1 for
high, medium, and low quality wetland impacts.
Blue Star Visitor's Center
TXDOT purchased and maintains 45 acres associated with the Blue
Star Visitor's Center facility and boardwalk. TX Parks and Wildlife
maintains the property and signage at the Visitor's Center. The
Visitor's Center is not part of TXDOT's banking program, but rather
it is an initiative tied to TXDOT's safety rest area program. The
program receives federal funding to enhance the environmental and
historical attributes of rest areas in order to encourage motorists
to spend at least 20 minutes on site so that they are more alert
once they get back on the road.
Anderson Tract
This site is approximately 2,243 acres in size and comprises bottomland hardwood
wetlands. Contained within the Anderson Tract is a highly diverse
wetland complex of riverine habitats, oxbow lakes, and many bottomland
forest communities. The Anderson Tract has been designated by USFWS
as one of 14 Priority 1 sites in Texas in terms of ecological concern.
It is adjacent to Big Sandy WMA on the northern bank of the Sabine
River (making a large contiguous tract of land even more beneficial
for wildlife). The Anderson Tract is managed by TPWD as a Type II
Wildlife Management Area. The service area of the bank includes
the Sabine, Neches, Angelena, Sulphur, and Cypress River basins
in the Tyler, Lufkin, Atlanta, and Paris TxDOT Districts. There
are 70- to 90-year-old growth trees present. There is an approximately
230-acre piece that was previously pasture that TxDOT has an option
to restore and/or enhance for additional credit generation. The
mitigation ratio for this bank is 7:5:3 to 1 for high, medium, and
low quality wetland impacts.
For more information on these projects, please contact Katie McDermott, CTE technology transfer director. |
