Our Accomplishments

In the first 10 years of Plan implementation (1995-2005), Estuary Program partners made notable achievements in improving water quality, restoring wetlands, protecting unique habitats, and educating the public. Those achievements include:*

   Creating, restoring, and protecting important coastal habitats.

• Restored and protected an estimated 8,000 acres of wetlands and important coastal habitats since 1995.
• Successfully used dredged material to restore more than 2,000 acres of wetlands, bird-nesting uplands, and oyster reefs.
• Maintained a nursery that produces 350,000-500,000 wetland plants each year so that restoration projects no longer need plants from established wetlands nor cultured plants that are purchased, thereby lowering the cost of restoration.

   Supporting local water-management initiatives.

• Formed the Galveston Bay Freshwater Inflows Group in 1996 to develop management strategies that will strike a balance between human needs and those of the estuary. Through this group, the estuary program supports and coordinates, on a local level, the state's consensus-based, regional approach to integrating environmental flow protection into the water allocation process while assuring that human needs are satisfied. The group began drafting potential strategies in 2005, but disagreement regarding the scientific study that forms the basis of target inflows to the bay stalled these efforts. Once the scientific issues are resolved, the group will examine the potential strategies drafted previously and begin developing management recommendations based on strategies identified as being feasible. 

  Managing threats from invasive species.

• Established the Invasive Species Work Group as part of the 5-Year Plan Review process, to coordinate invasive-species management in Galveston Bay.
• In 2002, a comprehensive risk assessment of threats posed by invasive species present and expected to appear in the Galveston Bay area was completed.
• Conducted several important projects on invasive-species control, research, and public outreach.
• Completed a field guide to invasive plants in the bay area, and distributed over 4,000 copies to nurseries and landscape managers.

  Protecting and improving water quality.

• Implemented pollution prevention practices, such as conservation landscaping, vegetative buffers along waterways, and storm water detention basins supplemented with wetlands.
• Conducted workshops with local governments and developers to identify mutually beneficial sustainable development practices that reduce construction related pollution. Workshop discussions led to increased collaboration between some local governments that resulted in adoption of uniform construction guidelines.
• Financially supported and participated in local watershed protection initiatives to address impaired water bodies including Total Maximum Daily Loads.
• Supported and participated in community-based waterway and shoreline trash cleanups. From 1994 to 2005, 50,000 volunteers have collected 1,558 tons of trash and 2,400 tires from waterways throughout the Houston-Galveston area.

  Protecting public health.

• Collected and analyzed fish tissue and other data to assess safety of seafood caught in Galveston Bay. Seafood-safety advisories have been expanded in some areas and made less stringent or removed in other areas since the initiation of this effort in 1997.

  Building stewardship through education and involvement.

• Conducted over 300 presentations and exhibits to schools, local community events, and workshops and conferences, reaching nearly 10,000 adults and students since 1995. Held seven biennial State of the Bay Symposia since 1991, hosting a combined audience of approximately 2,000 stakeholders and citizens.
• Held seven community-centered environmental-education open houses in 2006 to give citizens access to informal one-on-one discussions with resource-protection experts from three federal agencies, five state agencies, several local and county governments, and recreation and conservation organizations. Over 650 citizens participated.
• Educated over 40 Rotary and Lions clubs, neighborhood associations, and other community-based groups in 2006, reaching approximately 850 adults and 450 children.
• Exhibited at 101 events in 2006, reaching approximately 500 adults and 1,600 children.
• Hosted a Gulf of Mexico Alliance community workshop in 2005 to secure local stakeholder and citizen input into the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan.

  Leveraging additional dollars and expertise through cooperative   partnerships.

• Dedicated $5 million to on-the-ground resource-conservation and education projects and leveraged an estimated $38 million since 2002, resulting in an average annual leveraging ratio of $7.6 to $1.

* Reporting period from 1995 to 2005. Figures are reported to the U.S. EPA biennially. Next update will be in August 2008.