Preserving land for wildlife, clean water, and flood control
About This Tour
Welcome to the Spring Creek Nature Trail TravelStorys EcoTour, brought to you by Bayou Land Conservancy and Union Pacific.
The trail is named after Spring Creek, which is a large natural waterway flowing along the path. As you walk along the trail, you’ll be able to see both Spring Creek and smaller waterways that feed into Spring Creek.
Spring Creek is an important waterway. Not only is it the boundary between Harris and Montgomery counties, but it’s important for our drinking water.
Spring Creek flows to the east into the San Jacinto River, which then flows into Lake Houston. And Lake Houston is a major source of drinking water for the greater Houston area. This means conserving the wetland habitats of Spring Creek directly benefits the water that lands in your drinking glass.
Bayou Land Conservancy spearheaded the creation of the Spring Creek Nature Trail alongside our community partners to provide much-needed access to local outdoor spaces. Texas’ public trails, parks, and preserves are a precious community resource.
Bayou Land Conservancy began its mission of land preservation in 1996, inspired by the example of Terry Hershey, a local environmental hero. We preserve land next to streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife. We do this by working with willing landowners to so they can have peace of mind knowing their land will stay natural forever! To learn more about us click on the orange banner on your map screen.
Sample Stories
For more content, click the "Explore this Tour Remotely" button below.
Panther Branch
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Below you flows Panther Branch, a tributary to Spring Creek that runs out of Lake Woodlands. From the great flood of 1935 to Tropical Storm Allison and hurricanes like Ike and Harvey, Houston's history is intertwined with our bayou systems and how they operate under stress. One of the greatest assets towards keeping our homes safe from floodwaters is the preservation of our floodplains: land surrounding rivers and low-lying areas that are most subject to regular flooding. Houston's riparian corridors are naturally forested wetlands, which filter pollutants from our drinking water and serve as storm buffers for our communities. Conserving our floodplains from the impacts of development and industry is a green insurance plan that Houston can cash in on for generations to come. To promote this vision, Bayou Land Conservancy has worked with local governments and private industries to preserve thousands of acres of floodplains, which gives rainwater a better chance of staying in the creek -- and not your kitchen.
From Golf Course to Wetlands
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Fore! This part of the Spring Creek Nature Trail is one of the only non-forested sections throughout the entire trail. In fact, it was restored from a golf course to the wetland ponds you see here. Not only do these ponds collect rainwater during storms, but they also provide critical resources to waterfowl and shorebirds, which are vulnerable to stressors like habitat loss and climate change.
Wetlands are one of Houston's greatest and most-overlooked assets. They are areas of land that have water on their surface or in the root zone of plants for part of the year. Our wetland ecosystems absorb floodwater, filter aquatic pollutants, and absorb carbon dioxide to keep our communities healthy. Each function of a wetland serves an important role in our quality of life. And here's the kicker: They work for free! Conserving our green spaces helps you conserve your tax dollars, while providing an outdoor amenity for your family to enjoy.
