Clear Creek is one of six major watersheds in the Galveston Bay estuarine complex, and is a tidally influenced bayou. Clear Creek winds approximately 40 miles from its origin in Fort Bend County, Texas, to its lower reaches in Harris and Galveston Counties, south of Houston. Clear Creek officially terminates as it enters Clear Lake, which eventually empties into Galveston Bay. Clear Creek Nature Park is one of the last points before the confluence of Clear Creek with Clear Lake.
Wetlands are areas that have something of both dry uplands and open water environments: they are neither "land" nor "water" - they are a transition zone, an ‘in-between’ area. They have both upland and aquatic characteristics, attracting animal and plant species from both regions and thus often have richer flora and fauna than other environments.
Wetlands are areas where the soil is saturated for some part of the growing season. Wetlands do not need to be wet year-round to be considered a wetland. Hydrophytic (water-loving) plants grow in the moist soils of the wetlands, forming swamps, marshes and wet meadows.
The hydrology of a wetland is how much water it gets and how long it stays there. This is the most important factor in determining a wetland’s character. Oxygen does not move very fast in water, and, as a result, water saturation very quickly results in a soil condition known as anaerobiosis (very low oxygen content).
A lack of oxygen kills most plants, and hydrophytic plants (growing in water) are the only kind of vegetation that can live in these environs. Reeds and rushes that are common in many wetlands can survive because they have hollow stems that allow them to push oxygen down into the saturated root zone. Other wetland plants have developed different strategies for surviving in the anaerobic environment.
Waterlogged, or hydric, soils develop particular kinds of color patterns that make them recognizable as wetland. Hydric soils are typically gray and may have reddish stains along root channels. Wetland scientists use wetland hydrology, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydric soils to help them determine whether a given area is a wetland and the kind of wetland it is.
Wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet. They are rich in nutrients and support abundant animal life. Keep your eyes open and you may see many of them on your visit!
The wetlands along Clear Creek are characterized by coastal flatwoods, scrub/shrub wetlands, coastal prairie, prairie pothole complexes [see also GC1JPE9, locally], freshwater and estuarine wetlands, shallow-water habitats with submerged aquatic vegetation, and deep-water habitats. The wetlands along Clear Creek provide a variety of rich habitat supporting diverse wildlife.
The shallow vegetated fresh-water habitat, protected from the open bays below Houston, provides valuable breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of fish species. These wetlands are critical in supporting habitat for more than 50 fish and three shrimp species—many of which are recreationally and commercially important.
The site is an excellent habitat for migrant birds, such as sand hill cranes, great blue herons, ibises, American egrets, great white herons, owls and various song birds. Occasionally the endangered whooping cranes have been known to visit. Ducks, pelicans, shore birds and wading birds all enjoy the large isolated ‘pond’ along Clear Creek. The park’s wetlands also help to provide homes to many mammals such as deer, bobcat, coyote, rodents, and raccoons.
The bayous, tributaries and floodplains of Clear Creek are vegetated with green ash and towering oaks that provide lush habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species, including wood ducks, spotted sandpipers, ospreys and beautiful roseate spoonbills. The Creek supports large stands of mature, almost unbroken bottomland hardwood forest dominated by live oaks and water oaks.
The tidal hydrology and sediment regime associated with the Creek is important for maintaining the diversity and health of a variety of wildlife. Great numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians rely on this ecosystem for food, water, shelter, breeding and nesting.
Clear Creek's wetlands also serve as a sponge for runoff from urbanized areas bordering Clear Creek and Clear Lake, naturally cleansing the water before it empties into Galveston Bay or seeps into local groundwater supplies. Rapid urbanization of developable uplands adjacent to the Creek make its bottomland hardwood forest especially important as a last refuge for numerous animal species that once occupied vast ranges of the coastal plain.
Wetlands are an important natural resource for several reasons:
*Water Quality: Wetland plants, soils, and bacteria clean the water before it goes into groundwater or into rivers, lakes, bays, etc.
*Nurseries: Wetlands serve as important nurseries for fish, crab, and other shellfish. This is important for both environmental and commercial reasons.
*Wildlife Habitat: Wetlands are home to many different kinds of animals. Birds, mammals, fish, shellfish, insects, and reptiles live or migrate through wetlands.
*Flood buffers: Wetlands act as natural detention areas. Destruction of many wetlands has made downstream flooding much worse.
*Erosion control: Wetlands often act as buffers to reduce shoreline erosion and stabilize banks.
*Recreation: Wetlands support bird-watching, fishing, hunting, and (sometimes) even water sports.
Clear Creek is a vitally important and valuable watershed. Many of the species that spawn and feed in the watershed are important to the commercial fishing industry, and the area is a popular recreation destination. Unfortunately, human impacts including urban development, agriculture, and dredge and fill activities have degraded vital watershed habitats and water resources. Additionally, storm sewer drainage, litter, and illegal dumping contribute to wetlands habitat destruction.
To claim credit for this EarthCache you must:
1. Visit the following waypoints in-person:
A. N 29 31.768 W 095 05.322 -- Please take your photo at the BRASS plaque. See below.
B. N 29 31.847 W 095 05.106
C. N 29 31.825 W 095 04.786
2. E-mail me the answers to the following questions BEFORE you post your ‘Found It‘ log. Here are the questions:
a. At Waypoint B there is a bird blind. When you look towards the water from Waypoint B - explain where you are in ‘the in-between zone’. Are you more towards a land environment or a water environment? In your own opinion, how far out do you have to go before you are squarely at one point or another. (The latter is not a hardline question - just explain your answer. You can use relative terms, such as objects you passed, rough estimates, etc.)
b. Which of the reasons of being a natural resource given do you think are the most important or beneficial for the wetlands at CCNP, and why?
c. At Waypoint C - look at the ground on the ‘mainland’ side of the trail. What color is the dirt (not the developed trail, but the dirt generally from the natural land)? What is the color of the dirt by the water or in the bayou (if at low tide)? Is there a difference, and why?
d. Tell me some of the different animals you saw today. This answer can go in your log!
3. Log your find and please post a photo in your log of you with the brass plaque (on the cement stand at Waypoint A) in the photo. Additional photos from anywhere in the park posted in your log are always welcome and enjoyable for others (with or without you in them)! Please post them in the log and don't send them through the message system to me.
Expect that logs containing answers (other than D) to the questions above will be deleted without notice.
As always - take nothing from this site but photos and leave only your footprints. You may log the find as soon as you e-mail your answers. Thanks for visiting!