Salt Marsh Wetlands beyond the prairie on the bay side of Galveston Island State Park form a transition zone where land gradually gives way to water. In this murky world, many fish and marine animals begin their lives.
Spotted seatrout, red drum, flounder, blue crab and shrimp all depend on the shallow waters and tangles of cordgrass at waters edge for refuge and a place to lay their eggs. Great blue herons, snowy egrets and roseate spoonbills as well as small migrating birds and an occasional hawk or White-tailed Kite gather in the salt marshes to feed on fish and crustaceans. If you’re a wildlife watcher, it’s a show you won’t want to miss.
The wetlands protect the environment by filtering impurities from the water and soaking up excess water from storms. To protect these wetlands and halt their erosion, TPWD built marsh terraces in 2000 and installed large hollow, fabric cylinders filled with sand called geotextile tubes along the northern edges of the bay. The geo-textile tubes have served so well in smoothing wave action that the water has cleared enough to allow recovery of seagrass beds. GISP now has a seagrass bed that covers more than 50 acres of the bay floor. Looking to the left you may spot a grid of terraces planted with cordgrass as part of the marsh restoration. This effort dramatically improved the health and diversity of the wetland ecosystem to the lasting benefit of us all.
The trail to the right will take you in a quarter mile to a boardwalk where you can get a close-up view of the wetlands cord grass and possibly see crabs skittering across the mud. Crabbing is allowed in the park.
You are looking for a bison tube hanging from the observation platform. State Park permit is on file. Good luck!
Avoid the use of acronym only logs and cut 'n paste logs. You must sign the log to claim the find. No exceptions, no excuses. Click here for free Replacement Logs.
Blank logs and double logs may be deleted without notice.
juleed was FTF and earns Zeke's Seal of Approval!
