Charlie’s Pasture, Riprap, and Hurricane Harvey
This Earthcache is located at Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture. Since this is an Earthcache, there is no physical container to find. To earn your smiley for the cache, e-mail or message your answers to the questions to the cache owner BEFORE you log in and find it.
Charlie Bujan was born on Mustang Island on September 6, 1906.
"His father, Matteo Bujan, settled on the island in 1885. Charlie had a herd of about 250 cattle that ran on the island for many years until the law required cattle to be fenced on. The land he leased from the State of Texas extended from the current Charlie’s Pasture pier to the end of the island at East Flats." The City of Port Aransas, Department of Parks and Recreation.
In May 2002, the City of Port Aransas began an effort to preserve this section of natural habitat, enlisting the talents and ideas of many local residents and area agencies.
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey slammed came ashore with 132 mph winds and a storm surge that put several feet of water throughout Port Aransas on August 25 and 26, 2017, heavily damaging and destroying many structures on Mustang Island.
When Hurricane Harvey struck in 2017, it blasted holes in the bulkhead at the nature preserve, resulting in a large area being filled with water, eroding and destroying habitats. “A lot of water from Corpus Christi Bay rushed into Port Aransas,” said Nature Preserve Manager Rae Mooney. “The water pressure blew out these four (bulkhead and rock revetment) locations along the ship channel.” Port Aransas South Jetty
"Initially, Harvey brought in water that covered about 5 ½ acres of land, but as the area remained unprotected from the ship channel, the amount increased to 11 to 13 acres. There was a pond near GZ before Harvy, a 3-acre pond. It was ephemeral. It would dry up occasionally, (and) it would fill up with rainwater or high tides." Port Aransas South Jetty
Riprap
Riprap describes a range of rocky material placed along shorelines, bridge foundations, steep slopes, and other shoreline structures to protect from scour and erosion. Rocks used range from 4 inches to over 2 feet. The rock size needed on a project depends on the steepness of the slope and how fast water is moving. Riprap is a very durable and long-term solution.
Stone for riprap should consist of field stone or quarry stone that is angular, variably sized, and resistant to cracking during freeze and thaw cycles. Most igneous stones, such as granite, have suitable durability. Riprap ranges in shape because “riprap” can include various stone types: granite, fieldstone, limestone, and slate.
Tidal flat
A tidal flat may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud resulting from the deposition of estuarine silts, clays, and marine animal waste. Most sediment within a tidal flat is within the intertidal zone (between tides); thus, the flat is submerged and exposed approximately twice daily.
Tidal flats (which are exposed at low tide), intertidal salt marshes, and mangrove forests are important ecosystems. They usually support a large wildlife population and are often vital to migratory birds on Mustang Island.
Tidal flats have three basic environments:
Supratidal
Intertidal
Subtidal
The supratidal zone is above high tide, and sediment deposits are often exposed to subaerial conditions flooding during spring or storm tides. This zone is divided into vegetated and non-vegetated intertidal mud flats and sand bodies.
The intertidal zone lies between normal low and high tides and is exposed once or twice daily. Periods of submergence favor the deposition of silts, clays, and muds in the high tidal flats, interbedded mixed lithologies of mud and sand in the mid-flat zone, and linear shoals or bars of sand deposited by tidal currents in the low tidal flat zone.
The subtidal zone is below low tide and seldom exposed. It is a belt of muddy sediment and grassy marsh, predominantly pelletized and burrowed.
Preserving Charlie’s Pasture
After Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, the city placed a series of riprap along the edge of the 5 ½ acre lake and opened to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to prevent further land erosion near the pavilion. Unfortunately, the open lake grew to over 13 acres.
After reading the information above and observing the two locations, please answer these required logging tasks:
- Looking at GZ, describe the color and texture of the Riprap.
- What rock type is being used as riprap?
- Why was riprap used here and not further south?
- Looking north from wave point one, what man-made object was created to block the water from the Corpus Christi Ship Channel?
At wave point two:
- Looking at GZ, describe the color of the tidal flat.
- Based on your observation (and reading from above), what zone are you in?
- What features were seen at your waypoint that confirm the type of zone?
- Include a picture of yourself or your group at GZ with the tidal zone in the background.
Confirm your findings by answering these questions and sending your answers via the message center.
**Please do not post your answers in your log!**
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Sources:
City of Port Aransas. 2023. Charlie’s Pasture. City of Port Aransas, Department of Parks and Recreation. https://cityofportaransas.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/nature-preserve/charlies-pasture/
Cargo, Kathryn. 2022. City to restore preserve area flooded by Harvey. Port Aransas South Jetty. https://www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/city-to-restore-preserve-area-flooded-by-harvey/
Parker, Dan. 2017. Harvey: Hell & high water. Port Aransas South Jetty. https://www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/harvey-hell-high-water/
National Weather Service. 2017. Hurricane Harvey & Its Impacts on Southeast Texas (August 25-29, 2017). U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.weather.gov/hgx/hurricaneharvey
Permission:
Colleen Simpson, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Port Aransas, granted permission for this Earthcache.