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Volunteers work to rebuild 'potholes'
Texas
In Harris County, the idea of restoring a pothole to its original condition would not be popular with commuter traffic!
However, volunteer Master Naturalists are helping to restore a prairie pothole complex that is not part of the highway system, but is part of a unique habitat in Sheldon Lakes State Park.
Prairie potholes are pockets of still water characterized by few trees, warm, dry climates and prairie plants that establish around the water holes. They are critical resting, feeding and nesting habitats for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife, such as coyotes, burrowing owls, prairie dogs, and insects.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department contracted with Texas Cooperative Extension's Coastal Watershed Program for the vegetation restoration. Marissa Sipocz, wetlands restoration team leader, said planting native grasses and other vegetation was a perfect match for Master Naturalists.
The pothole complex in Sheldon Lakes Park has a common history with many North American potholes. For the past 40 years it has gradually been flattened and drained by farming, because prairie potholes are highly suitable agricultural production.
This eight-acre project complex is just one example of ecosystems being restored by the Gulf Coast Chapter of Master Naturalists. Volunteers complete 50 hours of classroom training on the habitats along the Gulf Coast, animals, plants and grasses that are native to each habitat, and other information unique to the region. After completing the classroom segment, members must contribute 50 hours of community service in order to receive the Master Naturalist designation.
Richard Conner, a Master Naturalists project coordinator, said his classmates chose the pothole complex project for their community service after Sipocz visited their class and described what needed to be done.
"Mind you, at our first visit to the site, it was nothing more than some wooden surveyor's stakes and flagging marking the boundaries of what would someday become a seasonal wetland prairie pothole," Conner said.
The class started planting in November. The Texas "gumbo" clay was dry from lack of rain, and completing the first plantings was quite an effort, he said.
"Of course, planting when it is wet presents a different set of challenges," Conner said with a laugh. "The mud will suck your boots off your feet, and staying upright can be difficult."
In addition to the Naturalists, Ducks Unlimited participates in the project by funding the earth work to rebuild the high and low areas characteristic of wetlands.
Texas Parks and Wildlife's Ted Hollingsworth said working with Extension is one of the most cost-effective partnerships for restoring the wetlands because of the access to numbers of trained volunteers.
"The group of volunteers that Marissa had developed and trained has done fantastic work on other wetlands restoration projects," Hollingsworth said. "It is an excellent partnership of all the groups involved."
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PRAIRIE POTHOLES--Richard Conner, master naturalist, left, Marissa Sipocz, wetlands restoration team leader, and Wally Ward, master naturalist, plant underwater grasses that are native to the Sheldon Lakes prairie pothole. (Photo courtesy of Texas Cooperative Extension)
Date: 5/20/04
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