Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) is continuing a 50-year collaboration with Harris County and ExxonMobil by adding 1,147 acres to its existing preserve, making it the largest in Texas. Previously owned by ExxonMobil, the piece of land known as the Clear Lake Oil Field rests along the upper portions of Armand Bayou in Pasadena, Texas and will provide safe habitats for local animal species and enhance important ecosystems.
“A single acre of Texas coastal tallgrass prairie is estimated to hold up to 1.5 million gallons of flood water, which will help keep our homes and businesses safe from major rain events,” Armand Bayou Nature Center’s Executive Director, Tim Pylate, said. “That same acre can naturally sequester as much as a ton of carbon annually. Think about what 1,147 acres does for the environment and the health of our community. We can’t wait to begin the work of returning this land to its former glory. This is our ecological heritage.”
ABNC will work to restore the land to its previous conditions as a Texas coastal tallgrass prairie and riparian forest along upper Armand Bayou. Restoring the land not only improves wildlife values for iconic species like American bald eagles and enhances the important ecosystem services flood plains provide, such as flood mitigation, water purification, and carbon sequestration.
This effort is similar to the one that created the nature center 50 years ago, bringing together resources and cooperation from local governments, a local nonprofit, and ExxonMobil. Harris County provided more than $6.5 million dollars to this latest addition to the center, and Armand Bayou Nature Center contributed almost $5.5 million, bolstered by public funds like the RESTORE Act and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Galveston Bay Estuary Program. Private contributions came from the Knobloch Family Foundation, the Brown Foundation, the Fondren Foundation, the Cullen Foundation, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, and others.
“With this expansion, we are protecting our communities from flooding while ensuring we maintain the natural systems that make our county a great place to live,” said Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
“Our 50-year collaboration with Armand Bayou Nature Center and Harris County highlights our efforts to care for the environment in our overall approach to sustainability,” said ExxonMobil Environmental & Property Solutions Vice President Bill Jurney. “We aim to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities and environment where we operate – including in our hometown of Houston.”
The new acquisition will bring ABNC’s total acreage to 3,947 acres. Located in Pasadena, Texas, ABNC protects three vanishing Gulf Coast habitats: wetland forest, coastal tallgrass prairie, and the unchannelized estuarine Armand Bayou and its surrounding marshes. The survival of these vulnerable ecosystems is vital for the wildlife that depend upon them, for people seeking the wonder and comforts of nature, and for the range of ecosystem services they provide, including carbon sequestration, storm water retention, flood abatement and water quality improvement. ABNC’s living classroom makes it the perfect place to experience and learn about nature through year-round educational and recreational programs for all ages.