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TEXAS DICKINSON BAY ISLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT MX964016
Impact/Purpose:
Background: On the western shore of the Galveston Bay complex is an ecologically important secondary bay called Dickinson Bay. It is bordered by residential homes and the Texas Nature Conservancys Attwater Prairie Chicken Preserve. Historical and recent modifications to Galveston Bay through groundwater and petroleum withdrawals have resulted in significant subsidence in the complex. The Dickinson Bay system has subsided about 2 to 3.5 feet during the past four decades. This subsidence and subsequent erosion have resulted in the elimination of shoreline marshes, increased shoreline erosion and the complete disappearance of three islands. These islands with their intertidal marsh habitat, supported nesting birds, including the least tern, gull-billed tern, royal tern, black skimmer, American oystercatcher, and Caspian tern.
Recent regulatory measures have resulted in decreasing the rate of subsidence in Dickinson Bay. This change now provides an opportunity to restore the islands important estuarine habitat. This project will replace three critical islands and thereby provide critical intertidal marsh habitat for roosting/nesting habitat, oyster reefs and erosion protection for the Prairie Chicken Preserve.
Objectives: The restoration of three islands in Dickinson Bay will be accomplished by transporting clean clay to the designated sites. The islands will then be sculpted to the prescribed slopes and elevations. Vegetation will be transplanted along slopes and in the intertidal zones of each island.
Two of the islands will provide four different types of habitat for nesting rookery waterbirds, nesting terns and gulls, intertidal marsh and oyster reefs. A third island will be available for public access. Each island will use clean riprap concrete material for added stability and approximately 1,200 cubic yards of oyster shell will encourage the establishment of oyster reefs.
Description:
The Dickinson Bay Islands Restoration Project will restore approximately ten acres of intertidal marsh, three acres of oyster reef, and 18 acres of bird rookery habitat. The total acreage of restored habitat will be close to 30 acres.