Texas Coastal Conservation 2025

Today we woke up from our first night camping at around 8:00 am. After a hearty breakfast of homemade breakfast tacos that we prepared on the grill, we headed to some nearby ponds to try our luck fishing. Many students waded into the bay to fish and teach others how. During this time, many other students explored the coastline looking for shells, hermit crabs, and other wildlife. Next, after a quick lunch of homemade sandwiches and fresh fruits, we headed down to the beach for some afternoon fun. We then spent time walking, playing, tanning, and digging holes on the beach, some of us even buried Miles in the sand. After the beach wore us out, we returned to camp to shower and freshen up for our dinner reservation at Rainforest Cafe. Rainforest Cafe was definitely a highlight of the trip, we had some great food while enjoying the ambiance of the restaurant. we then left the cafe with full stomachs, balloon animals, and smiles on our faces to make smores around the campfire and then head...

Monday morning we went to HEB and bought all of our food. After that, we went to pro bass shops to get fishing licenses and fishing poles. We got to the campsite, set up our tents, and got ready for the beach. After spending the afternoon at the beach we went back to the campsite and started making dinner. After dinner, we made smores and went to sleep. The next day we walked to a lake and went fishing. Sadly, we didn't catch anything but saw some hermit crabs and algae. We went to the beach and stayed there for 3 hours and after that, we went to dinner at the rainforest cafe. 

Day 4  We started the day with a drive to Galveston. When we arrived, we headed to The Bryan Museum, which is located in an old orphanage and has one of the world's largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. This was a very well-done museum and contained lots of important information that students were able to learn from.   After lunch we went to 8 mile beach. It was a very pretty day and at first was pretty cold but warmed up towards the end of the day. A student was able to find a crab while we were out there. We played soccer, football, volleyball and played with the sand. 

Today was Wednesday, the third day of our Coastal Conservation M-Term. We spent the first part of the morning planning our camping excursion to Galveston next week. The students planned meals and activities, and called the park office to see if there was a fire ban (which would prevent us from grilling). After we had created a shopping list and a few options for things to do while we are there, we began watching a documentary series about the Texas coast. By watching these episodes, we learned about several aspects of the Texas coast, from ecology to industry. After lunch, all of us headed to Sheldon Lake, a Texas State Park. At this park, we helped the rangers to maintain their gardens and underbrush, ensuring that they maintain their accessibility. Students weeded out invasive plants and cleaned the areas around the sidewalks. Above are some photos from the park.

March 19, 2025 - Brandon Foertsch Day 2 In the morning we drove down Galveston. When we arrived, Ranger B greeted us and took us to the native grass nursery. During our time there, we planted 176 gamma grassroots into the nursery. These gamma grassroots and other native grasses alike used to rule the Galveston prairies and were one of the only things holding the island together as their roots grew deep down and tangled with the soil. Once our gamma grass is fully matured, the gamma grass will be planted on the Galveston coastline prairie making Galveston Island stronger and more resilient to future hurricanes. After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the beach. It was a beautiful, windy day with not much sun. We played soccer and volleyball and swam in the cold water.

Day One! Today, we all got an introduction to the wildlife and ecosystems on the Texas coast. We began with an individual presentation on a selected aspect of the coast. We presented on marine life, protected areas, pollution, and more!  After lunch, we walked to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and its exhibit on the Texas coast. We all learned a lot about wildlife in and out of the water. To close out the day, we went to the oil and natural gas exhibit. This exhibit showed how oil and natural gas are produced, as well as how they affect the environment we are studying.