Bend Fall Down

Over the River Through the Woods

Plus: 

A Geology Study of Buffalo Bayou

Zombie Memorial Groves in Memorial Park – Comment and Petition

Flood Control Proposes a Tax Increase

Oct. 7, 2024

The massive loblolly pine was lying across the path in the bayou woods. A regal giant downed by the monster winds of Hurricane Beryl. It was a profoundly sad sight.

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Magnificent loblolly pine downed by storms on the bank of Buffalo Bayou in Houston’s Memorial Park. Photo Sept. 28, 2024, by SC

We hadn’t been to the woods in this part of Houston’s Memorial Park since the storm in July. We were there to take our seasonal fall photo of that bend in the bayou from a high bank located off the Picnic Loop in the southeast side of the park. You can see the entire series of photos here. We’ve been documenting the bend from the same spot throughout the seasons for the last ten years – ever since Save Buffalo Bayou was founded to protect this stretch of the river, one of the only remaining natural stretches of the bayou’s riparian forest accessible to the public.

Because that broad-based effort was successful in stopping the bulldozing and landscaping of the park’s banks, the geologic history of the region is still visible. Using as a foundation the work of our board member, geologist Tom Helm, the Houston Geological Society has recently published a paper on that geology.

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Looking downstream on Buffalo Bayou as the sun rises. Taken from a high bank in the woods of Memorial Park on Sept. 28, 2024

We entered the woods, passing by the familiar pile of century-old cement sewer line junk from Camp Logan. The first shock was the amount of vegetation that had been cleared – by the storm and by humans. Now we could easily see into the open right-of-way where poles and power lines traverse the park from east to west.

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Clearing the woods along power lines that run east-west.

The woods were not exactly lush. We’ve had record heat and violent weather. Before Beryl ripped through in July, we had a nightmarish derecho in May. The region is still in a state of abnormally hot and dry weather.

But as we stepped down the soft sandy path just after sunrise, the woods were surprisingly cool.

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Through the woods.

We took some photos and walked east towards the lovely winding creek that drains from the center of the park, flowing under Memorial Drive south towards the bayou. Its mouth where it enters the river was stuffed with debris – branches and bits of trash.

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Looking south on the sandy creek where it drains into Buffalo Bayou.

Zombie Groves Planned for Memorial Park Forest

At least we still have these wild woods for now.

But the 2015 Master Plan for our city’s great Memorial Park includes a deeply unpopular project that many assumed had been cast aside. Apparently it’s still alive. But you can sign a petition opposing it here.

Read the rest of this post.

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