A Vision for a Healthy, Productive, and Sustainable Galveston Bay

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1 A Vision for a Healthy, Productive, and Sustainable Galveston Bay Bob Stokes, President Preserving, protecting, and enhancing Galveston Bay for 29 years

2 A bit about our Bay Largest bay in Texas (660 square miles) and 7 th largest in U.S. Averages 8 feet deep 4 major sub-bays: Galveston, Trinity, East, West 4 counties: Brazoria, Harris, Chambers, Galveston Freshwater inflows from San Jacinto (28%) and Trinity (54%) Rivers and local bayous and creeks (18%) Tidal exchange from Bolivar Roads, San Luis Pass, and Rollover Pass

3 About our Watershed 24,000 square mile watershed from the Houston metropolitan area, along the Trinity River Basin, past the DFW metroplex About half of the population of Texas lives in the Galveston Bay watershed

4 What does our Bay do for us? Houston Galveston Bay Gulf of Mexico Economic Benefits Shipping Petro-chem Commercial and recreational fishing, tourism Ecosystem Services Flood protection Water quality Habitat/wildlife

5 How Healthy is our Bay? Easy-to-understand grading system to communicate the health of the Bay to the public First released in 2015 We use public interest to help shape the report each year

6 The Galveston Bay Report Card:

7 The Galveston Bay Report Card: What the Grades Mean

8 Overall Health of the Bay C ADEQUATE FOR NOW C means Adequate for Now the Bay is faring well considering significant challenges such as habitat and shellfish declines, pollution, and the impacts of coastal change But we must act now to prevent facing a crisis in the future.

9 HABITAT D REQUIRES ACTION & WILDLIFE C ADEQUATE FOR NOW Declines in habitat acreage (15-year trend), especially freshwater wetlands, seagrasses, and oyster reefs, are of concern for the Bay. While fish and bird populations have held pretty steady, shellfish (especially blue crabs) have exhibited a moderate decline. SALTWATER WETLANDS C FRESHWATER WETLANDS D UNDERWATER GRASSES D OYSTER REEFS I SHELLFISH D FINFISH C BIRDS C INVASIVE SPECIES B (Bay); D (R&B)

10 Losses in Marsh & Seagrass Area Emergent wetlands were estimated to have declined by 35,100 acres between 1953 and 1989 (White et al. 1993) Seagrass beds were estimated to have declined by 80% between 1950 and 2005 Historically, these habitats suffered and declined due to development, land subsidence resulting from groundwater and oil extraction, and shoreline erosion

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12 Saltwater Wetlands

13 Losses in Oyster Reefs & Productivity Historically, oyster shell was harvested for construction material prohibited in 1969 About 60% of the bay s consolidated reefs were destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008 Historically (pre-ike), Galveston Bay was the highest oyster producing bay in Texas, accounting for approximately 85-90% of all oysters harvested and worth about $12 million/year In 2010 (post-ike), Galveston Bay s contribution to the Texas total was ~30% with San Antonio and Aransas Bays accounting for 31% and 32%, respectively

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15 COASTAL CHANGE C ADEQUATE FOR NOW No long term changes in ph or winter water temperatures observed, but the future of freshwater inflows to the Bay is threatened by climate and population changes, and our area has one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise (2 feet in the last 100 years). FRESHWATER INFLOWS SEA LEVEL RISE WATER TEMPERATURE WATER ph C F A A

16 Sea Level Rise (SLR) on the Upper TX Coast Background or natural sea level rise In geological time scale, we are coming out of last ice age Factor in movement of landmass and you have relative seal level rise (RSLR) NASA JSC

17 Subsidence Accelerated RSLR Data source: HGCSD 2008; TWDB 2008

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19 Projected Shoreline Changes on our Beaches Due to RSLR 2060 Projected Shoreline Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

20 Shoreline/Habitat Changes on the Backside of our Islands Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

21 Area (ha) Projected Habitat Changes on the Backsides of our Islands Low Marsh High Marsh Years Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

22 Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

23 Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

24 Gibeaut, UT BEG, 2007

25 So here we are Retreating beaches and eroding shorelines People and infrastructure in harm s way Galveston Bay natural resources facing loss/transition

26 A Healthy Bay = A Resilient Bay Projects that protect and restore coastal habitats help estuaries remain healthy, functioning ecosystems A healthy estuary provides clean water, supports fish and wildlife, protects coastal communities from storm damage, and improves human uses such as fishing and boating GBF s Dickinson Bay Bird Island, 2012

27 A Healthy Bay = A Resilient Bay Protect high marsh and prairie through acquisition, preservation and restoration and continue to protect low marsh Restoration may include: rebuilding depleted oyster reefs, restoring subsided elevations to support emergent marsh, rebuilding rookery islands, replanting marsh and seagrass, among others All stakeholders plan for the coming changes partnerships critical

28 Galveston Bay Foundation Mission: To preserve, protect, and enhance Galveston Bay for generations to come

29 GBF Conservation and Restoration Programs Spent nearly 25 of our 29 years planning and managing restoration and conservation projects supported with federal, state, and local funding Protected, preserved, and/or restored over 20,000 acres of habitat Protected over 17 miles of shoreline from erosion Currently manages >$4.5 million in federal and state grant funding in support of our programs

30 Habitat Restoration & Enhancement Types of projects include: Wetlands restoration Shoreline protection Bird island restoration Oyster reef restoration Invasive species control Marine debris removal

31 Before and After Dickinson Bay Island Restoration

32 Before and After Burnet Bay Wetlands Restoration

33 Before and After Moody National Wildlife Refuge Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration

34 Before and After Clear Lake Forest Park Living Shoreline

35 What is GBF s Vision for Galveston Bay? A future Galveston Bay that is brimming with vitality, connected to people, and contributing to the community in every possible way Photo by Andrew Hancock

36 What Does our Vision Look Like? People safely and happily swimming and fishing the waters of the Bay The Bay teeming with healthy, diverse populations of native fish and wildlife An intact system of open bay and bayous and associated healthy habitats, providing natural resilience to disasters and disturbances in the Bay People living in the Bay s watershed who care about its role, commit to its care, and contribute their resources to support its health.

37 What is GBF s Vision for Galveston Bay? Using the metaphor of the Galveston Bay Report Card, we are working toward a Straight A Bay, a Galveston Bay that is healthy and successful in every scoring category.

38 D C HABITAT REQUIRES ACTION & WILDLIFE ADEQUATE FOR NOW WHAT YOU CAN DO Conserve fresh water we need rivers to flow to the Bay to protect shellfish, which are valuable to our seafood industry as well as to the wildlife like birds. Volunteer to restore habitats and clean up debris around the Bay wetlands and seagrasses are important nurseries for young fish and shellfish!

39 COASTAL CHANGE C ADEQUATE FOR NOW WHAT YOU CAN DO Consider the whole ecosystem a healthy system is better able to cope with coastal change. Conserve water help protect the flow of freshwater to the Bay.

40 Join Us Photo by Andrew Hancock