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LA PORTE, TEXAS— The Galveston Bay Foundation has permanently protected a 106-acre property in La Porte, Texas known as Taylor Bayou Forest. The permanent protection of this property will protect local air quality, wildlife habitat, and open space. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funded the acquisition with funds from a Department of Justice settlement and Galveston Bay Foundation is donating a perpetual conservation easement to the Texas Land Conservancy to ensure Taylor Bayou Forest will remain protected forever. Without this effort, the property would have likely been developed in the near future and the ecological value of the land would have been lost. The $3.7 million dollar property contains a natural forest adjacent to Taylor Bayou, a waterway that flows into Clear Lake and Galveston Bay. The Galveston Bay Foundation plans to conduct invasive species management to enhance the ecological health of the property. The property also sits across the street from Bayshore Elementary and the Foundation will look for opportunities to allow those students to visit and connect with the natural area in the future. “We are very excited to permanently conserve this property. The project protects some of the last remaining natural habitat in La Porte and provides many benefits to the residents of La Porte. This is a big win for the local community and for Galveston Bay,” says Galveston Bay Foundation Director of Land Conservation, Matt Singer “This project will result in the conservation and protection of over 100 acres of undeveloped land, with benefits for both the local community and fish and wildlife,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. “We very much appreciate the great work of the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Texas Land Conservancy, and we want to express special recognition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas for its successful prosecution of the Clean Air Act case that gave rise to the Community Service Payment used by NFWF to fund this project.” "Texas Land Conservancy is thrilled to embark on this new partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation and grateful for the opportunity to forge a stronger connection to this area of Texas. As we unite on this project, we envision a future where this area becomes a source of pride and inspiration for both our local neighbors and fellow Texans across the state because we aren’t just protecting a forest; we are preserving a legacy that will allow future generations to see and appreciate the beauty and diversity of our natural world,” says Texas Land Conservancy Conservation Director, Stephen Ramirez. We are thankful to the many community members who helped champion this project. In the coming months, we plan to host a community celebration in the neighborhood as a thank-you to all who helped preserve this special land. About Galveston Bay Foundation Galveston Bay Foundation is a conservation nonprofit that has served as guardian of Galveston Bay since 1987. Our mission is to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay as a healthy and productive place for generations to come. We work to facilitate a true cross-section of Bay interests through creative, inclusive and forward-thinking solutions to the challenges confronting Galveston Bay. We envision a future Bay that is brimming with vitality, connected to people, and contributing to the community in every possible way. About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation  Since their creation by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation's largest private conservation grant-maker. They work with both the public and private sectors to protect and restore the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. NFWF supports conservation efforts in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Their projects are rigorously evaluated and awarded to some of the nation’s largest environmental organizations, as well as some of the smallest. NFWF focuses on bringing all parties to the table, getting results, and building a better future for our world.  About Texas Land Conservancy  The Texas Land Conservancy has been protecting land in Texas since 1982. Their mission is to conserve natural areas in Texas and to protect the physical and ecological integrity of their water, wildlife habitat, native plant communities, and scenic landscapes. They work with communities, private landowners, governments, and other partners to protect these natural treasures for the benefit of present and future generations.

Marsh Mania is a nationally recognized, award-winning community-based marsh restoration event that has been a cornerstone of the Galveston Bay area since its inception in 1999. It is an initiative that has restored more than 213 acres of vital salt marsh habitat involving over 8,000 volunteers in its rich history. During this year's 24th Annual Marsh Mania , over 90 volunteers from the community and corporate groups gathered for a hands-on marsh planting with the goal to not only restore our precious marshlands but also to increase awareness and appreciation of wetland habitats and their functions. There were 14,200 stems of marsh grass planted at the Candy Abshier Wildlife Management area as we educated volunteers on the upcoming National Estuaries Week . “We are so grateful to the community and corporate sponsors who help bring Marsh Mania to life every year. Our success would not be possible without their support, and the hard work of the Galveston Bay Foundation staff who plan the event itself,” says Galveston Bay Foundation Volunteer Manager, Elisa O’Neal. Our constant success with Marsh Mania is made possible thanks to generous support from Aramco , Marathon Petroleum Foundation , CITGO , United Airlines , Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund , Transocean , John P. McGovern Foundation, Reliant an NRG Company , Ports America , Odfjell , and Houston Pilots . Thank you for your contributions and for supporting Galveston Bay for generations to come. About Galveston Bay Foundation Galveston Bay Foundation is a conservation nonprofit that has served as guardian of Galveston Bay since 1987. Our mission is to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay as a healthy and productive place for generations to come. We work to facilitate a true cross-section of Bay interests through creative, inclusive and forward-thinking solutions to the challenges confronting Galveston Bay. We envision a future Bay that is brimming with vitality, connected to people, and contributing to the community in every possible way.

The Land Trust Accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Galveston Bay Foundation is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation! The public comment period is now open. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission , an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance , conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. “Going through the accreditation process made the Galveston Bay Foundation a stronger and more efficient organization overall. We continue to follow all the appropriate standards and practices and look forward to our second re-accreditation,” says Galveston Bay Foundation President, Bob  Stokes.  In addition, the "Land Trust Accreditation is the gold standard and ensures our landowners, stakeholders, and supporters that GBF is up for the challenge of perpetual conservation,” said Suzanne Simpson, Land Acquisition Manager at Galveston Bay Foundation. The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Galveston Bay Foundation complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. You can review the full list of standards here .  Click below  to learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org . Comments on Galveston Bay Foundation’s application will be most useful by August 20, 2023. Thank you in advance, and if you have any questions, please reach out to our Communications and Marketing Manager, Kimberly Meza at kmeza@galvbay.org or 281-923-3278.

Media Contact: Anthony Oppermann Communications and Marketing Manager aoppermann@galvbay.org 832-536-2259 KEMAH, Texas – Oct. 27, 2022 – Bike Around the Bay, the annual two-day cycling event along the Upper Texas Coast, was held this past weekend and raised more than $500,000 in support of the Galveston Bay Foundation and its work to preserve and enhance the Bay for future generations. The weekend festivities also included the announcement of LyondellBasell as the new title sponsor of the ride. A total of 1,275 riders registered to participate in this year's event, which featured a two-day, 170-mile route from Baytown to Galveston and back as well as one-day, 20- and 40-mile routes on Galveston Island. Video highlights from the ride can be viewed here. A longtime community partner of the Galveston Bay Foundation, LyondellBasell returns as the title sponsor of Bike Around the Bay beginning in 2023. The company was instrumental in starting the event in 2007. “Everything old is new again,” said Galveston Bay Foundation President Bob Stokes. “We are thrilled our partnership with LyondellBasell has come full circle and they will again be the presenting sponsor of Bike Around the Bay. We look forward to working together to make this event even better for our riders and their supporters.” In addition to its sponsorship of Bike Around the Bay, LyondellBasell has supported the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Rain Barrel Program since 2014. During that time, more than 2,800 rain barrels have been distributed throughout the Houston-Galveston region creating the potential to conserve more than 3 million gallons of water. “LyondellBasell is proud to be a dedicated supporter of Galveston Bay Foundation and we are honored to be returning as the presenting sponsor of Bike Around the Bay,” said Elizabeth Weiss, LyondellBasell Manager of Global Corporate Citizenship. “We are committed to Advancing Our Planet and being a responsible, good neighbor in the communities where we operate.” A signature event since 2007, Bike Around the Bay has taken place each fall except for 2008. That year’s ride was canceled due to Hurricane Ike, and instead, riders and volunteers participated in a “Clean Up Around the Bay Ike Recovery Event.” Next year’s Bike Around the Bay ride is scheduled for Oct. 21-22, 2023. For more information about the event, including opportunities to ride, volunteer, support a rider's fundraiser, or become a sponsor, visit bikearoundthebay.org About Galveston Bay Foundation Established in 1987, Galveston Bay Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay as a healthy and productive place for generations to come. It implements diverse programs in land preservation, habitat restoration, water protection, youth education, and advocacy. For further information, contact the Foundation at (281) 332-3381, visit galvbay.org or connect via Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn .

https://youtu.be/F473xEqtfpg A llison Baldwin knows many of the students at Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena likely will never have the opportunity to experience the wetlands around Galveston Bay. “We don’t have as ready access to the aquatic environment that a lot of the students down in Galveston do,” she said. The same can be said for Hailey Louviere’s students at Dr. Kirk Lewis Career & Technical High School, also part of Pasadena ISD. "A lot of them, they’re not going to leave the Pasadena and Houston area,” Louviere said. That’s where Wetland Connections comes in. A signature component of the Galveston Bay Foundation’s education curriculum , Wetland Connections is a year-long program that connects students in grades 6-12 to Galveston Bay through a series of classroom STEM workshops. In these workshops, students learn about the importance of Bay animals, human impacts on the wetlands, and how to become environmental leaders who take action in their community. The program culminates in a spring field trip to a local wetland on Galveston Island where students become scientists in the field and use the skills they learned throughout the year to study the environment around them. It is the students’ favorite part of the program, according to Louviere, whose class is participating in Wetland Connections for the second time. “They talked about it so much after the experience,” she said. Spots in Wetland Connections are limited, and schools must apply to be considered for participation in the program. Seventeen schools from across the Houston metro area were selected this year. Mini wetland habitats delivered to each school campus are an integral part of the program. Each pond contains several stems of native smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) that students study throughout the year by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. The number of stems in each pond can double or even triple, and at the conclusion of the program, the plants are used in Galveston Bay Foundation’s marsh restoration projects. Delivering ponds to schools is just one of the many touchpoints Galveston Bay Foundation education team members get to have with students. “We start to create relationships with them and actually see that ownership that they’re taking in their wetlands and see that change in them,” said Megan Sambilay, an Education Coordinator with the Galveston Bay Foundation. Louviere sees the change in her students, as well, especially when they get out in the field. “The way they are in the classroom and the way they are out there is completely different,” she said. “I feel like they’re so much more involved in it.” While Baldwin said her students don't particularly enjoy getting dirty, the hands-on approach to learning about environmental science through Wetland Connections creates a more engaging experience for them. "Anything that they can actually put their hands on is hugely beneficial to any student,” Baldwin said. “Because now that they’re using their hands, they’re so much more engaged and they actually want to learn about what they’re doing without even realizing it.” Seeing her students begin to understand and care about the need to conserve and restore wetland habitats is what the program is all about for Louviere. “Having that lightbulb moment for them is so great,” she said.

https://youtu.be/eymtfxtqEqs A recent trip to Galveston Bay Foundation’s Sweetwater Preserve was anything but a typical day in the office for a group of volunteers from Aramco Americas. Ties and sport coats were swapped out for Kelly green T-shirts and waders. No florescent lighting in this workspace, just abundant sunshine occasionally filtered by soft white clouds. The volunteers got a head start on National Estuaries Week last Thursday by planting approximately 3,000 steams of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) in roughly two hours as part of Fall 2022 Marsh Mania. “To see some of my co-workers who are always dressed up in their suits and ties be out here in the water up to their waist, it was a lot of fun,” said Stephanie Palmer, Corporate Communications Advisor with Aramco Americas. National Estuaries Week , observed Sept. 17-24 in partnership with Restore America’s Estuaries, the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, and the Association of National Estuary Programs, is celebrated annually to increase public awareness of estuaries and to encourage people to become involved in the protection of these important natural resources. Galveston Bay is the largest estuary in Texas and seventh largest in the United States. The hands-on work done by the group from Aramco Americas was the latest in a series of volunteer restoration activities that have taken place around Sweetwater Lake in Galveston since 2014. “It’s a great way for them to get to see our work firsthand but also to really help us in a larger-scale effort restoring more acres of marsh and oyster reef all at once,” said Haille Leija, Galveston Bay Foundation’s Habitat Restoration Manager. Work over the past 8 years has included the construction of a living shoreline to combat erosion taking place along the western shoreline of Sweetwater Lake. Because the lake is a lower energy environment, recycled oyster shells have been used to create a reef structure offshore, which slows down wave action enough to allow marsh grass to be planted and grow behind it. In addition to protecting the shoreline, both the saltwater marsh and oyster reef provide critical nursery habitat for fish, shrimp, and crabs that are commercially fished offshore and throughout other parts of Galveston Bay. “Not only are you getting shoreline protection with these two barriers, the oyster reef and the marsh, you’re also creating that amazing intertidal habitat that’s providing that nursery area for all of those species to come in and utilize,” Leija said. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a slowdown in work at the site; however, it is Leija’s hope to complete the living shoreline project within the next year or two. The finish line would not be in sight without the effort of hundreds of volunteers who have contributed to the project. “We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers,” Leija said. “They help us make light of very heavy work.” The opportunity to get out of the office and make a positive impact in the community has kept some Aramco Americas volunteers coming back for nearly a decade or more. “The participation speaks for itself,” Palmer said. “We come out here year after year. Our employees are very vocal about what activities they like to do, and to be honest, Marsh Mania is one of the favorites.”

"What do you give somebody who has everything?” asked Marian Cornelius. While searching for a gift with extra special meaning, Marian and her husband Austin came across a unique option: adopt a dolphin. “When we go out on our boat, seeing the dolphins in our backyard is really phenomenal,” Marian said. “So, we thought it was a really cool idea to adopt a dolphin and have some kind of ownership.” For the past several years, the Corneliuses have been members of the Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program’s Dolphin Society . People become members of the Dolphin Society by symbolically adopting and even naming bottlenose dolphins cataloged by the program. Adoption and naming proceeds directly support the program’s research to better understand the dolphins that live in Galveston Bay. The adopted dolphins have become popular family gifts, and Marian and Austin have had fun with it, too. “Around baseball season we were like, ‘Alright, we’re giving Astro.’” Marian said. Membership in the society includes an adoption kit (delivered electronically) in addition to a quarterly newsletter that informs members of the program’s latest research as well as the most recent sightings of named and adopted dolphins throughout the Bay. “It’s just really the gift that keeps on giving, so we kept doing that more and more and more,” Austin said. To date, the Corneliuses have also named three dolphins – Sheba, Shiner, and Olive – and plan to name a fourth soon. The names selected for the dolphins are in honor of deceased family pets. It is the couple’s way of remembering them while also helping to support the study of Galveston Bay’s bottlenose dolphin population. “We might be crazy, but a lot of times Shiner will be doing something that Shiner our dog did,” Austin said. “He’s always around the ladies, or something like that, and loves being in this part of the Bay. We’re like, ‘Shiner would have loved that, too!’” The couple has learned a lot about dolphins through their membership in the Dolphin Society. For Austin, finding out dolphins reside in Galveston Bay was a bit of a surprise, and he was not alone. “I grew up in Katy, and I didn’t even know we had dolphins an hour away from where I grew up,” he said. “Coming to learn that was pretty fun. And then, we’ll bring friends out on our boat, and they don’t even know that dolphins exist in our region, the greater Houston area. It’s fun to let them experience that for the first time.” As a Kemah native who grew up near Galveston Bay, Marian was especially interested in learning how environmental factors, such as water salinity, impact the dolphins’ movement throughout the Bay. She cited the influx of freshwater from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 that forced the dolphins to find areas with a higher salinity as an example. “It makes sense, but I just never really thought about it,” Marian said. “When we had all that rain, it affected where the dolphins went. That was kind of an eye-opener.” After living in Houston's Heights neighborhood for 12 years, the Corneliuses recently moved to Kemah with their two sons Leo, 3, and Graham, 1. Their proximity to the Bay has allowed both boys to see dolphins in their natural habitat while also reiterating to Marian and Austin the importance of protecting it. “It’s just so cool seeing their excitement,” Marian said. “We need to protect our Bay for the future. We need more awareness to keep the Bay safe for future generations.” The Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program was established in 2014 as a partnership between the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Click here for more information on becoming a member of the Dolphin Society.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jra1Rplcac D ave Bulliner is a self-proclaimed “lab rat.” “I’m just like the little rats that run around in the lab,” he said with a smile. Bulliner's passion for lab work goes back to his college days at Southern Illinois University. He was a student worker in the zoology department, tasked with maintaining the channel catfish tank. His duties included routinely checking the oxygen levels and feeding the fish. Following a 44-year hiatus from the lab to pursue a career in retail management, the Illinois-native finally donned a white coat again in 2011. He wanted to do something “a little bit more productive” in retirement and joined the Galveston Bay Area Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists. There he learned about an opportunity to do bacteria testing as part of the Galveston Bay Foundation’s volunteer water quality monitoring program. “I said, ‘Pow, that’s what I want to do,’” Bulliner recalled. The foundation first started monitoring the water quality of Galveston Bay in 1992. Originally called The Estuarine Sampling Team (TEST), the program relies on a team of volunteers to collect and test water samples from locations around the Bay each month. The data loving Bulliner was hooked. “I think data is one of the most important tools that scientists have to use when they go back and check things they’ve done and what they want to accomplish,” he said. Bulliner shared his passion for bacteria testing with Mike Petitt, a retired physician who joined the Texas Master Naturalists in 2018. Bulliner was Petitt’s mentor and told him about the volunteer water monitoring team. It did not take much convincing for Petitt – a native Houstonian who grew up going to the Bay – to see the importance of the program. “We live down here. It’s an important thing to make sure our Bay is maintained,” he said. “If you don’t measure it, you don’t know it.” At the beginning of each month, Bulliner and Petitt can be found working together in the water quality lab at Galveston Bay Foundation’s headquarters in Kemah, testing samples from the Bay’s brackish waters for bacteria, specifically enterococcus. The leading cause of enterococcus in the Bay is fecal matter, most commonly from dogs. Septic tank overflow and over fertilization of yards can also cause spikes in enterococcus. Elevated enterococcus levels are especially common after dry periods followed by heavy rainfall, when a “first flush” effect occurs. “Think about that stuff when a heavy rain falls. Where does it go?” Bulliner asked rhetorically. “It causes problems.” To detect any potentially harmful levels of enterococcus, the two men always use the same procedure. They meticulously follow a laminated checklist – despite having done the same process countless times – to make absolutely sure they do not miss a step and have consistent results. "Just like pilots use a checklist,” Petitt said. Arguably the most time-consuming part of their duties is the paperwork. Multiple signatures are needed when a sample is received. The sample number, location where it was taken, date and time are all recorded into a log. Labels then need to be created and matched with the appropriate sample. Even the temperature of the incubator, which is always set at 41.0 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), is checked and recorded. The actual testing process begins only after everything has been carefully logged and labeled. 10 milliliters from a sample is sucked up through a pipette and dispensed into 90 milliliters of ionized, enterococcus-free water. The mixture is then introverted 10 times. A packet of Enterolert, an agent that is ingested by the bacteria and has the property to glow under a blacklight, is then added to the mix and introverted another 25 times, staining the sample a yellowish color. After letting the solution sit for a full minute, it is then carefully emptied into a sample container with 50 square wells plus one additional at the top. Bulliner and Petitt painstakingly rid the wells of any air bubbles to ensure each contains an equal amount of solution. The sample container is then fed through a sealer before being placed in the incubator where it remains for 24 hours. The next day, the sample containers are removed from the incubator and placed under a blacklight. If more than 33 wells illuminate, a fresh sample from the site needs to be obtained so it can be tested again. If the bacteria level in the new sample is also elevated, authorities are alerted. Bulliner and Petitt both noted the water quality in various parts of the Bay can quickly change, but overall, they have witnessed an improvement first-hand in recent years. The Bay’s water quality grade on the Galveston Bay Report Card , published annually by the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and the Galveston Bay Foundation, has gone from a B in 2015 to an A in 2021. Bulliner admitted the experience has changed him. “You get caught up in your work-a-day world, and you just don’t think what you’re doing to the wildlife,” he said. “It opened my eyes.” He has since stopped fertilizing his yard, installed two rain barrels to conserve water, and planted native plants around his home. It is his way of helping to preserve what he calls the “three W’s,” wind, water, and wildlife. “We can only do so much while we’re on this Earth, so we want to preserve the certain areas that we do have,” Bulliner said. Galveston Bay Foundation is currently in need of additional volunteer water monitors to take samples from sites around the Bay. If you are interested in volunteering, email us at waterquality@galvbay.org .

The second quarter of the year is when we expect to meet the most new calves, and this year was no exception! So far, the Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program has documented over a dozen young-of-the-year (YOYs) that belong to moms in their catalog. By May each year, we typically start seeing large mother/calf groups in upper Galveston Bay. Studies in other estuaries have shown that dolphin mothers congregate in groups as a defense mechanism (to help keep predators and male aggressors away) and for social benefits, including calf care and social learning. One of the most interesting aspects of observing mother/calf pairs is seeing them copy and learn behaviors from their mothers and conspecifics (other dolphins). In June, GDRP researchers observed a group of dolphins that were initially behind a shrimp trawler. When the trawler pulled in its nets, the group moved to “bow-ride” a very small moving barge. There was barely any wake to ride, so it looked a bit silly! But, it seemed like that perfect opportunity for the small calves in the group to learn and practice their bow riding skills with their mothers. It was a short lesson though! As soon as the trawler set its net back in the water, the dolphins left the barge and went back to the trawler. Foraging behind trawlers is another behavior that calves may learn from their mothers. Please consider making a donation to support our surveys. You will help us answer important remaining questions about where these dolphins and their young live throughout the year. Have you seen dolphins in Galveston Bay or surrounding waters? Please tell us about it by filling out our sighting form . This is an easy and effective way to notify GDRP about when and where you have seen dolphins. Always follow dolphin safe viewing guidelines .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGlpTIGr4H8 T here is a popular saying around the village of Tiki Island. “Spat is where it’s at,” exclaimed Patty White, an island resident and a volunteer with Galveston Bay Foundation’s Oyster Gardening Program. White, a retired math and science teacher, and her husband Don permanently relocated to Tiki Island six years ago. Shortly thereafter she was approached by her neighbor Maureen Wilde about participating in a new program – growing baby oysters from the dock at her home located on one of the island’s canals. “I actually did it just to meet people,” White said. “We moved down here, and it sounded like fun. Let’s do it!” Wilde and her husband Alan heard about the program in Bayou Vista and wanted to bring it to Tiki Island. “We said, ‘If they do it over there, we can definitely do it here,’” she explained. Four families, the Wildes, Whites, Longs and Wrights, started oyster gardening on Tiki Island five years ago. Now the program has blossomed to include approximately 45 island families. The requirements for being a volunteer oyster gardener are about as straightforward as the process for tending to them. Volunteers simply need to have access to the Bay from a pier or dock. The Galveston Bay Foundation supplies them with wire cages, mesh bags, and/or stringers filled with cured recycled oyster shells collected from restaurants that are suspended at least a foot deep in the water. Once a week, the volunteers pull their gardens ashore, rinse off any mud and debris, and shake out any “critters,” such as crabs and fish, that may have found their way inside the cages or bags. The oyster gardens are then left out in the sun for an hour to an hour and a half before being returned to the water to reduce algae growth. The goal of the program is to attract spat on the recycled shell substrate from nearby spawning oysters and then to transplant them onto Galveston Bay Foundation’s restored reefs around the Bay. “You start with a blank slate then several weeks later, you’re growing stuff,” White said. White’s grandchildren Chase, 13, and twins Kyle and Jake, 12, who live in Pearland, assist with cleaning the gardens when they visit their grandparents. “It’s fun to clean them off and see how big or small the spat is,” Chase said. And it’s not just White’s grandkids who get excited by what they find. “At any age you can always learn something,” White said. “This for me, in retirement, has been like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know you could do this.’” Wilde expressed a similar sentiment. “It’s one thing to talk about something, but you can see after four weeks we have this many oysters already,” Wilde said. After oyster gardening for five years, the volunteers on Tiki Island have observed some interesting trends. The Wildes, who live bayside, recruit more spat than the Whites do at their canal-side home. The recycled shells in wire cages tend to produce more oysters than those in the mesh bags. And years with a lot of rainfall have yielded fewer oysters because of the increased freshwater flowing into the Bay. Last year was highly productive for the gardeners. On one shell alone, Wilde counted 32 baby oysters. “Each week it’s always an adventure because you never know what will come up,” she said. Aside from the personal enjoyment volunteers get from their gardens, there is a greater purpose to their work. “Look where we live. Our reefs are going away,” Wilde said. “...Oysters are an ecosystem, and they also stop erosion, and they play a major part in getting back a healthy Bay and healthy Gulf. “That’s why we do it,” she explained. “I mean, I don’t even eat oysters!” Oyster gardening has also brought the residents in the village together. The Wildes often host “Tiki happy hours” while cleaning their gardens in addition to “spat interventions” to assist new program volunteers. They also started a Facebook group called the Tiki Island Spat Lovers to share updates on their oysters and other marine life found in their gardens. “How many things can you do today that can get a community to get together and agree on one thing?” Wilde asked. “An oyster,” White exclaimed. Wilde laughed “An oyster,” she echoed. “And really enjoy doing it. I think that’s great!” If you are interested in becoming a volunteer oyster gardener, contact Shannon Batte at sbatte@galvbay.org or (832) 536-2265.

The Galveston Bay Foundation welcomed 120 “marsh maniacs” to the Bay on June 18 for Marsh Mania, the organization’s annual marsh grass planting event. Volunteers planted 15,400 stems of smooth cordgrass at three locations around the Galveston Bay system, restoring approximately 7 acres of wetland habitat in the process. “Planting marsh grass is hard work, and we are so appreciative of the effort put in by this year’s Marsh Mania volunteers,” said Emily Ford, Galveston Bay Foundation’s Volunteer Engagement Manager. “The year-to-year transformations at our planting sites have been very dramatic, and we’re excited to see these wetlands continue to grow and expand.” A nationally recognized, signature community event, Marsh Mania engages local citizens in hands-on restoration activities while increasing their awareness and appreciation of the wetlands, which serve as a nursery habitat for various species of crabs, shrimp, and fish, among other critical functions. Twenty volunteers planted nearly 3,500 stems of smooth cordgrass at a 1.5-acre marsh restoration site at the Trinity Bay Discovery Center in Beach City. More than 5,000 smooth cordgrass stems were planted by 40 volunteers at a 3-acre marsh restoration site at Galveston Bay Foundation’s headquarters in Kemah, and 60 volunteers planted more than 7,000 stems of the native marsh grass at a 2.5-acre marsh restoration site at the Sweetwater Preserve in Galveston. Marsh Mania originated in 1999 and drew 1,500 volunteers who set a national record in its first year by planting nearly 70,000 stems of smooth cordgrass in a single day. The inaugural event created 14.5 acres of new habitat at eight sites around Galveston Bay. Twenty-three years later, more than 8,000 community volunteers have restored over 220 acres of vital salt marsh habitat at 99 sites around Galveston Bay. Marsh Mania 2022 was made possible with support from event sponsors including ExxonMobil, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Citgo, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, John P. McGovern Foundation, Odfjell, Reliant Energy an NRG Company, Transocean, and United Airlines.

The Galveston Bay Foundation announced plans for the inaugural Houston Oyster & SeaFest sponsored by Coca-Cola , which will be held Saturday, June 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park . The festival will feature a variety of acclaimed restaurants from throughout the greater Houston area and will also include live music, libations, educational exhibits and more. Event proceeds benefit the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program and habitat restoration efforts. Tickets for the festival start at $35, and VIP experiences are also available. For tickets and more information, visit galvbayevents.org . Attendees will have the opportunity to sample a variety of menu items including cooked oyster bites and signature seafood dishes from all participating restaurant partners. Event restaurant partners include: 1751 Sea and Bar, BB’s Tex-Orleans, Brennan’s of Houston, Captain Benny’s Seafood, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Frank’s American Revival, Harold’s in the Heights, Indianola, Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, the Palm Restaurant, Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, and Willie G’s Seafood & Steaks.  The festival will also feature food trucks, beer, wine and vodka bars, and live music performances by Hunter Perrin and Thunderado and Kung-Fuze . All proceeds from the Houston Oyster & SeaFest benefit the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Started in 2011, the Oyster Shell Recycling Program has collected more than 1,300 tons of oyster shells from 26 restaurant partners located from Houston to Galveston for use in habitat restoration projects. To learn more about the program, visit galvbay.org/oysters. “We are tremendously proud of the success of our Oyster Shell Recycling Program and the habitat we have restored using shell that otherwise would have been thrown away,” said Bob Stokes, President of the Galveston Bay Foundation . “Funds raised through this event will make it possible for us to expand the program to include more Houston area restaurants and restore more habitat at a critical time for oysters in Galveston Bay.”  The inaugural Houston Oyster & SeaFest is made possible with support from corporate event sponsors including Coca-Cola, Avera, Corda, the Coastal Conservation Association, H-E-B, Intercontinental Terminals Company, and Phillips 66. Food and beverage sponsors for the event include Prestige Oysters, Barrier Beauties Premium Sustainable Oysters, Bloody Revolution, Deep Eddy Vodka, Miller Lite, Molson Coors, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer.