By Brandt Mannchen

“Whose bright idea was this?”, I grumbled to myself as we got out of the car in the parking lot and looked toward Reitan Point.  This incredible coastal marsh and wildlife sanctuary was all due to persistence, girt, and just plain stubbornness of Scenic Galveston.

From 1993 to now, these precious marshes and coastal prairies had been saved from the maw of development and human destructiveness, you know; landfills, illegal dumps, fishing shacks, abandoned restaurants, bait camps, old levee walls, billboards, etc., etc., etc., the human offal of our modern civilization.  All these marshes were saved and restored by the Scenic Galveston folks, Evangeline, Lalise, Greg, Leo, David, and many others along with their friends and allies.  The good fight was fought and won!!!  

But the problem right now was it was “cold as hell” and the wind was blowing.  We all huddled next to a small equipment building and used it as a windbreak.    There were twelve of us (David, Bob, Katy, Gary, Glenn, Pat, Lynda, Barry, Lisa, Sara, Andrew, and I), thirteen if you count Leo, and you had to count Leo who was waiting for us on Virginia Point.

I pointed out the marshes on Jones Bay, the historic railroad, talked about the Civil War and how the Confederate forces retook Galveston, starting right here in 1862, at Virginia Point.  How Stephen F. Austin's third Colony was established here, how the Campbell's came in the 1820s, and how in 1900 and 1915 the community of Virginia Point was wiped off the map due to hurricanes.  There is a lot of history here.  David filled us in on the clean-ups that Scenic Galveston participates in to keep this area free from trash and other human carelessnesses and invited us to join them in 2017.

We walked out to Reitan Point and looked at the marshes.  Bob used his spotting scope and could see gulls, terns, and wading birds in the distance as well as two lonely fishermen walking the railroad looking for that magical catch!  We looked at the unusual, mature, Lead Tree and the giant granite boulders that anchored Reitan Point.  It was all there for people to enjoy.  Regular folks who can come here to fish, kayak, picnic, crab, bird, and watch the incredible sunsets over the bay and marshes.  As long as you kept it clean, stewarded and loved this place, you were welcome to enjoy its beauty and charm.   

I told people how Reitan Point held a special place in my heart.  After my mother died my brother and I came here and dedicated her ashes at Reitan Point.  She is there and speaks to me when I visit or pass by on 45 South headed to Galveston.  The spirits do live with us.

Then we drove over to Virginia Point to meet Leo.  On the way we stopped briefly to view the marshes that Scenic Galveston planted to make a former landfill shine like Cinderella slipping on her magic slippers.  Those created and restored marshes now act as nursery grounds for fish, shrimp, crabs, and Diamond-back Terrapins.  Oh holy place!

Leo proudly showed us the prairie that he had worked on for 11 years, pulling Baccharis and Iva woody plants, one by one.  David for the past five years has assisted Leo in this restoration endeavor.  The prairie looked good.  Recent rains made it wet and the Bushy Bluestem and other grasses waved gently in the wind.  It was good to see Camphorweed, Fire-wheel, and Wolfberry blooming.  Even in December, in the heart of winter, we see life explode from the most humble of creatures to entertain and teach us its secrets.

We walked along the shoreline of Galveston Bay and looked at the breakwater about 100 feet from the shoreline that Scenic Galveston had recently built with thousands of stones.  The idea is to slow the waves down and reduce their energy before they hit the shoreline.  In the  near future, Scenic Galveston wants to plant marsh grass here to further reduce wave energy.

We shivered in the cold with the wind buffeting our faces.  It was time to go and we were not sorry to get inside our cars even though we were sorry to leave Virginia Point.  Seven of us decided to have lunch at Louie's a local restaurant and boat launch.  The gumbo and catfish po'boys tasted great!  The conversation was excellent and before you knew it two hours had passed.  It was finally time to go home.  I thought to myself that smelling fresh sea air and viewing the beauty of the bay and marshes is a “bright idea” after all!  Let's go back.

Brandt Mannchen
December 11, 2016