In 2010, Houston Sierra officially adopted the stretch of beach at the North Jetty on the Bolivar Peninsula as part of the Texas “Adopt-A-Beach Program”.  The North Jetty is a special spot to visit because of its proximity to Houston Audubon’s Bolivar Flats Sanctuary, with its variety of bird habitat and wildlife viewing, and it offers a great view of ship traffic entering Galveston Bay.  A significant engineering feat, the Jetty was built of huge granite blocks in the 1890’s by the Army Corp of Engineers and extends five miles out into the Gulf.  In suitable weather visitors may walk out to the boat cut, about two miles from the shoreline (not advisable in wet weather as wet granite is very slippery).

The North Jetty has long been a popular fishing, crabbing, and birding spot, and is visited by a wide range of people in all seasons. Because this site is heavily used, trash and litter are often a problem.  Much of the trash, such as discarded fishing line and plastics, are hazards to area wildlife. 

Houston Sierra believes this is an important spot for regular clean ups because of the adjacent wildlife habitat, and because of the public education value – it is helpful for jetty users to see other citizens out making an effort to combat litter and protect wildlife.  And reducing litter encourages people to be more mindful and respectful of the area.  Over the years we have seen improvements. Sierran Page Williams has regularly posted information at the site about the hazards of discarded fishing line and plastics to wildlife.  She also arranged for installation of a container for discarded fishing line. And the county has installed prominent signage at the foot of the jetty to discourage littering.

We typically try to schedule clean ups about 5-6 times a year – approximately every other month. These outings require suitable weather and once scheduled we post to our Meetup site. The Jetty has interest in all seasons.  There are seasonal bird populations, spring and fall wildflowers, and dolphin viewing on the ferry crossing to Bolivar.

For questions about jetty clean ups, contact Frank Blake, at frankblake@juno.com