By Brandt Mannchen

In this sad and difficult time of African-American murders by police, Covid-19 stealth attacks, and increased climate change intensity, it is hard to understand how we can make a difference.  Recently, the Houston Sierra Club (Sierra Club) pushed forward in the direction of making a difference successfully to heal the Earth that supports us.  Here is the story.

On June 3, 2020, feeling numb with all the problems mentioned above, I needed an escape.  I escaped to the reality of Nature.  I visited Compartment 94, Stand 3, in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF).  These numbers mean nothing to you but to me they bring back fond memories, over 25 years ago, of when the Sierra Club visited this area and enjoyed seeing, perhaps for the first time, a baygall in SHNF.

What in the world is a baygall?  A very special place, I assure you!  The name baygall is derived from two plants that are found in this unique environment:  Sweetbay Magnolia and Gallberry Holly (also known as Tall Inkberry Holly).  These two plants make-up a forested and shrub wetland that occurs when water seeps out the of the ground.  This usually happens at the bottom of a hill where a seepage creek is created and flows cool and clear.  

I wanted to revisit this baygall habitat along Clear Creek in SHNF for years.  I finally was going to do this despite the summer heat.  Compartment 94 is just west of Coldspring.  I parked my car off Forest Road (FR) 280B and began hiking.  After about a mile or a bit further, and after turning onto FR 280B1, I came to the red splotched property-line that signified the end of the national forest.  I followed the private fence-line downslope until I began to see some familiar, old, green, friends along Clear Creek. 

These familiar, old, green, friends were scattered in the floodplain and included:  Loblolly Pine, Sweetbay Magnolia, Southern Magnolia, Red Maple, Black Gum, Sweetgum, American Holly, Redbay, Royal Fern, sphagnum moss, Netted Chain Fern, Lizard’s Tail, Tall Inkberry Holly (also known as Gallberry Holly), Cinnamon Fern, Lady Fern, Eastern Hophornbeam, American Hornbeam, blueberry species, violet species, Partridge Berry, Christmas Fern, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Redring Milkweed, Southern Wax Myrtle, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Water Oak, water primrose species, Sabastian Bush, Switch-cane, and American Sycamore.  

Clear Creek and its tributaries have sands bottoms with pea gravel and flow west to the East Fork of the San Jacinto River.  Seepage areas are found on Clear Creek along with oxbows and abandoned channels that have beds of ferns or Lizard’s Tail.  Frogs and crawfish join you along with small fish and electric blue damsel flies with black wings in the cool, clear, water.

Unfortunately, non-native privets are found in the floodplain and feral hogs root and in some places create wallows which alter the vegetation, hydrology, and ecology of Clear Creek.  As I walked along the banks of Clear Creek, peering into the clean, fresh, flowing water, amused by tiny fish that raced to hide from my shadow, I saw something that troubled me.

There is an old road that starts east of Clear Creek and its tributaries and follows and crosses the creek.  This old road has abandoned powerline poles and lines.  One treated power pole was lodged in a Clear Creek tributary with a transformer on the ground on the other side of the creek.  The treated wood is probably treated with creosote, pentachlorophenol, or Wolman salts.  These chemicals are toxic, long-lasting, and are released slowly over time in the environment.

As if this was not enough bad news, I also saw several exposed pipelines that hung in mid-air over the Creek.  I could not tell if the pipelines were in-service, but they may connect to an oil well that operates on the north side of Clear Creek, a quarter-mile from the abandoned road.

My immediate concern is that one or more of these pipelines may break or leak and cause an oil spill during floods in this sensitive forest and wetland ecosystem.  When I got back home, I contacted the SHNF District Ranger.  We talked about the problems I found, and the U.S. Forest Service is going to conduct a survey to determine what to do next. 

I told the District Ranger that part of the exposed pipeline problem may be due to climate change and the increased number and severity of rains.  The Sierra Club is concerned that there may not be enough personnel to track and conduct timely inspections on all oil/gas facilities on a routine basis.

I felt good that on behalf of the Sierra Club, I had found a problem, engaged the Forest Service in collaboration about that problem, and now was working to see that the problems are resolved.

It will take time to heal Nature, but to give back and protect what supports all of us so we can live in peace, makes me feel good and more optimistic for our future.