On June 7, 2022, the Houston Sierra Club met with the U.S. Forest Service, Sam Houston Trails Coalition, Lone Star Hiking Trail Club, and others interested in Big Creek Scenic Area (BCSA) trails in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF).
This meeting was in response to a June 2021 Sierra Club email which requested a meeting and stated, “The existing trails, Pine Trail, Big Creek Trail, White Oak Trail, and the Lone Star Hiking Trail … have eroded. This soil flows into Big Creek due to rainfall runoff and flooding, becomes sediment, creates water pollution, and affects water quality and probably aquatic and riparian biological diversity.” Sierra Club trail protection alternatives mentioned in the email included:
1. Close the Pine Trail, restore streamside vegetation, and install waterbars and other erosion control mitigation measures.
2. Reroute (relocate) part of the LSHT so it no longer parallels Big Creek and is located outside of the floodplain.
3. Create more winding White Oak and Big Creek Trails … to reduce water flow going straight down the slope.
4. Focus on erosion control structures throughout BCSA.
5. Better block-off the part of the LSHT that the FS previously closed.
6. Additional education, patrols, enforcement, and volunteer trail maintenance should be a part of any plan to revitalize the BCSA trail system.
Discussion at BCSA included many ideas including: protection of water quality, management of the unique plant, Slender Wakerobin, a long-term solution is needed, reduced maintenance is necessary to make it easier to maintain what we have, local people, older people, and families use BCSA, an overlook would be good to view Big Creek, protection of natural resources comes first, and much more. It was a good conversation with different points of view.
It was stated that people should meet again to discuss issues before preparing a plan. Places should be visited in BCSA that haven’t been seen. People should find out what is the priority for restoration of Big Creek trails compared to other trails.
The Sierra Club plans to continue this dialogue so that the natural resources in BCSA are protected while allowing compatible, sustainable, hiking experiences.