It only took 3 years, but Kim and I finally ventured to the back of our Lakewood subdivision to check out the Baytown Nature Center located on a peninsula surrounded by three bays. Overlooking Crystal Bay, the San Jacinto Monument can be seen quite well. For many years prior to 1983, that area known as Brownwood, was a residential subdivision and already subsiding due to the withdrawal of oil and groundwater. Then, in the fall of 1983, Hurricane Alicia struck, damaging many of the homes in the neighborhood. So, in 1991, city officials decided to make the vacated subdivision into the nature center it is today.
It was a treat to drive back into the center toward the bay this morning and see many species of butterflies and birds. I understand there are many mammals there, but we only observed one rabbit. Of course, on a hot Texas day like today, those mammals are going to be asleep in a shaded area. We enjoyed walking around the picnic areas bordered with wild plants and flowers. Fish were jumping in the bay waters while little black, gray chested birds of some kind sang a tune. As we watched the fish in the calm Crystal Bay waters, the San Jacinto Monument stood tall on the opposite bank.
Upon entering the gates of the park, we had to stop to check in at the information center . There is a charge to enter the nature center, but the employee was going to allow us a 15 minute look around. After Kim inquired about membership fees, we decided to go inside the building to sign up. Inside the information center were some aquariums with live snakes that had been found in the area. Even though I'm not a fan of snakes, the interesting birds and other features of the park were enough for me to agree on purchasing a family membership for a year. Within the park are many picnic areas, a playground for the children and other features that nature lovers will enjoy. We hope there will be opportunities to take our friends and relatives to the center for outings, making our membership a wise investment.
Even though it took us three years to discover this little jewel of nature literally in our own backyard, I'm sure glad we did.
4 comments:
That sounds really interesting. Any mention of whether or not they allow cycling back there?
Julia and I have been out there several times to pick up Brownwood "artifacts." We have a box of them -- pieces of brick, tile, shingles and part of an old Mr. Coffee coffee maker. She knows the story of Brownwood and she thinks it's fascinating to find evidence of this "vanished civilization."
That is great! Maybe Julia will be an acheologist some day. (is that spelled right?)
only one rabbit? wow, we couldn't avoid them the other day. BTW, I have your card in the VW
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