texana Mitigation for West Greens Road Harris County,

Endangered Protected by the Endangered Species Act

CEER July 30, 2014 2 Discussion • Background • Implementation • Habitat Review • Long-term Protection • Mitigation Plan 3 The Plant

100 A

90 B

C 80 D 70 E

60 F

50 G

Axis Label - Axis H Y 40

30

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10

0 A B C D E F G H

X-Axis Label 4 How are Protected

• Endangered and threatened plant species on public lands are fully protected under ESA • On private lands they are not fully protected • To take, possess, transport, or sell protected plants for commercial purposes, a permit is required • On private lands, the plant, habitat, etc. can be removed and/or destroyed without punishment

5 Background on West Greens Road Segment A

• has one of the fastest growing populations in the United States • Additional infrastructure, including roads, is needed • Harris County Public Infrastructure Department (HCPID) wanted to use federal funds for construction of West Greens Road extension • Use of federal funds required following the National Environmental Policy Act, etc. • Environmental Assessment was started in 2001

6 Environment Assessment

• Requires review of threatened and endangered species • Harris County, Texas has only one Federally protected plant species Hymenoxys texana (Coulter & Rose) Cockrell • In 1998, a review of the proposed right-of-way (ROW) indicated potential H. texana habitat • H. texana was confirmed to be present in 2003

7 Need for a Biological Assessment

• When the land is acquired by HCPID, the plant and habitat is protected • Taking of any T&E species requires consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) • Biological assessment prepared in 2004 • Biological opinion from USFWS finalized in 2005 • Included a Mitigation Plan

8 Hymenoxys texana Habitat • Poorly drained depression areas • Base of tiny mounds “mima mounds” in open grassland, which are almost barren areas on slightly saline soils • Associated plants: prairie dogshade, Limnosciadium pumilum; peppergrass, Lepidum ruderale; little barley, Hordeum pusillum; blue-green alga, sp.; and others • So what is a “mima mound” • Susan Starowitz Master’s Thesis - A Study of Aquic Conditions in a Mircotoposequence of Seasonally Wet Soils on the Texas Coast Prairie, 1994 9 Wet Periods 10 Dry Periods 11 Preservation Site - Pre-Construction

January 2004 12 Implementation

121.0 121.5

120.5

120.0

119.5

13 Implementation

Fence Drainage Ditch

Parking Lot 14 Implementation - Protection Notes

15 Preservation Site - Post-Construction

March 2014 16 Preservation Site - Post-Construction

March 2014 Preservation Site - Post-Construction

March 2014 17 Preservation Site - Post-Construction

March 2014 18 Preservation Site - Post-Construction

March 2014 19

March 2014 20 21 Long-Term Protection • Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is owned by Harris County • Mercer is one of 38 leading botanical gardens and arboretums that maintains the National Collection of Endangered Plants for the Center of Plant Conservation • Mercer will maintain the preservation site as prairie habitat by removing trees and understory vegetation

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Questions? 23 Northwest of Houston

1944 24 Northwest of Houston

2012 25 East Houston

1944 26 East Houston

2012