TEXAS NEMO PROGRAM FACT SHEET Texas Coastal Watershed Program Texas A&M University System COASTAL RESTORATION SERIES Utilizing Local Native Plants in Coastal Prairie Wetland Restoration Freshwater coastal prairie wetlands once the original plant community. Local native covered large expanses of the Houston‐ fauna, especially black‐bellied whistling ducks, Galveston landscape. These prairie potholes, immediately congregate to the successfully characterized by a matrix of mima mounds and restored wetland basins—completing the low‐lying wet basins, provided important restoration cycle. The time needed to complete ecological services including habitat, lood the restoration from plant collection to inal control and water cleansing. Agriculture and establishment can stretch over several years. other types of development have Identifying largely erased these features Your Sources from the coastal Most of the material landscape, and utilized in the restoration of planting process these wetlands can will come from local be a dificult ditches, private process. sites where permission is Wetland attained, or public restoration road right‐of‐ways. involves more The guidance than replacing established for the what has been collection of prairie disturbed or plants within a 50‐ altered. It may mile radius of the involve the Pickerel Weed (Pontedaria cordata) is an excellent choice for establish- project site is an restoration of ment in the deeper sections of restored wetland basins. equally good ecological guideline for functions and values (Mitsch and Gosselink wetland plants (Tallgrass Restoration 2000). In the case of Sheldon Lake State Park, Handbook 1997). This close proximity to the the original wetland basins, which had been project site ensures the collected plant material plowed and illed for agricultural purposes, is adapted to local microclimates. were identiied, mapped and subsequently re‐ It is critical to investigate many areas within excavated. Additionally, low levees were the limits of your project site to identify areas erected to hold water within the basins, which are not dominated by exotic vegetation. mimicking the original hydrology of the area. Exotic control can be costly and time The inal step of planting the basins, restored WETLAND RESTORATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM COASTAL RESTORATION SERIES Page 2 consuming, thus precautionary measures to and once prevent unwanted introductions are worthwhile established (Pimentel et. within a wetland, al. 2000). cattails are dificult to Plant remove materials will (Fredrickson and likely be Reid, 1988). found in Likewise, other groups or noxious species clusters of (see inset) will several establish and desirable physically Member of the Wetland Restoration Team species collect Southern Blue Flag Iris from a local prevent the within a site. recruitment of single native plants. location. Once appropriate collection sites are identiied, employing conservation practices to The simplest way ensure existing populations remain intact allows to establish the for collection over a series of years as needed. plant community Collecting a small percentage of the population within the (up to 20%) promotes the preservation of the restored wetland native landscape. basins will be to It is also worth noting that the lead time for the plant fast‐ planting portion of the restoration, alone, should growing, heavy‐ seeding species, be a year in advance of anticipated irst planting. Preparation to planting sequence Collection, therefore, should such as be planned according to the delta duck potato (Sagittaria platyphylla), project time frame. squarestem spikerush (Eleocharis quadrangulata) and catch lygrass (Leersia Our Diverse hexandra). The proliic , hardy nature of these seeding plants recover from Communities transplating quickly and survive adverse Establishing a plant cover as conditions. They will grow into large quickly as possible should be expansive mats or masses, but will also a primary goal in the allow for the establishment of other restoration process. This desireable species which can be planted at establishment is the irst line a later time. of defense against invasive plants which will multiply at All the plant material for the Sheldon Lake higher rates. For example, State Park project was collected from a four cattails (Typha spp.) alone Squarestem Spikerush allows for es‐ county region (Harris, Galveston, Brazoria can produce an excess of tablishment of other species like the and Chambers). This collection 10,000 seeds per seedhead, Jamaica sawgrass in the foreground. methodology maintains the genetic WETLAND RESTORATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM COASTAL RESTORATION SERIES Page 3 increases the overall Enemy Number One: Invasive Plants success rate of the restoration effort. Any restoration project will face challenges in the ield which may require special action. One such challenge is the likely encroachment of invasive Collected plants were exotic plants or aggressive native plants. It will serve the project outcome propagated and well to employ best management practices (BMPs) while maintained onsite at the Park in shallow, artiicial collecting plant material and throughout the grow‐out ponds. The propagation process. Preventing the introduction of extended collection time exotic species will minimize any expense needed to allows for the collecting eradicate the pests in the of seasonally available future (i.e. herbicide and desirable species. For application labor cost). instance, southern blue Deep‐rooted Sedge flag (Iris virginica), is Start at the beginning by available and actively collecting plant material from areas free of growing in December exotic vegetation and where that is Alligatorweed and January and dormant unavoidable, collect the desired material and in the summer months, carefully remove the stems and roots of the unwanted material—making while thin‐scaled sedge, sure to remove all the root material as many exotic species are able to re‐ (Carex hyalinolepis) is establish with minimal root (e.g. Alligatorweed, Alternathera philoxeroides). most available in late summer. Additionally, When done at the collection site, it reduces any the extended collection Vasey Grass incidental later introductions at the project site. It is period allowed the plants best to “quarantine” the collected Cattails to recover from material in a controlled pond. A transplant shock. Ideally, short growing period will allow plant material collected exotic weeds to regrow or germinate, in advance will also have and thus be culled. For exotic suficient time to propagate at least 2‐to 4‐ population established within the fold. This decreases the restoration site, it will require management practices overall amount needed like speciic treatment with herbicide, mowing, prescribed burn or physical and collected from wild removal. All of these methods will require signiicantly more effort (staff populations—another time) and resources; therefore, planning and preparation during collection conservation measure. is easily justiied. Another equally important consideration integrity of the plant stock placed in the for the planting plan is the potential impact restoration site. In other words, it ensures from wildlife. Migratory waterfowl can that only plants adapted for local soil, present a problem for establishing hydrology and regional conditions are vegetation, as geese and ducks are likely to introduced to the site. This precaution consume the young plant sprigs. Planting WETLAND RESTORATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM COASTAL RESTORATION SERIES Page 4 early within the year (February) allows for the vegetation to establish a resilient Native Plant Choices root system, or develop an extensive seed bank within the soil, thus, providing a Deep water plants foundation for re‐establishment of the basins before the next inlux of migratory waterfowl. Feral hogs, however, present a more dificult issue and local eradication is likely the only solution. For assistance Canna glauca Pontedaria cordata Thalia dealbata and guidance on feral hogs, visit: Shallowly inundated www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/ nuisance/feral_hogs/ Looking Back It is worth the time and effort to visit your restoration site post‐completion. This visit allows an evaluation of the plant Iris virginica Sagittaria platyphylla Eleocharis quadrangulata choice and may provide insight into Intermediate transition volunteer species which establish on‐site. Establishing a monitoring protocol for your site, whether photopoints or transect plots, will also clearly deine successful vegetation establishment. REFERENCES: Wetlands, 3rd Edition. (2000). William J.Mitsch and Leersia hexandra Hydrolea ovata Juncus nodatus James G. Gosselink. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook: For Prairies, Wet Prairie Savannahs and Woodlands. (1997). Stephen Packard and Cornelia Mutel (Eds). Washington DC: Island Press. Pimentel, D., Lach, L., Zuniga, R., & D. Morrison. “Environmental and Economic Costs of Nonindigenous Species in the United States”. (2000). BioScience, 50 (1):53‐65. Spartina patens Hibiscus moshoetus Panicum virgatum Leigh H. Fredrickson and Fredric A. Reid. (1988). “Waterfowl Management Handbook”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife lealet. University of Missouri, Puxico, MO. The Wetland Restoration and Education Program and the Wetland Restoration Team are programmatic efforts supported by the following entities: .