Grand Opening of Greens Bayou Paddling Trail!

On October 4, just before the start of the Annual Greens Bayou Regatta, a crowd of partners, paddlers and supporters gathered at Brock Adventure Park near the newly installed Texas Parks & Wildlife wayfinding kiosk for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the 90th Texas Paddling Trail in Texas.

History

In 2010, the Greens Bayou Coalition began looking into the possibilities of an urban paddling trail on Greens Bayou that could offer paddlers a route from the mid-reach of the bayou - near Greenspoint - to Thomas Bell Foster Park, which is in the tidal area of the bayou and close to the convergence with Buffalo Bayou near the Port of Houston. A grant provided by the National Park Service provided funding to create a master plan for this dream. Partners on the committee included Texas Parks & Wildlife, Houston Park Board, Houston Parks & Recreation, North Houston District, North Belt Utility District, Utility District, and other interested individuals including Barry Ross, Rico Torres, Grady Hicks, and committee chairs Rich Gallegos and Doug Coenen.

Launch locations were determined and the Annual Greens Bayou Regatta began, to publicize the route, and raise money to start working on the trail. The first Regatta required the committee to machete the brush back in order for boats to launch! The Coalition began working with partners on launch parks, and as years went on, Houston Parks Board improved the parks and launches at Stickland, and Thomas Bell Foster Parks, and Houston Parks & Rec did the same at Brock Park so they're the amazing launches you find now.

Finally, everything was in place! Greens Bayou Coalition reapplied for the 7.7 mile trail to be recognized. Once Texas Parks & Wildlife was able to survey the trail, all the paperwork was filled out, the kiosks were installed at the parks and the information was put online, the Greens Bayou Paddling Trail became and Official Texas Paddling Trail. It is the 90th official paddling trail in Texas, and a rare Urban trail. If you haven't been out on Greens Bayou, you'll be surprised. It is quiet and serene, surrounded by large growth trees. It is very hard to believe you are on an urban bayou in the middle of the city.

The Future

While launches in the mid-reach remain under consideration, difficulties in finding partners and funding have slowed progress. There is on-and-off interest in adding launches at W. E. "Bill" Crowley Park and at Fallcreek on Garner Bayou. As a nonprofit, Greens Bayou Coalition doesn't have funding to purchase or maintain property - we look for partnerships and try to bring people with similar ideas and plans together. After all, it is our mission to create recreational opportunities in the watershed1

Many thanks to the Harbourview Foundation for the grant that allowed us to purchase the kiosks for the Texas Parks & Wildlife wayfinding signage. And to Barry Ross and Doug Coenen for the actual installation at all three parks.